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A DIVE TEAM HAS BEEN CONDUCTING THE SEARCH FOR SEVERAL HOURS. 15 HOURS OF VIDEOGAMES. THAT’S WHAT’S HAPPENING AT PARK UNIVERSITY RIGHT NOW. ARE COMPETING IN TOURNAMENTS. KMBC9’S BIANCA BELTRAN GIVES US A CLOSER LOOK AT THE GROWING INDUSTRY OF E-SPORTS FROM PARKVILLE. BIANCA: A LONG NIGHT AHEAD HERE. THEY WILL BE PLAYING UNTIL 3:00 A.M. IT IS NOT JUST FOR FUN. COMPETITIVE PLAYERS WILL HAVE A CHANCE TO HONE THEIR SKILLS, AND IF THEY ARE REALLY GOOD, THEY CAN TAKE HOME SOME CASH. COMMUNICATION IS KEY WHEN YOU ARE PLAYING ON A TEAM. THIS IS ROCKET LEAGUE. ITS BASICALLY PLAYING SOCCER WITH A CAR THAT CAN FLY. IT’S ONE OF THE TOURNAMENTS WITH A CASH PRIZE ON THE LINE AT KC GAME O >> WE WANT TO SEE KANSAS CITY DO GREAT THINGS IN E-SPORTS. BIANCA: ESPORTS IS A BILLION DOLLAR GLOBAL INDUSTRY AND PLAYERS LIKE ANTHONY WANT A SHOT AT GOING PRO. >> I WAS ABLE TO GET A SCHOLARSHIP AND PAY FOR SCHOOL. I HARDLY BELIEVE IT. BIANCA: LIKE ANY ATHLETE, HE’S PUT IN THE WORK. 3,000, AS MANY AS 40 HOURS A WEEK. >> IT IS A LOT OF STUDYING. I WATCH A LOT OF VIDEOS. I’M VERY COMPETITIVE. I WANT TO BE THE BEST. BIANCA: WIN OR LOSE, AT THE END OF THE DAY, THESE PLAYERS ARE SURROUNDED BY PEOPLE WHO LOVE GAMING. >> THIS EVENT IS SPECIAL BECAUSE YOU GET TO PLAY NEXT TO THE GUY YOU’RE PLAYING AGAINST HERE YOU ARE PLAYING NEXT TO THEM. YOU GET TO HAVE THE HIGH FIVES, ALL OF THE FUN TOGETHER. BIANCA: THEY’RE WORKING ON A MUCH LARGER EVENTS THAT WILL HAPPEN AT HY-VEE ARENA WHERE THEY WILL BE EXPECTING UP TO 15,000 P

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About a half mile into the underground business park below Park University, hundreds of people clicked away on keyboards and video game controllers. KC Game On organized fifteen hours of tournaments and matches in games ranging from multiplayer battle royale games like Fortnite to battle arena games like League of Legends and Rocket League which is essentially a soccer game between rocket-powered vehicles. Communication is key for victory. Players call out to their teammates requesting assists. Usually this communication happens via headsets as players typically play remotely but this event brings them together in the same room, where high-fives can be given after they score. Event organizer Nick Engstrom says the camaraderie is the best part. "We want to see Kansas City do great things in esports. This is our representation to help build that community." Esports is a rapidly growing phenomena. This year, revenues are expected to surpass the one-billion dollar mark for the very first time. Anthony Inzunza is a Senior at Missouri Valley College. He plays on the school's esports team. Last year they earned 16th place at the Rocket League National Competition. "It doesn't feel real, I was able to get a scholarship and pay for school, a lot of people still don’t believe it," said Inzunza. "I hardly believe it." He's worked hard to build up his skills playing three thousand hours of Rocket League, as many as forty hours a week last summer. He approaches it like any other college athlete. "It’s a lot of studying. I watch a lot of videos. I’m just really competitive. I want to be the best."For gamers who aspire to make it to the big leagues, Engstrom says these smaller events are good experiences to have before playing in front of millions of people. "If you watched the Fortnite World Cup, you see the kids were super nervous because they’ve never been in that environment before. They’re 14, 15-year-old kids and they don’t play live, they play on their couches. It's like going from high school to NBA. It’s a huge jump so our event is that middle zone." Inzunza's team lost the Rocket League Tournament at KC Game On's event Saturday but he says it's fun meeting other players and putting a face to a screen name.