Perry City Council approves e-gaming

Director of Leisure Services, Sedrick Swan, presented a proposal for an e-gaming sports league at last week’s Perry Council meeting. Swan pointed to the mission statement of the department, noting that it included providing leisure opportunities according to the needs of all citizens, and that the department would like to put some focus on those who do not participate in activities provided by the department such as sports and “the generalized notion of things that we do at our rec centers.” Swan also said that recreation professionals have been looking into e-gaming for years, and during this time of pandemic and social distancing, there is a need for opportunities that can be participated in from home.

Swan said that the league would be accomplished through a company called Mission Control, which is a platform for rec league e-sports, which Swan said is similar to a local adult softball league. Mission Control would handle aspects of the league such as scheduling, score validation, and champion confirmation, and would be a community forum for participants. According to Swan, there are currently nine games available on the platform with examples of professional sports games (football, basketball, hockey and baseball, among others) as well as racing and adventure games such as Mario Kart and Rocket League. After August 1, Swan explained, there would be 30 games added to the platform.

Swan shared that there is a $600 set up fee for the league before August 1, after which, the price would rise to $1,500. There are also four “tiers” that can be utilized on the platform, which allow for the number of participants on the platform. Swan suggested that the league start out in tier two allowing for 41-150 players, which would cost an additional $1,200. That would bring the total cost of the league to $1,800. Swan also informed that the city would receive a 90 percent revenue share check each month if there was intent to charge a league registration fee, which Swan later shared the goal is to charge a participation fee.

Swan shared that competitions would be a person versus person setup and that the season would consist of tournaments, most likely in a round robin or double elimination set up. The platform would also be available for PlayStation and Xbox, as well as Nintendo. Swan said that they are looking into the option of cross-play (in which games would be able to be played together with players using different types gaming systems, such as PlayStation having the ability to play with Xbox) and if that were not available, there would be a different league for each console type.

Swan later said after the shelter-in-place order was lifted and the “new normal” ensues, he would like to see championships as a big event, with players competing on a big screen. He also said that there is a goal of installing a game room at Rosier Park, so that competitors could play onsite as well as at home.

Swan informed that there are approximately 57.4 million online gamers in the United States, and action, platform sports games are the most popular. According to Georgia Trend Magazine, Swan reported, the gaming industry has a $830 million economic impact to the state, and the city of Perry would be the only municipal agency in Georgia offering this type of service. Swan said that he has spoken with directors in Dallas, TX, who also provides this type of activity and said that they have had a great response.

Councilwoman Joy Peterson brought forth the concern as to the types of games available on the platform, confirming that there were to be no first person shooter or “mythical” games—which Peterson later clarified may not necessarily be the same as adventure games—available for play under the league, and that the games pertain to sports.

“My only concern would be… that we get to choose which games we offer, and that they be sports related,” Peterson said, and later told the Houston Home Journal that some adventure games may have an underlying terminology that could be considered violent, citing that she was speaking of scores made in terms of “kills” rather than points.

“I just think the city, as an entity, does not need to give the opportunity to participate in games where [players] score by kills. I think it’s great to have basketball, football, golf—some type of sport where they can really be part of a league and have competitions,” Peterson said.

Swan answered that the city had the ability to choose the games offered and noted that Assistant City Manager Robert Smith had also brought forward concerns about games available, such as first person shooter games like Call of Duty, citing that for fears of the perceived promotion of violence, that it may be in the city’s best interest not to include those types of games.

Peterson later said that she did not believe that this league would take anyone off of a baseball field, and posed the question that people would continue to play video games anyway.

Swan expanded on Peterson’s notion, explaining that games could be played on a rainy day, during times of social distancing, and with children out of school, adding that this is an ideal time.

Councilman Robert Jones inquired as to what the participation fee would be. Swan said it would take $7 per participant to accrue the investment back to the city and break even, and later added that the goal was not to make a profit but to provide an opportunity for citizens, and there was no solid figure at that time.

Mayor Randall Walker asked of Swan, what would happen if people wanted the other types of games that the city was not offering. Swan replied that the department would stand by the policy and beliefs of the city of Perry, and also informed that there are other options to purchase and play those genres of games outside of the city’s platform, citing that PlayStation and Xbox have their own platforms.

Mayor Pro Tempore Willie King expressed his interest in the idea, explaining that it could become a source of revenue for the city. Councilwoman Phyliss Bynum-Grace informed that she herself was a gamer and that she enjoyed the proposal. Councilman Riley Hunt was not in favor of the league, voicing monetary concerns.

Council approved the proposal as presented by Swan, with the condition of filtering the games offered, in a 5-1 vote with Councilman Riley Hunt dissenting.

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