Henry Wilmot grew up in a military family and, like many military families, they moved around a lot. Moving made it hard to make – and keep – friends. So Wilmot started playing online games as a way to get to know other people.

“It was just a good way to connect with people and keep in touch even after you move,” he said.

Even now, as a junior political science student at the University of Northern Colorado, he’s still in search of the connection gaming provides. It’s why he helped plan and host the UNC Bear Brawl Gaming Festival, a free event open to the public Sunday afternoon that featured competitions and tournaments on multiple games and consoles.

The event was sponsored by the university’s eSports Club which, Wilmot said, just recently became a recognized club sport. The club has hosted events before, he said, but this was the first tournament it sponsored that was open to other similar clubs.

Sitting in one of the chairs set up in the University Center’s massive upstairs ballroom before the tournament started, Wilmot said he wasn’t sure how many people would attend the event.

He said club members rented the room for hours, in case they needed time to address technical difficulties (and as the afternoon went on, they did have to handle a few, but it did nothing to dampen the festive mood.)

Still, he said, it’s the club’s biggest event so far.

The gaming festival impressed Joshua Shoeman, and he’s no stranger to such events. Known in the gaming community as “Shoe,” he specializes in playing Super Smash Brothers for Wii U, and is one of the top gamers in the state who play the game. The title is not without it’s benefits – Shoeman said he regularly earns more than $100 for placing in tournaments. Normally, he said, he travels to Denver on the weekend to compete in tournaments there, but he didn’t have to Sunday.

“I’m very impressed with (the Bear Brawl) for it being the first time,” he said, looking around the ballroom where about 50 people sat before monitors playing video games or engaging in bantering conversation. “I expected there to be about 15 people.”

Much like the Olympic games, gaming festivals feature multiple events, which means gamers might specialize in one game or console over another. In addition to Shoeman’s specialty, the Bear Brawl also featured games, such as “Overwatch” and “League of Legends.” Some of those games can be played by a group, which means eSports clubs at universities across the state compete with each other at events such as the Bear Brawl.

Noah Parko was a member of one such team from Colorado State University. He’s not a student there, he said, but he plays “Overwatch,” a fantasy first-person shooter game, with a group of five college students who compete in tournaments. Teamwork in the real world is paramount to winning in the game, but Parko said so far he’s been working well with his teammates.

It’s all part of the connection Wilmot hoped to foster when he planned the event. That connection is something Shoeman found as well. His tournament didn’t start until about 4 p.m. Sunday, but he still arrived early.

“This is kind of a nice way to meet new people and hang out with people,” he said.