“It’s as well as, not instead of”: BFBS leaders on gaming and the armed forces community

The BFBS Esports Pro League finished this weekend at the Royal Air Force Museum in Hendon. A place I remember fondly from my childhood was awash with esports activity. A panel featuring voices from across the forces was followed by an expertly steered production (kudos Jon Winkle & the EPIC.LAN team), culminating in a Rocket League Champion for 2026.

BFBS started as a radio station during the Second World War and now supports the armed forces community in many ways, with gaming a growing part of that. Before the event, Esports Insider (ESI) spoke to three people behind it: Ben Chapman, BFBS CEO; Adam Waters, BFBS Director of AI Culture and gaming; and Robert Wylie, Head of BFBS Esports.

ESI: BFBS is best known for broadcasting and supporting the Armed Forces community. Where does esports fit within that wider mission?

Ben Chapman: You said it yourself. We’re all about supporting the armed forces community whether they are listening to radio on ops, watching the latest film releases on Royal Navy ships thanks to our clever tech, or helping them game.

ESI: Your role combines AI culture and gaming. Having these grouped together almost tells me that BFBS has a forward-looking view on technology in military life. How does your role break down?

Adam Waters: My job involves helping everyone working for us use AI safely and confidently. We want to be the home of gaming for the UK armed forces community. And I also look after our charitable Academy that works to get veterans into the creative industries.

It’s a great role and it’s never a dull life at BFBS. We’ve got to keep innovating and it’s something we’ve always done since starting out as a radio station during the Second World War. If more serving people are gaming, then that’s where we’ve got to be.

ESI: Looking several years ahead, what role would you like gaming and esports to play across the armed forces community?

Ben: We want BFBS to be at the heart of gaming for the armed forces community. Our ambition is to provide consoles, games and subscriptions, and exciting esports competitions as broadly as we can. Whether it’s a Royal Navy submarine or a UK base, we’ll bring gaming along with everything else we provide.

ESI: What is gaming culture within the UK Armed Forces actually like? What’s a misconception members of the public that see a video game competition being held might have, and why are they wrong?

Adam: In many ways just like the civilian world! Most young people are gamers in one way or another. It’s very common to find serving personnel gaming together after a hard day ‘at work’ or on voice chat gaming with friends. One difference though is that esports is recognised by the UK Armed Forces as an official, endorsed sport. So there are official associations in each of the services.

ESI: When people join BFBS Esports, what are they generally looking for: serious competition, friendship, an escape from military life or a renewed connection with the community?

Robert Wylie: We find they’re looking for a bit of everything. We are very fortunate to have two core groups of players. The first is that hyper-competitive player who wants to play at the top level. The second group is that standard gamer type who enjoys competition but is here to connect with their peers and enjoy their evening playing some Rocket League, F1 or League of Legends.

ESI: Military life can involve deployment, relocation and long periods away from family and friends. What can gaming provide that more traditional community initiatives cannot?

Ben: It’s in addition to rather than instead of. Just like sports, live events, watching a film, or listening to music, gaming is a great way to socialise and have fun. One thing we have noticed is serving personnel gaming with their kids back home while on voice chat. It used to be a phone call. But we keep hearing they get to speak to their kids for longer and more meaningfully if they are voice chatting while doing something they both enjoy.

ESI: The Pro League includes serving personnel, veterans, reservists, MOD civil servants, cadets, families and the bereaved community. Why was it important to bring all these groups into the same space?

Ben: They are all part of the armed forces community that we serve as a charity. We hope to be able to bring all these people together through entertainment, wherever they may be in the world.

ESI: What does the inclusion of veterans, families and the bereaved community add to the experience for those taking part?

Robert: It’s a massive reason why people take part. The fact that all corners of the military community are represented adds a healthy layer of competition while also giving more players an opportunity to take part and compete. For key groups like veterans or the bereaved, it gives them a platform to connect and get additional support from the community. Our Discord has become the go-to place where people from all different backgrounds can catch up, play games and make long-lasting relationships through gaming and esports.

ESI: The Armed Forces are understandably structured around rank and defined segments. Does gaming create a space where rank and segments are forgotten about?

