Competition continues through Sept. 19
A promotional web graphic calls for entries for the 2020 Online Soldier Showdown esports tournament presented by the Army National Guard. (Graphic courtesy of Family and Morale, Welfare and Recreation)
Soldiers have a chance to prove they’ve “got game” — video-game skills, that is — during the Online Soldier Showdown happening now.
Presented by the Army National Guard, the 12-week esports tournament began July 4 and continues through Sept. 19, with Soldiers competing in a different game and sometimes different platforms each week. The tournament is sponsored by the National Guard, Army Entertainment ESPORTS, Better Opportunity for Single Soldiers, Complexity Gaming and the Exchange.
Open exclusively to active-duty and Army National Guard Soldiers, the contest is free to enter. Competitors can register online at armymwr.com/esports. Registration opens at noon Wednesdays and remains open until 11:59 p.m. Fridays, with competitions taking place on Saturdays.
Participants compete from their own homes or barracks using their own gaming equipment.
Each week, participants can earn points on the tournament’s leaderboard for a chance to earn weekly prizes, such as backpacks, gaming accessories and other items. According to the registration site, the top three finalists will spend “a day in the life of a professional esports player” during a trip to Complexity Headquarters in Frisco, Texas.
The weekly competitions are held worldwide in three different time zones, with multiple regions in each zone. Together with 19 other installations, Fort Leonard Wood is located in the North America – West Region in the North America – West Zone.
Upcoming competition dates, game titles and gaming platforms or formats, if specified, are as follows:
— Aug. 1, “FIFA” (PS4).
— Aug. 8, “Call of Duty,” (1v1 mode).
— Aug. 15, “Madden” (Xbox).
— Aug. 22, “Brawlhalla.”
— Aug. 29, “NBA2K” (PS4).
— Sept. 5, “FIFA” (Xbox).
— Sept. 12, TBD.
— Sept. 19, TBD.
More information is available on the registration website above or at soldiershowdown.complexity.gg/#/.
(Editor’s note: The preceding article contains information about non-federal entities that are not part of the Department of Defense or any of its components and have no government status. This article does not express or imply endorsement by the U.S. Army or the Department of Defense.)