OCTOBER | TRENDING
Why event security
is not a game
Words: Stuart Wood
A string of incidents has put event security in the spotlight over the
past year – but the world of e-sports has some catching up to do
S
ecurity is an issue that has been
in the headlines for events a
great deal over the last year,
particularly since the tragic terrorist
attack on Manchester Arena in May
2017.
But there is one sector of the
outdoor events world – a rather
enormous but oft-overlooked sector
– that seems to be behind the times
when it comes to security. That sector
is e-sports: the playing of videogames
at a level of competitive sport.
E-sports events range from small,
grassroots gatherings of gamers to
enormous, stadium-filling behemoths
with over $25m in prize money being
offered. That last figure comes from
The International 2018, a Dota 2
tournament which concluded on 25
August, and was livestreamed by over
15 million people online.
But it was a considerably smaller
e-sports event that hit headlines
just one day later, and not for a good
reason. On 26 August, 24 year old
David Katz shot and killed two people
and then himself at a Madden NFL 19
event in Jacksonville, Florida.
The shooting occurred at Good
Luck Have Fun Game Bar, a small
venue which featured no security
whatsoever – be it metal detectors,
searches on the door, or members of
staff.
In the wake of the incident, a player
at the event who was shot and injured
has filed a lawsuit against both the
venue and Electronic Arts, which
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