A COVENTRY gamer has raised money for charity after hosting an esports tournament with top players from around the country.
Coventry College architecture student, Arvin Lavina, 17, raised almost £500 at the Gigabit Cup event with support from the colleges esports team, Coventry Crosshairs.
The two day event supported by internet service provider Gigabit Networks invited 60 players from 12 esports teams to compete in a Valorant tournament with the winners choosing which charity to donate to.
Valorant, a tactical first-person shooter, is one of the most popular games in team esports.
‘Burnley Bees’ defeated ‘Sleepiest Warriors’ to win the tournament and chose to donate the money to RSPCA.
Coventry College esports students Filip Krause and Marcel Kajut, who are members of the college’s esports team helped manage the live-stream and created digital branding assets for the event with support from other UK college students.
Event host Arvin, also known by his gaming pseudonym Misio said: “The event was incredible. From production to the participants to the viewers, everyone was so engaged and hyped to watch the teams play Valorant.
“I loved how it panned out. Raising £500 for charity is a brilliant feeling and I really can’t thank everyone enough for playing a part in this huge project.”
Marcel added: “The event was a massive success. Not only were we able to reach our charity donation goal, the event also brought a big group of talented people together to create something that had a positive effect in the short term and created a standard to inspire future charity events.
“The event has also allowed me to understand what goes into running an event of this scale and has given me valuable experience which we can use to improve. I’m more than excited for the Gigabit Cup Series 2. This was only the beginning of what the grassroot events scene can do.”
El ‘Eko’ Wylde, a ‘shoutcaster’ for British Esports, who supported the Gigabit Cup with commentary said: “Arvin made sure everyone was happy, comfortable and ready for their roles at every step of the way.
“Getting so much money raised over a single weekend took a lot of planning and hard work. I wish I had that work ethic when I was at college!”
