Nerd Street

“I see gaming as the great equalizer … projects like this help us bring people together that wouldn’t be able to be together for whatever reasons exist. With youth, sometimes it’s financials, sometimes it’s location, it’s access, and that’s the most important thing, bringing gaming to everybody. We mean lowering that barrier of entry, so that it can be as easy to become someone playing esports and gaming as it can be to play basketball.” That’s what our own EVP of Commercial Operations and Content Strategy Aaron Talasnik recently told Billy Penn at WHYY about Nerd Street’s new youth gaming league for teens that kicks off this fall in partnership with the Free Library of Philadelphia. Although the new league mostly will be composed of Free Library teams, any youth organization in Philly can register teams to compete in Super Smash Bros. Most of the competition will take place online, but there will be two in-person LAN tournaments at Localhost Philly - one in the middle of the season and one at the end. The in-person component is one of the things that makes this league unique. “There’s tons of other really wonderful leagues out there that are all online,” our Head of Youth and Scholastic Programming Ben Beaver told Billy Penn. “And some of them have an end-of-season tournament. But to me, that just felt a little bit empty in the sense of I want kids to be able to come together in person so that when they win, you get to be with your team. You might have your parents there or your friends there watching, you just can’t get that experience from online play.” Thank you to Billy Penn and Violet Comber-Wilen for shining a spotlight on this program! We’re so excited to make esports more accessible for the city’s youth. There’s still time to sign up -  registration closes Monday, September 15, and the league will run from September 22 to December 8. Read more about it on Billy Penn’s website. https://lnkd.in/gim4A6JY #videogames #esports #supersmashbros #smashbros #youthsports

Thanks to Make-A-Wish for choosing Localhost Denver for the launch of Evie's awesome game! ⭐

“An awesome event and experience, would love to do something like this again.” “Siege needs more of these.” “Huge thank you to everyone at Localhost Philly and Nerd Street for putting on such an incredible event” “I speak for everyone when I say we need these smaller Rainbow 6 LANs all the time. Nerd Street is doing a fantastic job.” “Shout out Nerd Street for hosting an amazing event 🙏 hope they continue to do more of these and more often!” These were just some of the complimentary things that players said on social media after participating in Siege Showdown, a Rainbow Six LAN tournament that took place at Localhost Philly last weekend. The 20-team tournament saw teams of pro and amateur players compete in person at Localhost, filling the esports and gaming venue with cheers, trash talk, daps and hype moments from start to finish. It was the second of two Rainbow Six LANs we hosted in partnership with Ubisoft this year. The first one took place this spring at Localhost Denver. Seeing so much goodwill and excitement on social media reaffirms the tremendous value of hosting in-person esports tournaments and motivates us to continue hosting big events like these to serve the Rainbow Six community as well as other gaming groups and esports ecosystems. Check out the event recap on our website as well as more exciting upcoming events. And don’t forget to follow our socials to stay up to date with everything that’s happening at Nerd Street and Localhost! (First photo courtesy of BlueBugSajin on Twitter/X) #esports #videogames #gaming #rainbowsix #rainbow6 https://lnkd.in/gNnpRNu2

