Gamers are getting together at the Esports Arena on June 22-24 for the Vanguards Charity Tournament, which aims to raise money for St. Jude Children's Research Hospital.
The event is directed by Jacob Parker, who plays video games in front of an online audience on Twitch. That's on top of being an English teacher for the Clark County School District and a graduate student at UNLV.
Parker says the original Vanguards Charity Event started out as a way for gamers to help the victims of the 1 October shooting in 2017.
"We as a gaming community wanted to come together and find how we can take our love and passion for gaming and put it into something that was truly worthwhile," said Parker.
The first event managed to raise $1,300 for the American Red Cross while earning sponsorships from GameWorks, Guitar Center, and California Pizza Kitchen.
From there the event relocated to The Dojo Esports Training Ground. After reaching over 1 million unique views over the course of three days, the event caught the attention of the Esports Arena at the Luxor hotel-casino
Parker was ecstatic when he learned that the Arena wanted to host the event.
"Now it's going to have a permanent home where it's going to receive worldwide attention," said Parker.
Players can register for the Vanguards Charity Tournament for free at battlefly.com/vanguards. The 3-day event will focus on the game "Destiny 2," and competitors can enter as a team, as a duo, or as a solo player.
