ARLINGTON, Texas — Nearly 500 students will compete for the title of "undisputed" state champion during a first-of-its-kind esports tournament in Arlington Friday and Saturday.
The event may bolster efforts to convince the University Interscholastic League (UIL) to sanction and regulate esports, just as it manages Texas high school football or volleyball.
Right now, Texas students compete in esports leagues sponsored by for-profit companies. Teams from Texas' largest leagues do not typically challenge teams from other leagues, meaning there has not been a universally recognized state champion.
The Texas Scholastic Esports Federation (TexSEF), a non-profit organized by teachers, seeks to crown an undisputed victor.
"We have invited the top teams, no matter which league their school plays in, because we only need one state champion in Texas," TexSEF director Danielle Johnson said. "We're a non-profit, so we were able to bring all of those organizations together under one roof to compete."
After the tournament ends, Texas will become the nation's only state with universally recognized victors.
Students will compete for titles in five different games, including Super Smash Bros. and Overwatch.
"Around 80% of the kids that participate in esports at their school have never been involved in anything else before," Johnson said. "So now we have a whole new group of students connected to school."
TexSEF spent almost a year planning the tournament, which takes place at Esports Stadium Arlington. A professional crew broadcasts the games live and within the arena on a big screen.
Attendees can connect with game developers for special workshops. Businesses and colleges also set up booths to recruit students.
"A lot of these organizations are not here to advertise," Johnson said. "They're here to hire."
Despite her team's work, Johnson hopes the UIL will eventually take over the event. She's among the educators pushing the state to sanction the sport and protect young competitors.
"UIL has a few goals," she said. "One of them is to prevent the third-party exploitation of our students. While we do trust a lot of these for-profit organizations, we don't know what happens in the future."
This summer, a state panel could create a pilot esports program to launch during the 2024-2025 school year. If successful, the program would eventually prompt UIL sponsorship.
"We want to build the structure" for a state championship tournament, Johnson said. "When UIL decides to get to this, we will have worked out a lot of the systems and processes for them."
Until then, competitive gamers will settle for the championship belt the TexSEF offers this weekend's victors.
"Having an official title is really cool," said Andrew Jackson, a Crowley ISD student competing Friday.
The tournament continues Saturday morning. It is free to attend and open to the public.