Esports Festival Set for NWA

An online gaming, or esports, festival that aims to foster equity and inclusion in the tech industry is coming to Fayetteville this year.

The ReWired Festival is scheduled for Oct. 20-22 at the University of Arkansas. The event, organized by Inclusion Companies LLC, will kick off with multiple esports tournaments worth a total of $60,000 in prizes. It also includes a food expo and panel discussions.

Organizers hope to encourage Black, indigenous and people of color (BIPOC) communities, as well as women and people of all abilities, to pursue careers in science, technology, engineering, arts and math.

“Strategy, teamwork, community, and problem solving are just some of the positive aspects we will celebrate in the hopes of inspiring today’s youth to pursue jobs in the areas of STEAM,” Trevor Drinkwater, CEO of Inclusion Companies, said in a news release.

The festival is sponsored by Walmart and presented by Monster Energy.

“The ReWired platform was built to engage and inspire today’s youth around the positive aspects of esports and technology,” Chris Nagelson, vice president of media and gaming at Walmart U.S., said in the release. “It is our hope that this event creates opportunities for students to realize new and exciting career paths through the pursuit of science and technology and we’re proud to be a part of an event that is focused on inspiring the next generation of leaders.”