GGEA to train amateur players in fighting games

05 February 2018

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GGEA, owned by Texas Rangers’ Neil Liebman alongside OpTic Gaming and Ngage Esports, are expanding into the realm of fighting games. Looking to do more than merely compete, the organisation will provide a curriculum for up-and-coming competitors to hone their skills – with the hopes of developing talent into professional players.

Nabil Pervez
Nabil Pervez, Infinite Esports & Entertainment

Speaking to Red Bull, Nabil Pervez explained GGEA’s plans: “We love the idea of helping train the next generation of players. We want to develop critical thinking, understanding subtle nuances, and build a greater gaming culture. Through learning about the game, you learn to live like a gamer, and learn to communicate.”

GGEA will be teaching and training its subjects in a physical location, putting them through a series of trials to improve their chances of winning in, and out, of the game. “What we’re trying to do is to make that road from an amateur to a pro a little easier,” Pervez continued. “We place a strong emphasis on not only growing your skills as a player, but making you well-rounded as an individual, like building a brand that makes you marketable, for all these brands and top tier teams that are looking to get into fighting games but haven’t found the right fit yet.”

The aforementioned curriculum that players will go through is being developed by professional gamers. Brian “DoctaAfrikan” Mbipeh, a teacher at the GG Esports Academy, has experience in fighting games and explained why this initiative will be effective. “While I was learning fighting games from members of the FGC, I realized that there were a lot of important details that I initially missed. Some of them were things anyone could learn in five minutes or less. With the proper training regimen provided by GGEA, these kinds of details are ones that could propel a player from one level to the next over a relatively short amount of time.”

The training will be personalised to bring the best out of each individual player. “We brought together multiple tournament veterans to compile a lengthy list of skills and concepts that are required to become a professional player,” Mbipeh said. “That list is then converted to a series of trials. We will actively teach our students all these concepts on an incremental level, while challenging them in fun and entertaining ways.”

GGEA will open on February 5 with two invitational teams: Team Alpha is made up of professional Southern players, and Team Beta consists of amateurs needed a little push to propel themselves into the top tier.

GGEA has already competed in Call of Duty, with two teams placing in the Top 24 at CWL New Orleans. The organisation plans to release teams as soon as they reach the professional level of Call of Duty, and once it has accrued more teams, it will drop the worst-performing at each event to give other players and teams a chance.

Esports Insider says: Great to see GGEA not only committing to a new scene and the fighting games community, but committing to real player development with a physical location and tried and tested trainers who are former pros.