Full Sail Celebrates Gaming and Esports at Hall of Fame 14

The community came together to enjoy esports, video games, and tabletop gaming during the annual Hall of Fame Week celebration.

The Full Sail University Fortress is filled with a large crowd of spectators while varsity compete against alumni during Hall of Game: Homecoming.

Full Sail University’s Hall of Fame Week returned this May for its fourteenth installment, inviting students to engage with professional development, unique networking opportunities, and Full Sail’s favorite pastime: video games. Players and fans gathered in the Full Sail University Orlando Health Fortress for the latest annual esports exhibition match, while students enjoyed opportunities throughout the week to connect and learn from with grads working in the game industry, learn more about Full Sail Armada, and celebrate gaming at Full Sail.

Hall of Game: Homecoming

Full Sail kicked off Hall of Fame Week with Hall of Game: Homecoming. Held at Armada’s home base, the Full Sail University Orlando Health Fortress, the annual esports exhibition welcomed students, alumni, faculty, and staff to cheer on their favorite players as Armada varsity teams competed against returning alumni players in Call of Duty, Rocket League, and Super Smash Bros Ultimate.

Armada varsity players and alumni on stage playing Super Smash Bros. during Hall of Game.

Players on stage in the Fortress during the thrilling ‘Smash Bros.’ finale.

Alumni took the year's claim to the Hall of Fame Champion's Cup with wins in Rocket League and Smash, while the varsity Call of Duty team beat out the returning alumni team in their best-of-five match.

Two people in matching orange varsity jackets on stage while showing off MSI gear.

Hosts show off prizes for players courtesy of MSI.

Students enjoyed swag giveaways courtesy of MSI, food trucks, arcade games, and much more as the unmatched energy of school spirit flooded the Fortress. Students from Full Sail Armada’s varsity Stream Team joined players in the venue, streaming live to their channels throughout the event. At the same time, casters and hosts from programs including Game Business & Esports, Film, and Sportscasting lent their commentary to the live broadcast.

Armada Connects Afterparty

After the show, students gathered on the patio for more freeplay gaming, free pizza and ice cream, and a bevy of giveaways. Student raffle winners walked away with incredible prizes including headsets, gaming controllers, and current-gen home consoles such as a Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 5, and Xbox Series X.

A staff member and student are high-fiving while standing at a table full of Armada merch giveaways.

Staff and a student share a swag-inspired high-five at the Armada Connects After Party.

The block-party style event allowed students to connect with Armada varsity players, grads, and faculty while the Armada tent gave the community opportunities to learn more about Armada throughout the week.

Scholarships

During Hall of Game: Homecoming, five students in Armada varsity programs were awarded scholarships for their contributions to the community, commitment to their academic success, and competitive spirit. On behalf of Orlando Health, the students were awarded a total of $50,000 in Full Sail scholarships to apply toward their educational goals.

Students and staff on stage while holding oversized checks with Full Sail scholarships.

Director of Esports, Sari Kitelyn, with this year’s 5 scholarship recipients.

Students excelling in competition, student leadership, community, and broadcast were selected from Armada competitive teams, the Stream Team, and casting teams for this year’s scholarship presentation. In a heartwarming moment, varsity Rocket League player Alexander “Hybrid” Kennedy was awarded his scholarship with a special shoutout from his young son in the audience.

D20 Deathmatch

But Full Sail’s gaming community doesn’t always play digitally. During Hall of Fame, students witnessed the epic live return of D20 Deathmatch. Hosted by Dungeon Master extraordinaire and Game Business & Esports instructor Becca Godsey and her cohost Drew Godsey, the two brought the live version of their popular web series D20 Deathmatch to students on campus in another live face-off.

Bec and Drew Godsey wear colorful clothes and stand on an outdoor stage in front of a crowd of students. A screen with the words Deathmatch D20 is behind them.

Dungeon Master Bec “CausticPhoenix” Godsey and Drew “Mudcat” Godsey on stage during D20 Deathmatch.

With smoke machines, a giant 20-sided die, and plenty of heavy metal, D20 Deathmatch transformed the outdoor stage into a live D&D thunderdome where competitors rolled for their lives. Streamer and special guest Professor Broman went toe-to-toe with Christian Hammer as students in the audience cheered on the players’ demise.

To learn more about the Armada community and how you can get involved, join us on Discord!