Organize a Video Game Tournament

Having thrown a dozen video games tournaments, I go through my experience in setting them up. 2020 UPDATE: I have updated the information in this video with a new blog post: h

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Here are the 4 styles of tournaments that I discuss in the video:

1) Olympic-Style Tournaments
In this style of tournament, select a limited number of games and within each game, award gold, silver and bronze medals to the top three performers in each game.

2) Points-Based Tournaments
Points-based tournaments are more complex, but offer a lot more freedom in their structures. The biggest advantage is that you can “weight” your games; games that your group likes more can provide more points. You can even award a small number of points for warm-up games or provide bonuses. The biggest disadvantage is the subjectivity that comes with weighting some games more than others.

3) Eliminatory-style Tournaments like the PAX Omegathon
Ever since I saw the Omegathon video game tournament at PAX West, I was hooked on the format. Essentially, you set up your game in rounds and after every subsequent round, the worst players from that round are eliminated.

4) Team-based Tournaments
Essentially, any one of the styles that I had identified before can be done with individual competitors or with team of 2/3/4 or more! Just note that the games and their respective modes may need to be changed in order to accommodate more players.

Here are the 10 tips that I share in the video (updated for 2020):

1) Be Prepared
First, write out a games list and set up the game configurations on paper before the big day. This list will allow you to determine what consoles, controllers, games and cables will be needed for the event. From there, assign people to bring these items in advance.

2) Bring Extra Equipment
In my experience, some items are pulled out of storage and used without being tested before the big day. Make sure you have extra batteries, cables and even controllers on hand to deploy in case of trouble.

3) Have a Transparent and Easy-To-Understand Scoring System
During play, you want your friends to focus on the games and not the complexity of the scoreboard. This is why I am a fan of the Olympic and Omegathon styles; they lead to less confusion. In addition, make sure everyone is aware of the score and how it was calculated at all times; it reduces moaning and groaning at the end.

4) Make It Fun
Don’t be a control freak. Keep the night short and let people chill. This is for fun after all! Based on my experience, I recommend a 3-4 hour tournament. That way there’s time to catch up before the games begin and hang out afterwards.

5) Have Your Friends Pay a Couple Bucks for Food/Drink
For the last tournament that I held many years ago, I asked that everyone pay 2 dollars at the door. With that money (11 people), I bought five bags of chips and three cases of pop. You should always serve finger foods to your guests — just avoid messy snacks like Cheetos, for example.

6) Sit Out the First Time
For the evening to run smoothly during your inaugural tournament, you might want to sit out to problem-solve and keep the peace/pace as the night goes on.

7) Don’t Play Too Many Games
During my first tournaments, we would try to fit in 13-14 games. That is way too many. People will get bored and complain (especially if their favourite game is last). Try to keep your tournament to 5-8 games.

8) Eight People to Start; Expand to Twelve When Comfortable
This is a perfect number to start. Not too big or small. When choosing a number of people to invite to your tournament, think of hardware/software needs, your space and the tournament style.

9) Adding a New Game? Keep it Simple!
If you’re going to add a game to your tournament that no one has ever played, try to avoid a complicated game like Street Fighter V, for example. That game requires players to memorize a lot of combo to be effective. In a past tournament, I added Bomberman Live and people loved it because of how simple it was.

10) A Note about Controllers
In the video from 2012, I made a joke about how wired controllers were a thing of the past and wireless controllers should be standard at your tournament. In professional fighting game tournaments, wireless controllers may be discouraged or banned. For a small tournament with friends, co-workers, camp members or your child’s friends, wireless controllers should be fine. Just note that wireless controllers come with a set of small drawbacks, like limited range, for instance.

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