Scotland’s esports stars will compete for a £10,000 prize pot in Dundee this year.
The Scottish Esports League Season 4 (SEL4) is the nation’s largest competitive gaming competition.
Its showpiece event, the four-day grand finals, will be held at the Dundee Contemporary Arts hub in November.
A £10,000 reward – the largest prize pool in Scottish esports history – will be on offer.
The rocketing popularity of esports was magnified across Scotland in the last year as youngsters, celebrities and athletes alike switched on their consoles to during lockdown.
Even Scotland football stars John McGinn and Ryan Christie got involved in the action by turning to gaming to keep themselves sharp between Euro 2020 matches.
Esports is sports competitions using computer games, with teams often competing for multimillion-pound prize pots in the rapidly growing sport.
Last year’s competition, SEL3, saw 590 players compete across three games.
A record number of players are expected to enter the frame at SEL4, with two new games, League of Legends and Valorant, joining alongside returning titles.
The competitive action starts with an online tournament in late September.
How esports grand final will help Dundee
Entrants will then be competing for a sought-after place at the SEL4 grand finals in Dundee.
Fans can register interest to attend Dundee’s gaming finale on the Esports Scotland website, for a chance to watch some of the country’s most talented players on top of their game.
Dundee Contemporary Arts director Beth Bate said: “We’re delighted to be working with Esports Scotland on bringing this finals event to Dundee, supporting the city and Scotland’s tech sector.
“Competitive gaming connects people from across the world.
“We’re very proud to have such a strong home for it here in Dundee.
“We’re looking forward to welcoming gamers to DCA for this exciting competition.”
Producing esports ‘icons of the future’
Esports Scotland owner James Hood said: “Throughout lockdown, we witnessed more people playing games than ever before.
“We’re excited to provide a platform for the nation’s gamers to develop their talent, and appetite for competitive match play.
“I’m a true believer that we have the potential to produce esports icons of the future, so striving to offer a top-level environment for them to progress here in Scotland has been a huge goal of ours.
“SEL4 will mark another major milestone for esports Scotland and we’re delighted with our progression over the past 12 months, which has allowed us to secure such a modern and technologically advanced venue.
“We’re hugely excited that our dream to host an event of this calibre is becoming a reality.”