Our summer camps are in full swing across the country, with sessions happening this year at our Localhost venues in Philadelphia, Denver and at Rowan University in Glassboro, New Jersey, as well as our partner location at Maryville University of Saint Louis. Formerly known as Camp Localhost, Camp Nerd Street is a weeklong summer camp experience that allows kids 8 to 13 who are interested in gaming to meet and engage with their peers in a fun and safe environment. The camps have been more popular than ever this summer with all six of our sessions at Maryville University completely selling out. Many of our camp sessions in Philly, Rowan and Denver have also been completely filled or nearly sold out with just a few spots remaining in our remaining sessions. Special shoutout to Western Governors University, who have generously offered to provide complimentary camp sessions to the children of military families! We’ve been excited to welcome many new campers this year, and also happy to see so many returning faces, which is a testament to how much kids and parents have enjoyed their past summer camp experiences. Our programming balances on-screen gameplay with off-screen activities. At times the kids are having fun playing popular games like Minecraft, Roblox, Fortnite, Rocket League or Mario Kart while making new friends or reconnecting with old friends they’ve met in previous summers. Other times, our campers are engaged in group activities like Memory Madness, Create Your Own Game and Speed Trivia. Create Your Own Game is a great example of one of these group activities. Campers are split into groups and given multiple prompts related to creating their own game. They’re challenged to think creatively and come up with a title, characters, storyline, developer and other details. The kids are also asked to create the cover of their game by using colored pencils and markers and using the information they provided about their game. Through a positive and supportive environment, our camp counselors help young gamers build healthy gaming habits and think critically about gaming while developing their skills around teamwork, leadership and collaboration. The kids are having a blast and Camp Nerd Street 2025 has already been a huge success. There are still a few spots left in our summer camp sessions, so let us know if you’d like to sign up your kids! We’re looking forward to finishing up the Camp Nerd Street 2025 season strong! #summercamp #esportscamp #videogamecamp #minecraft #roblox #fortnite #rocketleague #mariokart

This summer, we’re excited to be hosting a Roblox coding camp at Localhost Philadelphia courtesy of our friends at CoderOgres US! Our gaming venue in the heart of Philly is no stranger to hosting coding classes having hosted classes by the Uncommon Individual Foundation and CreateAccess and Launchpad Philly in years past that have also utilized video games to introduce students to programming and open their eyes to tech career pathways. CoderOgres teaches computer science to kids aged 12 and up in fun and innovative ways to equip them with the skills they need to succeed in today's tech-driven world. The 8-week Intro to Game Development course being taught at Localhost teaches students game-design basics and programming concepts, and includes collaborative challenges. The course offers hands-on projects to help students build their portfolios. The course kicked off in June, and students have already built their own Obby Courses (obstacle courses) using Roblox Studio. The purpose was to demonstrate creativity, problem-solving and design thinking via unique obstacle-based games. In addition to game design, students have been introduced to basic scripting using the programming language Lua. Students have learned how to customize objects, set up interactive elements and test their creations in a collaborative, supportive environment. The students have approached the course with enthusiasm and lots of creativity! We can’t wait to see what else they will come up with as the course progresses this month and into August! #roblox #videogames #tech #coding #programming

It’s no secret that younger generations are playing more video games. Whether it’s Minecraft, Fortnite, Roblox or something else, kids love video games, and are increasingly forging social connections through video games. For some, video games can be the launching pad to a career in the video games space or the tech industry. As universities increasingly embrace video game programs and curricula on their campuses, leveraging video games to engage with young people in their local communities who might be future students is a natural next step. Our camp at Maryville University of Saint Louis, which is hosting six soldout sessions of Camp Nerd Street this summer, has been a tremendous success! Parents get the peace of mind that comes with knowing camp is on a college campus, and kids get the thrill of learning from college players and coaches. A camper who plays on a college campus with collegiate equipment and peripherals is akin to a young athlete going to youth sports camp - it's a unique and awesome experience! The camps aren’t only about fun and games, but they’re about helping kids build meaningful relationships with their peers and inspiring them when it comes to their educational and career pathways. The camp counselors open up the campers’ minds by walking them around campus and giving the kids a glimpse of what college has to offer outside of gaming. Some of these kids might very well go on to enroll at Maryville down the line to pursue careers in tech or maybe be part of the university’s esports programs and teams. Along with our popular summer camp at our Localhost at Rowan University and our new partnership with WGU who will be providing free summer camp registration for children of military families, we’re seeing more and more universities embrace our summer camps. We’re grateful for our amazing university partners, and we look forward to working with other universities around the country who want to engage with local youth in their communities through video games. https://lnkd.in/gyWnT355 #videogames #esports #summercamp #esportscamp #tech

