Gen.G Esports announced Thursday that it has partnered with the Black Collegiate Gaming Association (BCGA) and franchised fast food restaurant chain McDonald’s for the HBCU+ College netWORK Summit.
Gen.G and partners hope that this event will serve as a spark to “facilitate conversations and connections by introducing Black college students to professionals and entrepreneurs in the gaming and esports industries,” according to a release.
The HBCU+ College NetWORK, which is an expansion of the first HBCU NetWORK Conference in 2022, will be held in Baltimore and Washington, D.C., as well as the “Eastern Shore area” at locations to be announced.
Gaming and esports executives will educate and mentor students through a series of panels and networking mixers. The panel aims to facilitate “candid talks” with successful Black leaders and executives within gaming and esports. Discussion topics will include how to address toxicity in the workplace, along with emerging trends.
Speakers include Jessica Murrey, member of the Game Awards Future Class and CEO of Wicked Saints Studios; Skydance Interactive Developer Jabari Alii; and gaming personality HipHopGamer, among others. Students will also be able to book dedicated time slots for networking to speak to the panelists one on one.
In addition, 16 student participants will take part in an NBA 2K tournament with a $1K USD prize pool. Competitions will be streamed on the Gen.G Twitch channel.
This latest partnership follows Gen.G’s other initiatives related to students including a cooperation with the University of Kentucky and the Gen.G Foundation, a 10-year, $1M USD commitment to help foster the development of future gaming and esports industry leaders through partnerships with universities in the United States that was announced in 2020.
