Soon after he started organizing LAN parties and gaming events, Kye learned that those meetings were a lot more than just playing video games. It was a safe space for hundreds of students and young people in general to grow a sense of community, of belonging, and to learn life skills in a comfortable setting.

Joining John in this episode is Kye Browning; he is the Director of Esports at Us Sports Camps. Kye founded and was Executive Director for three years of UVU Esports, where he created a space on the Utah University campus for gamers. He was also the Founder, and Co-Director of We Are Thinkbox, and he was the Tournament and Program Director of Salt Lake Con for four years, to name a bit of his vast experience in the industry.

Throughout this episode, Kye talks about his Kye’s passion for the world of esports and creating communities. He shares some fantastic insights on how brands approach the gaming community, the best and worst kind of activation in esports and gaming events, and where he sees most marketing campaigns are failing.

Visit US Sports Camps website: https://www.ussportscamps.com/

Connect with Kye on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kyebrowning/

or follow him on Twitter: https://twitter.com/captkaty

To follow John on Twitter: https://twitter.com/J0hnDavids0n

The DLC Drop Podcast is part of the Esports Futuri Podcast network. To see this show, and all of our other shows, visit: https://EsportsFPN.com

Full Episode Breakdown:

1:30 – Kye talks about the beginning of his journey into gaming at Utah University.

3:58 – Kye takes us through how he decided to start a gaming club in college and through the first events he put together. 

6:13 – Kye talks about the LAN parties he used to put together and how he perceived they were much more than just a group of people playing games. 

9:53 – Kye talks about how the experience in events planning helped him in his gaming and esports endeavors.

13:43 – Kye describes the work they realize at US Sports Camps.

15:46 – John and Kye talk about the evolution of society’s perception of what esports and gaming are.

18:26 – John and Kye discuss why esports is blowing up in the US and its impact on the young.

20:06 – Kye talks about what brands are getting wrong when approaching the gaming community.

23:43 – John and Kye discuss the difference between purposeful marketing activations in gaming and brands trying to translate traditional sports campaigns into gaming campaigns. 

26:07 – John and Kye highlight the importance of brands acknowledging the community and how they get rewarded when they do it. 

28:42 – John talks about the skepticism around brands that weren’t there since the beginning and decides to approach the gaming industry.

33:49 – John and Kye go through what happens when brands can’t commit for long with the gaming industry.

37:52 – Kye talks about the disservice brands do to the industry when they are not there for the right reasons.

40:32 – John and Kye talk about the importance of esports and gaming for young kids and how it is helpful to develop a sense of teamwork and community.

44:21 – Kye talks a bit about how US Sports Camps adapted its events during the pandemic.

48:14 – John and Kye discuss the possibilities that the pandemic and social distancing created for the gaming industry.

50:06 – Kye talks about his vision of fostering a gaming culture beyond the competitive AAA-type of culture. 

54:38 – Kye talks about the real benefits of gaming and focusing not only on the AAA mentality.