Toronto showcased its dedication to VALORANT esports this weekend with the 2022 Red Bull Campus Clutch National Final! The tournament and watch party showcased the hype around the players and Canadian VALORANT scene itself.
Throughout the day, the Red Bull Gaming Studio had teams playing remotely on the big screen. Meanwhile, VALORANT fans from all walks of life gathered to share their interest for the game.
Seeing their faces and seeing the community in general is a big difference.
Gabriel “OpeningCerenomy” Gaviola about the Red Bull event
The Toronto VALORANT Scene
Gabriel “OpeningCerenomy” Gaviola heard about the 2022 Red Bull Campus Clutch National Final through a Discord server. He said it was his first time being at such an event. He noted how Red Bull included the audience members in the competitive action. This was done by letting attendees battle for the highest score at the on-site gaming PCs.
Gabriel “OpeningCerenomy” Gaviola at the Red Bull Campus Clutch National Final. Image via Amy Chen.
“I don’t think there’s been a platform that I know of where you could just go in and play against the public with other people,” OpeningCerenomy said.
He added that having the event at the Red Bull Gaming Studio put faces to online players.
“There’s like this strong divide between online and offline,” OpeningCerenomy explained. “I think the manifestation of the people that I’ve been playing with that I’ve never seen in my life is kinda like an interesting thing. Seeing their faces and seeing the community in general is a big difference.”
Young “Desire” Ko at the 2022 Red Bull Campus Clutch Canadian National Final. Image via Amy Chen.
Yong “Desire” Ko was another attendee who wanted to check out the VALORANT community and see what the LAN event was all about. In the past, he played CS:GO, and that introduced him to games like VALORANT. A fan of competition and open for casual matches, Desire attended in support of a friend who wants to go pro.
So if it’s a positive experience, then hopefully it leads to something in the future he wants to do.
Anthony Verissimo on supporting his son’s esports and gaming endeavors
Red Bull Campus Clutch National Final: Parents, Esports and Education
Meanwhile, the event was not Anthony Verissimo’s first esports one. He attended the 2022 Red Bull Campus Clutch National Final to support his son’s endeavors.
“He does streams, he plays the games online and he has his friends that he hangs out with. So if it’s a positive experience, then hopefully it leads to something in the future he wants to do,” Verissimo said.
Verissimo added how the industry is growing so much compared to when he played video games himself, and games are now a part of everyday life. He recalled how schools support esports by educating both kids and parents about them.
Anthony Verissimo and his son Alexander Verissimo at the Red Bull Gaming Studio. Image via Amy Chen.
“This is something within our future,” he said, referring to the scholastic esports programs now available in Canada and the transferable skills they allow students to explore. “It’s good to kind of control that narrative and control that education and hopefully come out with something positive instead of negative. — Where it’s recognized within the education system.”
His son, Alexander, started playing VALORANT during the beta and played a lot more because of his sister. His favorite agents are Neon and Jett.
Red Bull and Toronto Serenity Build Up Canadian Esports
Similar to OpeningCerenomy, the 2022 Red Bull Campus Clutch National Final was a first-time experience for Lucky “MicroB0” Santos from esports organization Toronto Serenity.
Lucky “MicroB0” Santos at the Red Bull Campus Clutch National Final. Image via Amy Chen.
“This is my first-ever esports event I’ve ever been to,” he said. “I’ve always been a big VALORANT gamer. Never at a competitive level — mostly just casual, but this is a realm that hopefully I wanna get more into and just learn more about the competitive scene.”
MicroB0 added how the tournament really showed him the difference between casual players and competitive ones. He noticed how the latter group took the game more seriously to represent Canada at a national level.
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