The University of Warwick is hosting a speed typing tournament with live finals taking place at Warwick’s esports centre on January 29th 2022.
Online qualifiers for the event opened on December 17th 2021 and ran until January 7th 2022, with the top 24 progressing to the live finals.
Casters on board for the event are Giniro and DocDa.
-link for (free) tickets for anyone who wishes to attend
It’s not limited to students – tournament entry is fully open to the public. The only requirement is those that make it into the top 24 must attend the live finals. It’s being billed as the UK’s first in-person typing tournament, though Esports News UK couldn’t corroborate this (there were speed typing tests with typewriters many years ago, for example).
The typing tournament will use Keyma.sh, an online multiplayer competitive typing platform and the software and platform partner of the tournament. More than 100 participants have signed up, with another 100 having expressed interest. The top 24 players appearing at the event have been finalised, with one participant coming all the way from the US to take part.
Emre ‘eiko’ Aydin, the founder of the tournament, a student at the University of Warwick and a finalist at the 2020 Ultimate Typing Championship, wanted to give back to the community and help it grow.
“I think what’s great about competitive typing is that it’s incredibly accessible; everyone has typed before but equally everyone knows how hard it is to type quickly and accurately,” Emre said. “Anyone can watch this and immediately appreciate how skilled these players are, which isn’t always the case with esports.”
Cameron ‘GNiK’ Touchette, founder of Keyma.sh, added: “I love esports, I love typing, and the main origin of Keyma.sh was to bring esports to typing and Warwick Esports is the first to actually make that big step, which is always exciting.
“The last time I can recall there ever being an in-person finals for typing would be the Ultimate Typing Championship 2010, where Sean Wrona won. There was also the Cincy Typing Championship in 2013, which I believe was won by Robert Price. So looking at those results, we’re at least eight years from the last [in-person] event, so it helps put typing esports on the map again.
“This event alone could be good inspiration for other events to do more in-person tournaments, which would be amazing to see.”
Jack Fenton, head of esports at the University of Warwick, commented: “The Typing Championship is an event that will be truly one of a kind, even for the skilled typists that compete in the local area, on top of being a unique opportunity for the general public to get involved in esports. That’s what makes it so special.
“We’ve been keen to host an event outside of your usual esports candidates for a while and this is a perfect opportunity for the Warwick to celebrate what many would consider a simple but yet undeniably exceptional skill: speed typing.”
Jack Fenton, University of Warwick
“Hosting this in the centre will be incredible and the Esports Society’s broadcast team have learnt so much in 2021. I can’t wait to see them apply it to this event to create a truly premium experience for everyone. I hope that campus fully embraces the uniquely awe-inspiring event that this is bound to be.”
Prizing will include items worth more than £250 from Mechboards UK, a daskeyboard X50Q and the book Nerds Per Minute by Sean Wrona. The event will feature prizing for audience members on top of the competitors, as well as complementary pizza.
The UK also had another representative at the 2020 Ultimate Typing Championship: Adam ‘Adamsky’ Fallon.
You can get a free ticket for the Warwick typing event here. Those wishing to get involved in the tournament could join the Warwick typing tournament Discord server here.
Dom is an award-winning writer and finalist of the Esports Journalist of the Year 2023 award. He graduated from Bournemouth University with a 2:1 degree in Multi-Media Journalism in 2007.
As a long-time gamer having first picked up the NES controller in the late ’80s, he has written for a range of publications including GamesTM, Nintendo Official Magazine, industry publication MCV and others. He worked as head of content for the British Esports Federation up until February 2021, when he stepped back to work full-time on Esports News UK and offer esports consultancy and freelance services. Note: Dom still produces the British Esports newsletter on a freelance basis, so our coverage of British Esports is always kept simple – usually just covering the occasional press release – because of this conflict of interest.