Adam: As a civilian I can’t comment with any first-hand knowledge. I do see that the values and behaviours the armed forces prioritise, like teamwork, communication or competitiveness, become a real asset within esports.

ESI: Have you seen gaming bring together people of different ranks, services or generations who would otherwise have been unlikely to meet?

Robert: The BFBS Pro League has attracted players of all ages, ranks, services and backgrounds. For a lot of players, they may never have crossed paths with each other if it wasn’t for Rocket League or League of Legends. Through our events, they’re able to meet new people and get to know each other through their love of games or esports. There’s a saying: No rank in the server. Shamelessly stolen from another military sport but the message is spot on. It doesn’t matter what rank you are, which service you represent or what your background is, if you love gaming or competing then we have something for you.

ESI: How does organised gaming work around the realities of military life?

Robert: From the very beginning of this project, it was crucial that we build our tournament rules and event formats with flexibility in mind. For a lot of our players, their schedule isn’t set in stone and the reality is deployment, training or a new tasking could happen at any moment. This means most of our events will take place during the evenings and teams will be allowed extra support in case someone gets called out to go to work. From a scheduling point of view, we tend to avoid the weekends as that time is typically spent travelling home to see family. We want our events to be a positive addition to their schedule and to do that we must be prepared to be as flexible as possible with our players. We offer a more relaxed approach to substitute players and if necessary, we will reschedule an entire series to ensure players can play with their full focus.

ESI: What barriers still prevent people within the Armed Forces community from taking part?

Adam: Being too busy! There’s plenty of stuff you can take part in when you’re serving.

ESI: Esports is often credited with developing communication, teamwork and decision-making skills. Have you seen convincing evidence of those benefits in service work or outside of the gaming community, in the work the services do?

Adam: Of course. And there’s a reason the armed forces recognise esports as an official activity.

I was speaking to a man in the Royal Air Force recently. He told me gaming was an important outlet for him in life before joining up. He now works as their version of an Air Traffic Controller and credited his gaming experience with giving him many of the skills he uses every day.

Another was telling me he voice chats with his kids back home while gaming together online. He felt far more engaged than the traditional phone call of the past. And UK Veterans Gaming show the power of community once you leave.

It’s also worth remembering how Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine has shown that drone operators, often using equipment like gaming controllers, are crucial to Ukraine’s defence.

If the UK were ever involved in a major conflict the armed forces would need people with those same skills.

ESI: Is there one participant or team story that best demonstrates what the competition was set up to achieve?

Robert: Between Season 1 and Season 2, we have had a number of success stories from people across the whole community. We have seen multiple players take the next step in their career by joining civilian teams looking to compete in the Rocket League World Championships. Additionally, we have members who take a different route and have been getting involved in casting or production roles. For me, the best part is seeing people use our platform to grow their current skills or chase an entirely new set of skills. The Pro League has inspired them to aim higher or try something outside of their comfort zone.

ESI: Beyond participation figures, what evidence of success have you seen from your gaming and esports initiatives?

Ben: We use a lot of data sources to ensure what we’re doing is working. The anecdotal evidence seems just as powerful though. Seeing loads of young people flocking to our gaming stands at events. People telling us on Discord how it’s helped them feel less isolated. Seeing photos of people watching our streams at bases across the country. It’s all rewarding even if we can’t put a number on it beyond doubling our participation figures in a year.

ESI: Gaming is still sometimes dismissed as antisocial or unproductive (saw an obscene LBC phone-in the other day). Have attitudes towards it changed among senior figures within the Armed Forces?

Ben: It has. There are of course still people with that view. But once they see how social gaming is, you remind them it’s not instead of sport and socialising, it’s as well as, they usually see the merit. And again, the conflict in Ukraine has shown how important it is to recruit gamers for an effective, modern fighting force.

ESI: When members of the public encounter BFBS Esports at the Royal Air Force Museum, what do you hope they understand about the people playing and the community behind the event?

Robert: I want people to come away with a better understanding of what gaming and esports is all about. This is more than people playing video games, this is a place for people to challenge themselves, learn new skills and meet new people.

Doing so in the backdrop of the Royal Air Force Museum will be an incredible opportunity to show the public a different side to the military. Behind the uniform they are people with the same passion and interest as everyone else.