In our small little video game world of Central Florida, The OVG has been trying to spotlight the community.
It has been just more than one year since I launched this website with a goal of showing off what we have here in the region.
It all started with a YouTube channel that highlighted an arcade game aficionado in town who planned to auction off part of his collection.
Months after we launched, I set up this website and have dug every minute of it.
But it has been a mostly part-time gig that has had its stops and starts. Well, it’s time to start again and that will happen July 1.
In one year, this page has allowed me to connect with the Orlando Magic’s esports team and Full Sail University’s deep roster of alumni. It has enhanced my connections with Indienomicon and kept an eye out for high-profile events that made their way through Orlando.
Because of that, I have interviewed the creator of Pitfall!, watched the voice of Scorpion in “Mortal Kombat” tell stories about his career and attended a concert that featured the rapper Mega Ran, who I loved even before he came into town.
On July 1, OrlVideoGames.com will return with more interviews, features, event coverage and esports coverage than before.
How can I possibly know that? Well, I no longer have my full-time gig and am free to devote as much time as I’d like to this effort.
In the coming weeks (before July 1), I’ll be reaching out to the community, being more aggressive in communicating who and what I want to feature.
Spoiler alert: YOU and YOUR PROJECTS!
I want to take this more hyper-local.
On our Facebook page, I have recorded five interviews with local video game personalities. That will continue.
But I also want to finally execute on what I have wanted this to become long ago: a spot to show off what kinds of professionals we have here.
Do you perform music for video games? Hit me up.
Are you creating your own game? Let’s highlight it and create some buzz.
Are you an alum of a local program who is now making games and getting paid for it? Per. Fect.
Magic Gaming couldn’t capitalize on a series of turnovers committed by Wizards District Gaming early in the fourth quarter Friday, leading to the team’s first loss of the season.
The Magic trailed by 14 points heading into the final period of the decisive game and held the Wizards without a point on their first possession.
But three turnovers in the first 1 minute, 15 seconds of the quarter – during which the Wizards were held scoreless – stopped the Magic from gaining any ground.
The Florida Mutineers have some work to do if they want to win their home tournament in the Call of Duty League.
But it’s not something they haven’t done before.
Minnesota ROKKR dominated the Mutineers in a 3-0 sweep on Friday, sending them into the losers bracket of the Florida-hosted tournament.
To come back and win, the team will need to make a run similar to the one they made in their last tournament, when they rattled off four wins in a row to clinch the title.
A rematch with Minnesota Rokkr this weekend could further propel the Florida Mutineers into the upper echelon of the Call of Duty League.
The team is tied for fourth and two of the three teams in front of them have the week off.
But to get there, the team will have to knock off the team it’s tied with, Minnesota.
The Mutineers used a season-high four-match win streak to claim the title in the Dallas Empire event two weeks ago, beating Minnesota 3-1 in the title matchup and landing them the 10 bonus points that came with it.
Magic Gaming brought out the brooms – and Reid “Reizey” Hill had a small bout of unconsciousness – to finish off a two-game sweep of Bucks Gaming in the team’s season opener on Wednesday.
Hill finished the decisive game with 30 points on 11-of-17 shooting and hit three clutch 3-pointers in the early part of the second half to help close an 11-point first-half gap.
Hill said a familiarity with Bucks Gaming helped the team’s morale, despite heading into halftime trailing by 7.
“I was feeling confident,” he said. “We had no doubt the game was still very much winnable. We had come back against this team before in scrimmages.”
Magic Gaming won the game 66-63 after pulling off a commanding 74-64 win in Game 1.
Magic Gaming comes into the 2020 season with an interesting mix of high expectations and a chip on their shoulder.
The squad last year missed the NBA 2K League’s postseason by just one game, finishing 9-7 and dropping a key matchup with Grizz Gaming on the season’s final day.
But that team was reshuffled.
Out are Emmanuel “UCManny” Cruz, Cameron “KingCamRoyalty” Ford and Tucker “TuckerLocksUp” Henry.
In are former Pistons GT center Robert “May” May, former Celtics Crossover standout Alex “Profusion” Snowden and Daniel “djbama” Burge.
The NBA 2K League’s decision to play the first six weeks of the season remotely is likely only the beginning, Magic Gaming head coach Jonah Edwards said.
The affects of coronavirus caused the league to take a cautious approach, launching its third season using exclusively remote play.
But Edwards said he would not be surprised to see that extended beyond six weeks.
“The league is doing its due diligence, though, of making sure they are prepared,” Edwards said. It’s “just in case something does happen and the crisis (moves) behind us.”
