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The University of Kentucky becomes the center of collegiate esports on February 18-19 , with administrators, current students, and future competitors converging on the UK campus for two days focused on esports competition and program development.
Global esports organization Gen.G and the University of Kentucky today announced the latest iteration of their partnership: CatCon, a regional conference hosted at the University of Kentucky . The two-day festival will bring together students and administrators in the area, solidifying UK's status as one of the premier esports universities and destinations in the region.
On February 18-19, 2023 , CatCon will feature community building tournaments for student-run gaming clubs from any college, conference-style panels for both students and administrators, and networking events. While attending panel discussions and networking events, administrators will immerse themselves in the esports industry and learn how to best support the growing esports communities on their campuses and in their region. Administrators and students can register at catcon.gg . A travel stipend may be provided for those within the SEC on an application basis. For questions, please reach out to events@geng.gg .
The conference also marks the return of the UK Invitational Tournament with competitors playing in-person for crash prizes across multiple games in partnership with the UKY Esports Club, including Halo Infinite and VALORANT. Participants will need to qualify through an online league in order to be eligible for the in-person tournament. Spectators can watch the stream on Twitch, at twitch.tv/universityofky . Registration will open on December 20th in the official University of Kentucky Esports Lounge Discord at go.uky.edu/CornerstoneDiscord .
"Gen.G could not be more excited to work with our longtime partner to support the growing esports hub at the University of Kentucky ", said Martin Kim , Chief Revenue Officer at Gen.G. "CatCon will give both students and administrators the tools they need to thrive in this burgeoning esports region and take the esports and gaming culture in the collegiate esports to the next level."
There will be workshops for attendees that include keynote speaker Kishonna Gray, an esteemed award-winning researcher, author, and lecturer who serves as an Associate Professor at the University of Kentucky . She will discuss Examining Intersectionality Creative Storytelling in Video Games Media and more. Student programming will also include a career fair, where companies and organizations in the gaming industry will showcase open jobs and give students insights into possible career paths. In addition to administrators and current college students, local high school students are encouraged to attend and can participate in private UK campus tours, Q&A sessions with current students, and more select programming during CatCon.
"CatCon will provide current and future students, community members, and aspiring administrators with the connections and knowledge they need to continue the path that the University of Kentucky and Gen.G have begun paving towards lasting esports success in our region," said Heath Price , Associate Chief Information Officer at University of Kentucky . "Through our continued partnership with Gen.G, we desire to be a leader in the strong thought leadership that is happening across the video gaming and esports industry, and we believe events like CatCon have the potential to encourage even more collaboration across the collegiate esports landscape."
Gen.G and UK have partnered with VisitLex to promote attendance and build excitement for the event. VisitLex supplied resources and tailored suggestions to help educate attendees about the destination and to ensure they have the best experience while in Lexington .
Gen.G and the University of Kentucky have previously partnered on the annual Give Health Fundraiser for Kentucky Children's Hospital, The ChallengHER tournament aimed at promoting an inclusive and positive environment for female identifying gamers, Hoops @ Home NBA 2K tournament for current students and alumni, and NetWORK series focusing on professional development through gaming and esports.
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SOURCE Gen.G
