MILWAUKEE — Bucks Gaming is hosting its inaugural youth summer camp this summer.
The Milwaukee-based organization competes in the NBA 2K League. According to our partners at the Milwaukee Business Journal, NBA 2K League is a professional league-style competition playing the NBA's hit video game. The first session of the summer program was on June 29 and 30 at its gaming facility, which is located near Fiserv Forum. The central game was Rocket League.
The second session is set for Aug. 10 and 11 where campers will be playing NBA 2K22.
Patrick Glogovsky, general manager of Bucks Gaming, told the Milwaukee Business Journal the pilot program was meant to feel like a traditional sports summer camp.
“When you go to the Khris Middleton basketball camp, you’re there to learn dribble moves, you’re there to develop your ball handling, you’re there to make sure your shot form is improving,” Glogovsky explained. “Similarly, we’re trying make sure these children and student-athletes have good mechanics and fundamentals and doing it in the healthy way that isn’t just gaming for eight hours a day.”
The two-day summer camp provides an inside look at the world of competitive esports where campers can have fun, but also develop skills. According to the Milwaukee Business Journal, there are in-house scrimmages, practices, and film breakdowns to assess where players talents are and how to improve.
Campers also get to tour the home of the Milwaukee Bucks, the Fiserv Forum, as well as Milwaukee School of Engineering's esports gaming facility.
According to Glogovsky, the stereotypical image of a gamer is affecting the industry's reputation.
“(People) think it’s basement dwellers that don’t talk at all and have no social skills. That is just so quite the opposite of what the actual case is,” Glogovsky said. He told the Milwaukee Business Journal how gaming strategy and high-pressure situations force esports athletes to be top-level communicators and develop strong relationships.
