The second final of the Ilmenau eSport Campus League in the Humboldt Building of the TU Ilmenau offered an exciting gaming atmosphere for the finalists and spectators - from an wildcard tournament to entertaining hands-on opportunities and exciting final duels.
Campus
Excitement, action and surprises: The grand finale of the Ilmenau eSport Campus League 2023/24
The exciting final of the Ilmenau eSport Campus League (IECL) took place for the second time. After the first edition of the campus league in the winter semester 22/23, this event promised to be a highlight in advance and once again did not disappoint the expectations of the spectators. Over 60 players had the opportunity to collect points in six qualifying tournaments over the course of the winter semester in order to qualify for the grand final.
Electronic sports, or eSports for short, refers to the competitive practice of video games in organized competitions. Unlike conventional sports, these events take place virtually, as the name suggests. In the case of the final of the Ilmenau eSport Campus League, the participants competed together in a room on hardware provided by Ilmenau eSport e.V. and the Uniliga in a total of six different games. According to the tournament format, players who either collect the fewest points or are the first to be eliminated in a round are eliminated. In order to do justice to the competitive nature and minimize the random factor, several rounds were played in some titles.
The wildcard tournament was an exciting innovation this year. In the classic browser game "Snake", players who had not yet qualified competed for the last of the twelve coveted places in the final.
Even before the start of the final and during the breaks, spectators at this year's Campus League final were treated to varied entertainment: in two gaming lounges, various consoles such as PlayStation, Wii and Switch offered a variety of entertainment games that ensured a good atmosphere. The final was also broadcast for spectators on a large screen in the Humboldt lecture hall and accompanied and commented on live by two presenters.
The final opened with a thrilling duel in the battle royale game "PUBG: Battlegrounds". After two intense rounds, two participants left the competition field. This was followed by the racing game "Wreckfest", which created a good atmosphere, with the first-placed player from the qualifier ranking surprisingly being eliminated. Subsequently, various games such as "Golf It!", "Party Animals" and "Ultimate Chicken Horse" led to further eliminations of participants, until finally the student Dominic alias "AceTonic" won the final in the game "Tank Trouble" and successfully defended his title of Ilmenau eSport Campus Champion.
