South Dakota’s first Esports tournament connected gamers from across the state this weekend.
SDN Communications and 17 other independent, local broadband providers are giving people of all ages an opportunity to show their skills with a controller.
The inaugural Sodak Circuit Esports Competition took place Saturday in Sioux Falls. The event boasts 5 “main events” ranging from Mario Kart to Fortnite. It draws a large crowd of gamers and parents to watch various opponents battle one another on screen.
Hannah Boquet is the Marketing Manager at SDN Communications. She said despite some uncertainties about the event, the turnout was successful.
“It’s actually so cool, so you know there’s always the nerves that when you’re putting something together for the first time it’s like ‘Will anyone come to this event?’ and especially pouring so much time into planning it. And so really when we opened the doors and people started walking in it was like eyes were sparkling and twinkling and just jaws were dropping. You know with the lights and the sounds and the ambiance, the energy is so high that everybody is so excited to be here and get to have this for the first time, which is just super super cool,” Boquet said.
Although Esports align with her career, her son Oslo said gaming can have a bigger impact off the screen.
“Well, I think the importance of Esports is so they have time to have fun and get around with their family. For instance, me, Ivan and Boden - which are my brothers – we play Fortnite with my mom sometimes. And it’s really fun and like a fun way to bond with our mom,” Oslo said.
His mom agrees. Although she said unlike her boys, she may not be pursuing it past family time.
“I’m not good at it, but it’s fun to play. And so, for me knowing from a family perspective it’s really brought my boys and I closer together that we can get together and play Fortnite. Even my brother who lives in New Zealand can hop on and play with us and we can all hang out together online. Esports are a cool way to connect people that way too,” Boquet said.
Like the Boquet family, many of the players present use the virtual world to connect with others in the real world.
Liam Somerset is a 12-year-old gamer attending the competition. He said this rings true in his family.
“He likes what I do. I really accept that from him. Some families don’t like what they do, so I’m like ‘I’ll accept whatever you want me to do’. And he accepts what I do, and I accept what he does. It’s kind of like a son-to-father bond. We sometimes play Madden 25, College Football 25, he tried Fortnite with me; it didn’t turn out good. And then we play Mario Kart sometimes with the whole family, even mom,” Somerset said.
For some, the all-ages event is an opportunity to showcase technological talents to the world.
Ryan Dutton is the Vice President of Sales and Marketing. He said the new event allows them to eye new talent.
“We wanted to have an event that would showcase our network, our member-owner network as well because they’re all contributing to these types of events actually happening at the local level both in a formal, and even with our member companies, just residents and consumers who are doing gaming at home. So it was a great opportunity for us to showcase the reliability, speed and power of our network while also supporting a growing event," Dutton said. "It’s something that we think will help us attract new talent in the future. The folks that are showing an acumen and interest in gaming are some of the same folks that we will want to be interested about talking to about jobs in the future.
Even though there is a lot of excitement at the competition, Oslo said not everything is perfect.
“The people in Mario Kart are really good. I’m very surprised that I didn’t win instantly,” Oslo said.
As South Dakota transitions into the world of Esports, advocates say people are responding positively.
More events are coming this fall as the South Dakota High School Activities Association begins sanctioning Esports in state schools.
