Call of Duty is the biggest name in the esports world and over at the House of Blues in Boston, amateurs are getting their shot to shine.
The growth of esports is staggering.
For Wellesley, Massachusetts, natives Murph and Jack Vandervelde, it wasn't too long ago they were hosting mini tournaments in a small room with all players crammed side-by-side.
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However, their vision for the sport in Massachusetts then was much bigger.
"We want to do something crazy here, and they were like 'OK, great. We're happy to do that but let's see how it goes.' And I think we blew everyone's expectations away," said Murph.
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Call of Duty is the biggest name in the esports world and over at the House of Blues in Boston, amateurs are getting their shot to shine.
"Before we did a major, we were doing challengers. This is our third challengers' event, which is the minor league event. Kind of equivalent to baseball of other developmental leagues, its academy teams and those are the aspiring pros," said Jack.
While over at MGM Fenway, the best of the best go head-to-head where they are expecting big crowds.
"At these larger majors people travel from across the world, across the country," said Murph.
"So, esports just sounded like another new way to really open the doors to a broader audience," said Parker Woods, production manager at MGM Music Hall.
Just like any major concert or event, Woods said it's a lot of work, but for the Call of Duty League Major I Boston Tournament, it's even more extensive.
"For something like esports, we actually have about two days to prepare the space and load in all their production equipment," said Woods.
NBC10 Boston went behind the scenes to show the setup. It's an elaborate effort preparing the gamers and fans for four days of competition. The technology side alone can be quite challenging on this scale.
"Their LED screens, their audio and lighting controls, their broadcast cameras," said Woods.
The Vanderveldes said they expect 13,000 to 14,000 fans and most of them travel to Massachusetts, so it's an economic boost.
Also, the winners take home some major money: first place gets $200,000, $120,000 for second place and $80,000 for third place.
