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🎮 An industry to watch

Why Austin may be the country’s next esports hub

A rendering of Oni Studios, with a couch and a staircase in the foreground. The walls are colorfully painted in a graffiti-style mural.

Oni Studios opened in Cedar Park earlier this year. | Photo provided to Austonia/ATXtoday by Oni Studios

Add gaming to the list of things Austin is becoming known for.

Esports — electronic sports, including games like “League of Legends” and “Fortnite” — have ballooned in popularity in recent years. The industry draws an audience of ~530 million viewers worldwide and is expected to reach $1.5 billion in revenue this year.

Austin, as ever, appears to be on the cutting edge of this new industry. Let’s break it down.

New facilities

Several new esports lounges have opened in the Capital City in recent years, including:

Oni Studios | This 30,000-sqft Cedar Park facility founded by popular streamer Ali “SypherPK” Hassan is the largest of its kind in the country.
Alienware Longhorn Esports Lounge | UT Austin plans to add on a 3,300-sqft esports arena to this new high-tech gaming lounge.
Gamers First | Housed in former NFL player Kenny Vaccaro’s South Congress gym, the Kollective, the Gamers First esports team competes in Halo and Destiny. Read our interview with Vaccaro to learn more.

A gif of esports players celebrating after winning a game. — Internationally, esports draws an audience of ~530 million viewers.
|
Gif via giphy

Top streamers

Behind Irvine, CA, Austin is considered the No. 2 best city in the US for gamers. Some of the top streamers in Central Texas include:

Sodapoppin, YouTuber and former co-owner of Northern Gaming
Mizkif, founder of gaming organization One True King
Chess grandmaster Hans Niemann

Gaming companies

You thought we just played games in Austin? No, we make them too.

Between “Call of Duty” and “World of Warcraft,” some of the biggest games in the industry have origins in the Capital City-based companies. Here are just a few:

Unity | This game development software company is valued at ~9.75 billion.
Aspyr Media | This company helped produce “The Sims 2” and the “Call of Duty” series.
Blizzard Entertainment | The “World of Warcraft” producer only has two US headquarters: Austin and Irvine, CA.

Asked

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Events

Monday, May 8

Yoga & Sound | Monday, May 8 | 6 p.m. | Moody Amphitheater, 1401 Trinity St., Austin | Free | Start your week with a free yoga class led by Castle Hill Fitness.

Tuesday, May 9

Tiffany Hammond: “A Day With No Words” | Tuesday, May 9 | 6 p.m. | BookPeople, 603 N. Lamar Blvd., Austin | Free | Hear Hammond read from her new release, “A Day With No Words.”

Wednesday, May 10

Elana James & Friends | Wednesday, May 10 | 6:30 p.m. | The Continental Club, 1315 S. Congress Ave., Austin | Free | Take in a riveting performance from the fiddler and singer.

Thursday, May 11

Duo da Capo Harp and Oboe Series: Women of Music | Thursday, May 11 | 6-8 p.m. | Neill-Cochran House Museum, 2310 San Gabriel St., Austin | $30 | This instrumental performance highlights music composed by and inspired by women.

Friday, May 12

Ballet Austin presents “Cinderella”| Friday, May 12-Sunday, May 14 | Times vary | Long Center for the Performing Arts , 701 W. Riverside Dr., Austin | $15-$125 | Watch happily ever after unfold onstage.

Events calendar here

Click here to have your event featured.

News Notes

Civic

Austinites voted in favor of increasing police oversight in this weekend’s election. Proposition A, which allows investigators more access to resources when researching police misconduct, passed with 80% of votes. (Austin American-Statesman)
Changes are coming to Austin parking. Last week, the Austin City Council voted to move forward on eliminating parking minimums citywide. Read more about what that could mean for developers and residents. (KVUE)

Edu

Central Texas school districts will soon receive billions of dollars through bonds that passed in this weekend’s election. Read more about the changes coming to schools near you. (Austin American-Statesman)
The UT System’s Board of Regents approved a 5.2% increase in tuition for graduate and nonresident students last week. The change, which also affects certain mandatory fees, was formulated using nationwide research on increasing higher education prices. (Austin American-Statesman)

State

Huston-Tillotson University students and state lawmakers created the Texas Historically Black Colleges and Universities Legislative Caucus on Thursday. The move is part of an effort to increase communication between the Texas legislature and the state’s nine HBCUs. (Austin American-Statesman)

Award

Del Valle High School senior Noel Mendez earned a full-ride scholarship to Harvard University. A first generation college student, Noel also received $60,000 in scholarships. Congrats, Noel. (FOX 7 Austin)

Plan Ahead

AfroTech, the country’s largest Black tech conference, will return to Austin this fall for its second year. Get your tickets to the event running from Wednesday, Nov. 1-Sunday, Nov. 5. (CultureMap Austin)

Shop

She doesn’t need another bouquet of flowers — give mom the gift of learning a new language instead. Bonus: Get 55% off.*
It’s Teacher Appreciation Week, and we’re helping you choose the perfect gift for your favorite educators. Show them love with Marble and Steel Craft Chocolates or a handwritten note using a Joy Paper Co. card.

Travel

Itching to take a vacation? How about exploring some of our favorite destinations on the East Coast? We’ve rounded up a list of five drool-worthy vacation spots just for you. This romantic chateau in Nova Scotia is one of our favorites on the list. See the rest.

Food and Drink

A spotlight on Texas wine

Drink award-winning wine at William Chris Vineyards

A hand holding a glass of wine in front of a vineyard

William Chris Vineyards uses sustainable practices to grow their Texas grapes. | Photo by ATXtoday

Texas wine is having a moment.

Wineries in the Lone Star State draw 1.7 million visitors each year, making the area the second-most visited wine region in the US, behind Napa Valley.

Some of the state’s most lauded wineries lie just outside of Austin. Today, we’re telling you about one award-winning location: William Chris Vineyards.

About the winery

William Chris Vineyards was founded in 2008, and prioritizes quality agricultural practices, sustainability, and education.

The wines

William Chris uses pre-industrial methods to process their Texas-grown grapes. Their Enchanté wine — a blend of cabernet sauvignon, merlot, petit verdot, and malbec — earned a 92-point rating from Vinepair, on a scale of 100.

Awards

Last year, William Chris Vineyards was named No. 56 in the world, marking one of just six US wineries to score in the Top 100.

Book your tasting now at William Chris’ Hye location, at 10352 US 290.

The Wrap

Today’s edition by:
London

From the editor

Thanks for all of your recommendations on how to dispose of my moving boxes. I thought your ideas were so good, I’d share some of them here:

Pass them on to other movers via Nextdoor, a Buy Nothing group, or Facebook marketplace
Drop them off at a garden store, like Ten Thousand Pots
Lay it flat in a yard it to help kill vegetation or provide a foundation for starting a garden

Y’all will be happy to hear my cardboard boxes found a good home: with City Editor Figi, who also happens to be moving soon.

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