USO Hosts Inaugural USO Experience Atlanta Virtual Gaming Tournament

The USO is hosting USO Experience Atlanta, an easily accessible virtual gaming tournament for service members and their respective military branches to include the local community who can compete for a chance to win cash prizes while having fun and boosting their morale.

Registration is currently open for the tournament qualifiers which will be held March 8 – 11, 2021, with the finals being held on March 20 – 21, 2021. Those interested can register at https://bit.ly/USOExpATL

Players will be competing against each other while playing Rogue Company, a 4v4 multiplayer shooter game that provides a positive and exciting experience for service members; while working together as a team with the same objective, to have fun while competing for $5000.

Players will also compete in Rocket League, a high-powered hybrid arcade style soccer and vehicular mayhem game with easy-to-understand controls and fluid, physics-driven competition, while competing for another $5000.

“USO Experience Atlanta is designed to promote prosocial behavior, teamwork, problem-solving and communication all while lessening the military and civilian divide by providing a common location to socialize and interact through gaming,” said Ross Ledford, USO Southeast Region gaming event manger. “We have found gaming to be an important tool for the USO to strengthen our military by helping service members stay connected to family, home and country.”

“As the gaming program continues to grow, the USO is constructing gaming centers across our footprint, as a place where service members and their families can engage with our program and participate in our events, said Chris Hunt, a USO Southeast Regional Development Director. “In 2021, we plan to open two new Gaming Centers within the U.S. Southeast, one at Eglin Air Force Base, Fla., and another at Camp Lejeune, N.C., helping to reduce loneliness by creating bonds and ‘safe spaces’ where service members and families can interact with other gamers.”

While playing video games has been a favorite pastime for service members for many years, gaming has recently seen a significant rise on military installations and in USO centers around the world. With the emergence of social gaming platforms such as Twitch, gaming has provided another way for the military to stay connected to family and friends while deployed or serving in geographically separated locations.