Nerd Street

Thank you for shining a spotlight on Localhost Rowan! Rowan University has been an amazing partner, and we look forward to partnering with more universities to grow and support the collegiate esports landscape! 🚀

Last weekend was the start of our Mid-Atlantic Collegiate Series (MACS) tournaments at Localhost Philadelphia. Across two days, 22 teams from Pennsylvania, New Jersey, New York and Virginia competed in Overwatch 2 and VALORANT. Thanks to all the teams who came out and congrats to the winners! Pennsylvania’s Arcadia University took home first place in Overwatch 2 and George Mason University, who traveled to Philly from Virginia, triumphed in VALORANT. The future of esports is being built through the thriving collegiate scene, which is why we are so excited to host exciting collegiate competitions like MACS. The next MACS tournament at Localhost Philly will be in a couple weeks, and Localhost Rowan is set to host their own MACS tournament next weekend! https://lnkd.in/gQeecw4b #esports #gaming #videogames #collegeesports #collegiateesports #valorant #overwatch

Thank you for supporting us in our mission to build gaming venues at college campuses across the country and bring esports to everyone!

Localhost does more than just provide a space for people to come in and play video games -- it creates a space for communities. The last weekend of September showcased three different thriving communities at Localhost. In Denver, a recurring League of Legends event known as Lakewood League took place and brought together 21 teams to compete. The event has become one of the biggest amateur League of Legends LAN tournaments in the country and attracts some of the best amateur, high school and college teams and players in the area, and has even seen the Governor of Colorado Jared Polis himself drop by for previous events. In Philly, 386 people packed 401 N Broad for the third annual Blerd Bash. The event was put on by H.A.G. Entertainment, a community dedicated to celebrating hip-hop, anime and gaming. Blerd Bash included opportunities for participants to play games both casually and competitively - including a 52-person Tekken tournament - and featured a wide variety of vendors selling their anime and gaming-themed art, crafts and apparel. There also was a hip-hop and R&B dance party with a DJ onsite and a fun cosplay contest. At Rowan University, nearly 60 participants turned out for Break Through: Overdrive, a fighting games community (FGC) regional tournament including competitions in games like Tekken 8, Street Fighter 6, Guilty Gear Strive, Smash Ultimate and Rivals of Aether 2. Break Through brought together the growing communities in South Jersey that have developed around two biweekly meetups: Smash the Glass (a Smash Ultimate group) and Limit Break (an FGC group). Thanks to everyone who came out to Localhost this weekend - we hope to see you again soon! If you’d like to host your own event and build your community at Localhost, let us know: https://lnkd.in/gfHisPgX #videogames #esports #anime #nerdculture #community

John Fazio's journey into the world of gaming began in high school when he landed a job at an internet café. He quickly recognized the potential of the space and envisioned transforming them into digital gaming arenas. His thesis was that if you built these arenas specifically for video game competitions, rather than simply offering internet access, they would have greater upside and scalability. In 2016, John launched Nerd Street, expanding on the internet café model with a focused mission—making esports accessible to everyone by creating a national network of gaming infrastructure. After years of hosting local events, Nerd Street was officially born, aiming to bring competitive gaming to a wider audience. In our conversation, John shares his journey of building Nerd Street, discusses overcoming recent challenges, and outlines his vision for the future of esports. Presented by Comcast NBCUniversal LIFT Labs.

🎮 Our entire team at Konvoy are thrilled to officially join John Fazio and the team at Nerd Street for the incredible journey ahead in competitive gaming and #esports. Great things ahead!

🎮 We're excited to announce our investment in Nerd Street, a company dedicated to making competitive gaming accessible to everyone! From live gaming events to university facilities and custom solutions, Nerd Street is building the infrastructure to power the future of #esports and competitive gaming across the country. We're proud to back John Fazio and the entire Nerd Street team by leading their $6M funding round. 👀 Read more about the funding announcement here: https://lnkd.in/gJcpAQyZ

Esports is for everyone! That’s a core part of our mission, which is why we were so proud to host a women’s Call of Duty tournament at Localhost Philly last weekend. The Aurora Women’s Call of Duty LAN Championship, organized by Call of Duty Agent and EZone Media, was a huge success. The nine-team championship tournament was the culmination of Season 1 of the Aurora Women’s COD league and brought a lot of excitement and hype moments to our Philly gaming and esports venue. Unjustified went undefeated throughout the tournament and were crowned champions after a victory over Omit in the grand final. Congrats to the winners and kudos to all the teams who participated in this tournament! If you want to host your own tournament at Localhost, let us know: https://lnkd.in/gfHisPgX Photo credits via Twitter/X @itzlotuss and @bradybeecer #esports #videogames #callofduty #cod #womensesports #womeningaming

If you thought Fortnite was all fun and games … think again! These kids got to use the Unreal Editor for Fortnite to learn about 3D creation. The cool summer class was a collaboration between CreateAccess and Launchpad Philly, two amazing nonprofits that are on the cutting edge when it comes to giving underrepresented kids exposure to tech and the opportunities that tech careers can provide. We believe giving kids more access to video games and tech can lead to amazing things, and it’s not just about training them to be future video game developers. The skills they’re learning have widespread applications, according to CreateAccess Co-Founder and Executive Director Liz Dailey, who said these skills are applicable in medicine, forensics, real estate, fashion and augmented reality among other things. Why hold this class at Localhost Philly? Launchpad High School Program Director Nick Imparato said it just made sense. “Where could we connect students with high-powered PCs that was in a convenient location for the students that they could get to easily on public transportation and to have enough devices that could effectively run the stuff?” We can’t wait to see what these students end up doing with the skills they picked up in this class, and we’re proud that Localhost Philly was able to provide a place where these kids could jumpstart their tech careers! #tech #videogames #fortnite #3D https://lnkd.in/g_B37dNT

Incredible coverage of our recent 3D Creator Program with Launchpad Philly! Thanks a million to Brian Bencomo for helping showcase the work of the awesome students and CreateAccess and Launchpad team members who brought the program to life, and to the team at Nerd Street for making sure the students had a fun, welcoming place to build and share their #UEFN creations. "...the hope is that this is not an end but a beginning of these kids’ love of tech and the opportunities it provides. Everything considered, the class is a victory royale." https://lnkd.in/eFgv_-EF