SAN FRANCISCO & KANSAS CITY, Mo.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--GameWorks, Inc., an esports and entertainment company for millennials, teens and families with seven locations nationwide, announced today it has forged a partnership with the High School Esports League (HSEL) — a varsity esports organization with over 60,000 participating students across more than 2,100 schools — to help fuel the adoption of esports throughout high schools nationwide.
HSEL, the largest competitive gaming organization serving high school and education facilities in North America, is focused on making esports available to every student as a legitimate varsity level sport in high schools throughout the U.S. HSEL achieves this by working with faculty to easily offer students the chance to engage in healthy esports competition, surrounded by peers while supervised by teachers.
Under the agreement, effective immediately, GameWorks’ seven venues will provide HSEL members several benefits at its modern, high-tech, high-touch esports lounges, including free practice time for teams and individuals during designated times on weekdays and weekends; competition space for teams; and, special exclusive offers of food, drinks and time play.
The partnership between GameWorks and HSEL is designed to help players emphasize their studies while also advancing their gaming skills. As a leader in esports nationwide, GameWorks’ venues provide students the opportunity to do just this through organized, structured play and scheduled practices. HSEL approved GameWorks locations can be found in such cities as Denver, CO, Seattle, WA, Las Vegas, NV. A complete list of HSEL-approved GameWorks locations can be found at https://highschoolesportsleague.com/hsel-approved.
“Through this arrangement with HSEL, GameWorks is helping high school students improve their gameplay skills while considering professional player paths and also recognizing the importance the role of academics plays in their future careers. By opening up our venues to HSEL players, we are providing a safe, comfortable and state-of-the-art environment for up-and-coming high school players. We are confident that players exposed to our lounges will have a great experience and be afforded the chance to improve their skills and game,” said Philip N. Kaplan, chief executive officer at GameWorks.
Mason Mullenioux, co-founder and CEO of High School Esports League, added: “Our new partnership with GameWorks is a natural fit for our members as students now have access to premium esports lounges, even on weekends, where they can practice and compete. The new HSEL-approved GameWorks locations are fully featured with everything our players need to succeed in upcoming tournaments, such as the HSEL Winter Open, which is now open for registration to all North American high school students, or when they just want to participate in casual matches with friends. GameWorks offers our members a comfortable, robust environment where they can hone their competitive gaming skills and forge greater bonds with their peers while still focusing on their studies.”
The partnership coincides with registration for the HSEL Winter Open tournament becoming available to all North American high school students, regardless of whether they’re part of an HSEL-partnered school or not. Competitors can take part in the Winter Open from an HSEL-approved GameWorks location, their schools, or from home. More information about the HSEL Winter Open is available at https://www.highschoolesportsleague.com/tournaments/#winter-open-schedule.
About GameWorks, Inc.
GameWorks, Inc. offers a full esports and entertainment experience for millennials, teens and families, from seven locations nationwide, including those in Virginia - Chesapeake, Denver - Northfield/Stapleton, Las Vegas - Town Square, Minneapolis - Mall of America, Cincinnati - Newport on the Levee (Ky.), Chicago - Schaumburg and Seattle - Downtown. Each action-packed location ranges, on average, from between 20-30,000 square feet and features approximately 140 of the most popular arcade and video games.
GameWorks is recognized nationally for its esports emphasis. All venues have modern, high-tech and high-touch esports lounges. GameWorks created an atmosphere designed to meet the comfort and optimum performance of gamers. Each full-service, premium GameWorks esports lounge is equipped with, on average, 20-40 PCs and consoles and an extensive library of approximately 100 of the most popular, up-to-date video games. Venues host hundreds of tournaments and events, attracting tens of thousands of guests annually, who participate, play socially or are spectators. Other interactive activities, ranging from laser tag, billiards and other special attractions, are at various locations. Every location features The Works Kitchen at GameWorks, a new, eclectic, chef-driven restaurant concept that takes a Modern American spin on bar classics.
GameWorks also operates TableTop Tap House, a top-rated restaurant, sports bar and social game hall serving modern American tavern-style food and drinks in San Francisco.
For more information, please visit www.gameworks.com, or connect with the Company on LinkedIn, Twitter and Facebook.
About High School Esports League
Kansas City, Mo.-based High School Esports League was founded in 2013 and remains the largest and longest-running competitive gaming organization for high school students, with over 2,100 partnered schools and 60,000 participating students — and it is growing. The organization harnesses students’ passion for video games through organized competition and academics, resulting in better engagement, better GPAs, and better career prospects. HSEL is a pioneer in high school esports thanks to its STEM.org certified programs, scholarships, and tournament platform which arm high schools with the knowledge and resources required to positively impact students through competitive gaming. For more information, please visit https://www.highschoolesportsleague.com. An HSEL press kit with logos, photos, and videos is available here https://uberstrategist.link/HSEL-PressKit.
For the latest news and updates from HSEL, like the organization on Facebook at facebook.com/hsel.org and follow on Twitter @hselesports, Instagram, and Reddit. Fans can also join the official HSEL Discord and subscribe on YouTube and at Twitch.tv/varsitynetwork.