Our mission is to bring esports to everyone, and we’re excited that Western Governors University will be helping us do that. WGU will be the Official Education Partner of Nerd Street, and as part of that will be sponsoring Element Five, the latest season of the Rainbow Six Siege developmental league that we operate in partnership with Ubisoft. Element is a Rainbow Six Siege competitive circuit for Tier 2 and Tier 3 players in North America who are looking to compete in the highest level of R6 esports. Element provides a path to pro for R6 esports players who want to compete and develop their skills as they strive to make it to Tier 1 of Rainbow Six esports. In addition to sponsoring Element, WGU will be supporting the children of military families who want to participate in Camp Nerd Street this summer. WGU will provide free camp registration to children of current service members who want to attend Camp Nerd Street in Philadelphia. Camp Nerd Street is our week-long summer camp experience for children aged 8-13 that allows kids who are interested in gaming to meet and engage with their peers in a fun and safe atmosphere. We’re so grateful for wgu’s support and look forward to working with them as we continue our mission of bringing esports to everyone! #esports #videogames #rainbowsix #summercamp #esportscamp https://lnkd.in/gUqmHeva

An overwhelming majority of kids play video games. Depending on where you look, recent studies from places like Newzoo, Pew and Deloitte suggest over 80% of Gen Z and Gen Alpha play video games. That’s why it’s a no-brainer for organizations to engage with the younger generations through video games. Any organization can leverage video games to engage with their customers and audiences in a thoughtful way. We love to help orgs use video games to create meaningful engagement like we’re doing this summer with the Philadelphia Union. Our partnership with the Union deepens the engagement between the Union, their sponsors and their fans. The Union have a gaming lab in their stadium, which makes this partnership a perfect match. On gamedays, fans can come to the lab and play games like EA FC or Rocket League on Playstation, or test out the driving simulators sponsored by Subaru. The lab isn’t used much outside of gamedays, so the camps allow young fans to play in the lab, walk around the stadium and fields, and engage with fans outside of normal home game opportunities. Plus, the camp is a revenue-generating opportunity for the Union, allowing them to fill a room that would otherwise be empty outside of gamedays. Not to mention, it’s a great way for the Union to make lifelong fans in a really organic and authentic way. It’s a win-win for everyone involved! Week 1 of the Union Esports Camps has wrapped up, and we can’t wait for more sessions later this summer! #esports #videogames #summercamp #esportscamp #soccercamp #genz #genalpha

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Last week the New Jersey School Boards Association made a historic decision to support the growth of scholastic esports in the state. Thousands of students across the country compete in esports, with many of them having the opportunity to earn varsity letters and now New Jersey high schoolers will have that same opportunity. “This recognition by the NJSBA is a pivotal step in legitimizing esports as a meaningful part of the high school experience,” said Michael Brooks, Head of University Partnerships at Nerd Street. “It not only opens doors for student engagement and varsity recognition, but also strengthens the pipeline to college esports programs and future career opportunities.” Those opportunities are a big reason why we’re big supporters of scholastic esports at Nerd Street. “For over 100 years, we’ve seen sports provide pathways for kids to unlock personal growth and social skills to educational and career opportunities. As a soccer player growing up, soccer did that for me,” said John Fazio, Nerd Street’s Founder and CEO. “With trends continuing to see video games remain ubiquitous among our youth as sports participation falls, competitive esports has a unique opportunity to open up opportunities now and for the foreseeable future. I applaud the NJSBA for recognizing the value of scholastic esports for kids today.” Rowan University in New Jersey has been a leader when it comes to recognizing the value of esports, which is why we partnered with the school to open up an esports and gaming venue, Localhost Rowan. We’ve already hosted high school tournaments at Rowan, and this decision by the NJSBA will only make Localhost Rowan an even more valuable venue for scholastic competitions and New Jersey students who are looking to continue pursuing esports in college. #esports #videogames #highschoolesports #highschoolsports #varsitysports #NewJersey