Ogeechee Tech’s Jacob Flannery Competes in State Esports Tournament

Ogeechee Technical College’s (OTC) Jacob Flannery, Manufacturing Engineering Technology student, earned the opportunity to compete in a statewide Georgia Esports League (GEL) virtual tournament held on November 29th.

GEL’s fall event “FALLHALLA!” was a Brawlhalla tournament series asking member schools to host a local Brawlhalla tournament and then to send their top player to the virtual November bracket. Brawlhalla is a platform fighter where players can choose from a list of over 50 fighters called Legends and the objective is to achieve victory by knocking their opponents off the play stage.

“Each school was tasked with holding their own tournament to find their top player, Kennesaw State University, Maroon Tiger Gaming (Morehouse College), Columbus State University, University of Georgia, Ogeechee Technical College, and Brewton-Parker College all held these tournaments to find their player in October,” said Ethan Byrd, Georgia Esports League Commissioner. “Then we moved towards the tournament that we just played in on November 29th.  The matches allowed the top winner from the individual college Brawlhalla competitions to compete, and then we reached out to other schools to put forward a representative so we could get as much school diversity in the tournament.”

OTC hosted their local Brawlhalla Fallhalla tournament in the JEK auditorium on October 23, and the winner Flannery was given a $50 credit to the OTC Bookstore and a chance to compete in the November 29th virtual tournament.

“The opportunity that I had through Out To Conquer at Ogeechee Tech to compete in the GEL Fallhalla competition was eye opening for me to see just how skilled everyone really is,” said Flannery. “Not just the gamers, but also the broadcasters, production, casting and organization of the event.”

In its first GEL competition, Out To Conquer was represented by Jacob Flannery, who demonstrated impressive skill and dedication. While the team did not achieve victory in this initial competition, Jacob gained valuable experience and insights that will be crucial to future success.

“We are incredibly proud to join the GEL and compete at the highest level of collegiate esports,” said April Burkes, OTC’s Data Quality Manager and Advisor at Out To Conquer. “This is a tremendous opportunity for our students to test their skills against some of the best players in the state and gain valuable experience that will benefit them both in their personal and professional careers.”

Skillshot Media:  Esports solution company Skillshot Media handles tournament operations, broadcasting, live-events, and sponsorship sales.
Ghost: Atlanta’s professional esports team Ghost Gaming supports with coaching expertise, integration of professional gaming talent, and industry mentorship.
Georgia Film Academy:  In Fall 2020, the Georgia Film Academy launched Georgia’s Digital Entertainment, Esports & Game Development workforce development program, offering students exposure, training, and placement in one of the fastest-growing industries in the state. In partnership with Skillshot Media this initiative became a GFA certification pathway with an introductory course, specialty craft courses, and internship/apprenticeship opportunities. The courses are offered at GFA’s hub at Skillshot Media.

OTC