Gen.G, UK team up for inaugural CatCon: 2-day regional esports and gaming conference
Global esports organization Gen.G and the University of Kentucky today announced the latest iteration of their partnership CatCon, a regional conference hosted at UK. The two-day festival will bring together students and administrators in the area, solidifying UK’s status as one of the premier esports universities and destinations in the region.
On Feb. 18-19, 2023, CatCon will feature community building tournaments for student-run gaming clubs from any college, conference-style panels for both students and administrators and networking events. While attending panel discussions and networking events, administrators will immerse themselves in the esports industry and learn how to best support the growing esports communities on their campuses and in their region. Administrators and students can register at catcon.gg. A travel stipend may be provided for those within the SEC on an application basis. For questions, please reach out to events@geng.gg.
The conference also marks the return of the UK Invitational Tournament with competitors playing in-person for crash prizes across multiple games in partnership with the UKY Esports Club, including Halo Infinite and VALORANT. Participants will need to qualify through an online league in order to be eligible for the in-person tournament. Spectators can watch the stream on Twitch, at twitch.tv/universityofky. Registration will open Dec. 20 in the official UK Esports Lounge Discord at go.uky.edu/CornerstoneDiscord.
“Gen.G could not be more excited to work with our longtime partner to support the growing esports hub at the University of Kentucky,” said Martin Kim, chief revenue officer at Gen.G. “CatCon will give both students and administrators the tools they need to thrive in this burgeoning esports region and take the esports and gaming culture in the collegiate esports to the next level.”
There will be workshops for attendees that include keynote speaker Kishonna Gray, an esteemed award-winning researcher, author and lecturer who serves as an associate professor in the UK College of Arts and Sciences. She will discuss examining intersectionality, creative storytelling in video games, media and more. Student programming will also include a career fair, where companies and organizations in the gaming industry will showcase open jobs and give students insights into possible career paths. In addition to administrators and current college students, local high school students are encouraged to attend and can participate in private UK campus tours, Q&A sessions with current students, and more select programming during CatCon.
“CatCon will provide current and future students, community members, and aspiring administrators with the connections and knowledge they need to continue the path that the University of Kentucky and Gen.G have begun paving towards lasting esports success in our region,” said Heath Price, associate chief information officer at UK. “Through our continued partnership with Gen.G, we desire to be a leader in the strong thought leadership that is happening across the video gaming and esports industry, and we believe events like CatCon have the potential to encourage even more collaboration across the collegiate esports landscape.”
Gen.G and UK have partnered with VisitLex to promote attendance and build excitement for the event. VisitLex supplied resources and tailored suggestions to help educate attendees about the destination and to ensure they have the best experience while in Lexington.
Gen.G and UK have previously partnered on the annual Give Health Fundraiser for Kentucky Children's Hospital, The ChallengHER tournament aimed at promoting an inclusive and positive environment for female identifying gamers, Hoops @ Home NBA 2K tournament for current students and alumni, and NetWORK series focusing on professional development through gaming and esports.
About Gen.G
United under #TigerNation, Gen.G's core mission is to help fans and athletes use the power of gaming and esports to get ahead in and beyond the competition. With an emphasis on education, DEI initiatives, and innovative partnerships, Gen.G is a commercial and thought leader, building a global, inclusive and cross-cultural future for gaming. Its unique portfolio of teams includes the Seoul Dynasty (Overwatch League), League of Legends Champions Korea (LCK), the Gen.G & Gen.G Black VALORANT teams, the PUBG Gen.G team, and the NBA2K’s Gen.G Tigers (the first non-NBA owned team in the NBA 2K League). Gen.G has also been a major proponent in seamlessly bringing in non-endemic brand partners to the world of gaming and esports, including 1Password, Burberry, Crocs, King’s Hawaiian, McDonald’s, Mobil1, Procter & Gamble, Toyota, and more. Gen.G also operates the Elite Esports Academy, the world's first fully-integrated academic esports program in Korea. Gen.G's teams, content creators and corporate staff work out of their offices in Los Angeles, Seoul and Shanghai. For more information, visit GenG.gg or follow on Twitter @GenG.
The University of Kentucky is increasingly the first choice for students, faculty and staff to pursue their passions and their professional goals. In the last two years, Forbes has named UK among the best employers for diversity, and INSIGHT into Diversity recognized us as a Diversity Champion four years running. UK is ranked among the top 30 campuses in the nation for LGBTQ* inclusion and safety. UK has been judged a “Great College to Work for" three years in a row, and UK is among only 22 universities in the country on Forbes' list of "America's Best Employers." We are ranked among the top 10 percent of public institutions for research expenditures — a tangible symbol of our breadth and depth as a university focused on discovery that changes lives and communities. And our patients know and appreciate the fact that UK HealthCare has been named the state’s top hospital for five straight years. Accolades and honors are great. But they are more important for what they represent: the idea that creating a community of belonging and commitment to excellence is how we honor our mission to be not simply the University of Kentucky, but the University for Kentucky.
Article via UKNOW