Photo credit: @Gratz
University esports LAN, Battle for Glasgow 2024 (BFG24), returned to Glasgow Caledonian University campus for a third consecutive year this July, writes Abbi Redfern.
The tournament, run by event management and production company Charge Entertainment, saw Caledonian Chargers, Glasgow Grizzlies and Strathclyde Strathers compete in five games from July 28th to 30th 2024.
Over the weekend, teams competed in Valorant, Rocket League, CS2, League of Legends and Overwatch 2.
Ultimately after the weekend-long battle, the Caledonian Chargers took home the crown for the first time since 2020, securing game wins in League of Legends, CS2 and Valorant. The final score for the Chargers in the tournament was 8-4-3 against the Grizzlies and Strathers.
Overwatch 2 was won by The Strathers, and Rocket League by The Grizzlies, while the Smash Bros winner was Corseca and the Tekken winner was Wezerz.
This year, the LAN, sponsored by Red Bull and Intel/NSE, also welcomed the FGC (fighting game community) to the battle, with Super Smash Bros. Ultimate and Tekken 8. Players competed for the chance at a £115 prize pool. This new addition was added with help from members of the local scene Burn 2 Fight and others.
“I’m so happy with how the event came together,” said the tournament organiser of fighting games, William Adams. “It was a later addition to BFG so it was very hectic, but I think everyone had a great time, even with the huge delays from League.”
The BFG24 Event Manager, William Vogt, commented:
“I’m very proud of what we were able to achieve. Many issues from the previous years were able to be resolved which resulted in a better viewing experience for visitors and online spectators. The addition of further games and a dedicated Fanzone were also very well received – and we will continue including what we’ve learnt into our future events!”
William Vogt, Battle For Glasgow 2024
Building on issues and feedback from the 2023 event, production quality was a large focus.
Production manager Diego Hoya stated: “In terms of broadcast production for BFG24, we enhanced the quality and workflow by adding SDI capture cards to our production machine, these simple changes allowed us to reduce latency and increased reliability in comparison with previous years using NDI.
“This improvement also allowed us to include player cameras to our replay machine which added a more professional look to the replay segments, and also provided us with replay content for social media. These are just some of the key changes of BFG24, every year we try to push the boundaries of what we can achieve with small budgets.“
The event was run by 23 student volunteers, working in areas across production, marketing and design.
Production volunteer Slavey commented: “Working on BFG is an amazing passion project for me. I have learned much about live broadcasting and events over the three times I have been at BFG. The people that are involved are what make BFG special. From staff to audience and players, they have all given me memories I still cherish.”
In addition to the 23 behind-the-scenes volunteers, the event featured a range of local UK and global talent in its 12 on-screen volunteers.
Kaiserine hosted the event for the second year in a row, while casters at the event included Smoky Bear, Alec Cragie, Maddante, Bigfoot, Trajan, Aza, Bum Clean, Gio, Spectrion and Zanzii. The production team also included two volunteer observers: Pengwing and casualcutie.
Next for Charge Entertainment is Scotland-wide tournament Battle for Scotland (BFS), which invites teams from universities and colleges across the country to compete online. Sign-ups for the event open on September 9th 2024. Updates on BFS and future tournaments can be found on @BattleForScot on Twitter and @BattleforScotland on Instagram.
