South Dakota Mines Hosts Annual Grubby Games Convention and Esports Charity Fundraiser

November 02, 2022
South Dakota Mines Hosts Annual Grubby Games Convention and Esports Charity Fundraiser
Members of the Hardrocker Esports club at South Dakota Mines compete in their gaming facility during a showcase event on campus.    

South Dakota Mines will hold its annual Grubby Games Convention (GG Con) Saturday and Sunday, Nov. 5 - 6, to raise funds for Extra Life - Children's Miracle Network. The event features several esports teams from surrounding colleges competing for $1,500 on the Valorant, Rocket League and Overwatch 2 games. There are also a wide range of separate competitions open to the public, with many prizes up for grabs.

The 24-hour game-a-thon portion of GG Con begins at noon Saturday, Nov. 5, in Frasier Gymnasium in the King Center. (Campus Map) The event runs over the night into Sunday, Nov. 6 ending at noon.

The public is invited to GG Con, both to cheer on teams in the championship and to join teams raising money for Children's Miracle Network. Gamers are also welcome to “drop in” to the fundraising portion of the event. Currently, 70 gamers are signed up to participate.

"Grubby Games is one of the flagship events put on by Hardrocker Esports." says Harlie Ferguson, student coordinator. "I am really excited to be bringing the energy of a large LAN event into the Western South Dakota area and thrilled that the event stands to benefit many in the Children's Miracle Network."

Gamers and teams can bring their own computer setups. GG Con will provide LAN areas to support 120 setups and console stations. Some of the games that will be played include Warzone, Overwatch 2, Valorant, League of Legends, Counter Strike, Rocket League, Formula Racing, Super Smash Bros, Rivals of Aether and more. GG Con will be livestreamed on Twitch and gamers will raise money by taking donations while they play.

To register for the event, click here to join the event Discord. To watch any of the competitions on Twitch, click here. To see teams registered for tournaments, click here to join the Mines Esports Discord. The event sponsors include Omnitech, Liv Hospitality, Linktech and Elevate Rapid City.