Seattle’s Best Esports Venues
Esports—organized, competitive video gaming—is attracting more and more fans. Here’s where to catch or play a game in Seattle, and what to expect
By Beau Iverson April 23, 2019
This article originally appeared in the May 2019 issue of Seattle magazine.
This article appears in print in the May 2019 issue. Click here to subscribe.
Northwest Esports (SoDo, 1941 First Ave. S; 206.429.5464), a gaming organization operated “by gamers, for gamers,” has been the Emerald City’s grassroots esports organizer for more than a decade, hosting competitive tournaments of all kinds—from Rocket League to Super Smash Brothers—around the area. Its SoDo headquarters, which opened in 2017, now offers additional, dedicated space for private meetups and game broadcasts.
GameWorks (Downtown, 1511 Seventh Ave.; 206.521.0952), a super arcade, recently converted its second floor into an esports lounge. The venue features 60 high-end fixed gaming stations for walk-ins, group reservations, gaming leagues and tournaments.
The Husky Union Building Esports Arena & Gaming Lounge (University District, 4001 E Stevens Way; 206.543.8191). At press time, this new, 1,000-square-foot esports arena in the basement of the University of Washington’s student center was scheduled to open on April 1. The community gaming center and lounge is open to the public (with reduced rates for students), offering virtual reality and live-streaming systems to welcome casual players and create esports networking opportunities.
Follow Us
Ferry Tales: Eight Indie Bookstores Worth the Ride
Plan a summer day around these bookshops in Seattle, Bremerton, Bainbridge Island, Kingston, and Poulsbo.
Independent bookstores tend to be cornerstones of the communities in which they reside, and Seattle is no exception. In addition to helping customers discover their next read, these neighborhood hubs host weekly gatherings and events, like publication release parties, author talks, and book clubs. Many of them have cafés and reading tables that encourage lingering…
Rearview Mirror: Seattle Art Fair is Back, Nordstrom Throws a Block Party, and a Must-Try Ice Cream Sundae
Things I did, saw, ate, learned, or read in the past week (or so).
SEATTLE ART FAIR RETURNS The buzziest event of the summer (well, aside from the World Cup), is returning next week. Now in its 10th edition, the Seattle Art Fair will once again take over the Lumen Field Event Center, packing it to the gills with art from 101 local, national, and international galleries. This year,…
Studio Sessions: Jennifer Leigh Harrison
Seattle artist Jennifer Leigh Harrison uses layers of paint and abstraction to explore what we carry beneath the surface.
Jennifer Leigh Harrison’s paintings are dense with movement. Color and texture gather into mosaic-like fields, as if they have been fractured and reformed. There are places in the work where a frenetic buzz seems trapped between the canvas and the first layer of paint. That energy runs through Patterns of Belonging, her current exhibition at…
ENHYPEN’s Jay Has K-Pop Stardom and a Seattle Heart
The Federal Way-raised singer talks hometown memories, Ivar’s clam chowder, and how it feels to perform in the place he grew up.
Long before he was performing in sold-out arenas around the world and representing brands like Prada, ENHYPEN’s Jay called the Puget Sound region home. Born Jay Park (not to be confused with the other famous K-pop star of the same name, who is also from Seattle) in Seattle and raised in nearby Federal Way before…