Amazon Champions Of Fire Invitational: Not Your Average Esports Event

What exactly is an esport? The word has come to define a new movement in competitive gaming, describing professional nerds who play videogames on stage for money. Usually an esport event has a very specific type of game, one that requires skill, finesse, time, dedication and most of all, a console or PC.

Games like League Of Legends, DOTA II, Rocket League, CS:GO and Overwatch are almost always at the epicenter of an esport event. These are the games fans love to play and watch, and pros, who have invested hundreds of hours into understanding each subtle nuance and trick, have devoted their lives to mastering. But what happens when something a bit different wants to call itself an esport?

That’s what Amazon did this weekend at the Champions of Fire Invitational, which took place at the Paris Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas on Friday. Amazon gathered 16 of the internet’s most popular streamers and YouTubers, including Sky Williams, Hafu, Brian Kibler and Boxbox, and had them duke it out for a $30,000 grand prize. These gamers, known for League Of Legends, Hearthstone and other games, tried their hand at some titles outside their wheelhouse, competing in mobile games like Fruit Ninja, Crossy Road: Disney Edition, Bloons TD Battles, 8 Ball Pool and Pac Man 256.

I’ve been to plenty of esports events which all had one thing in common: all of their games were classified as “competitive.” Most gamers wouldn’t invest hours into being the best Fruit Ninja player in the world; it’s a cute mobile game that even your parents can play. On the surface it doesn't look like there’s a whole lot of strategy and planning to consider when slicing fruit; or at least that’s what I thought.

The Amazon Fire Invitational was the first of its kind, a tournament where internet celebrities faced off 1v1 on a stage at the Les Theater Des Arts at the Paris Hotel and Casino. Over the course of the day, these influencers fought tooth and nail to earn prize money. The stage was set up immaculately, and while there might not have been Twitch insignias displayed all over the place, you could definitely tell Amazon was using knowledge from Twitch esports events to host their own.

After a few hours, half of the competitors were knocked out. Strategies started to emerge, like using Aladdin in Crossy Road since his map is the easiest, or using power ups like Dispel and Whirlwind in Fruit Ninja: Tournament Edition to win the game. I couldn’t believe that these casual-looking games actually had a lot of depth to them; they weren’t just mindless time wasters.

By the finals, I was at the edge of my seat. Boxbox, one of League Of Legends’ best players and CobaltStreak, a variety game streamer on Twitch, went head to head in a best-of-five series. Games I had originally dismissed as being “for casuals” were actually engaging to watch. Boxbox managed to win the whole thing in an epic Fruit Ninja match, which are words I never thought I would say or mean.

I have to mention how important the streamers and YouTubers were in making this event work. The games alone were interesting, but the commentary by Sky Williams, TangentGaming and the announcers kept the show entertaining. If none of these guys and gals had personalities, this event would have been nearly unwatchable. Thankfully, Sky is always a joy to watch, especially when he’s ranting about losing at Crossy Road.

Amazon plans to do another of these events next year and I’m excited about the possibilities. They showed me that any game can be fun to watch (and constitute an esport), as long as there’s heart in the broadcast. Maybe they can branch into other mobile games or bring on even bigger internet personalities, Pewdiepie perhaps?

Overall, the Champions Of Fire Invitational really impressed me and has the potential to reshape what we think about esports.