Recent high school grad owns a business that hosts video game tournaments for students

Seventeen-year-old Marcus Jensen playing a shooter crippled astatine XP League successful Idaho Falls. See what it’s for illustration successful nan video above. | Rett Nelson, EastIdahoNews.com

Do you want to cognize what’s happening successful nan eastbound Idaho business scene? We’ve sewage you covered. Here is simply a rundown of this week’s business news crossed nan valley.

BIZ BUZZ

IDAHO FALLS

Recent precocious schoolhouse postgraduate opens younker esports arena successful Idaho Falls

Erik Johnson, 18, opened XP League astatine 370 College Street successful Idaho Falls past month. | Rett Nelson, EastIdahoNews.com

IDAHO FALLS – The thought of kids increasing up to play video games is nary longer a joke.

Erik Johnson is nan proprietor of a caller younker esports arena successful Idaho Falls called XP League. It opened past period astatine 370 College Street and it’s a spot wherever students link pinch group online and compete successful video crippled tournaments.

The games scope from first-person shooters and one-on-one fighting to a car shot crippled called Rocket League.

Students ages 7 to 17 salary for a monthly rank successful hopes of qualifying for nan nationalist finals successful Orlando, Florida. Those who triumph person a chance to triumph assemblage scholarships.

Erik graduated from Idaho Virtual Academy earlier this twelvemonth and has been willing successful gaming for astir of his life. He started participating successful esports leagues successful precocious schoolhouse and wanted to supply a abstraction for like-minded group to do what they love.

“I wish I had (access to thing for illustration this) erstwhile I was younger,” Johnson tells EastIdahoNews.com.

XP League is simply a nationalist franchise that launched successful 2020. Johnson’s dad, Robert, saw an advertisement for it online and suggested Erik unfastened a section store.

Seventeen-year-old Marcus Jensen is simply a regular customer astatine nan Idaho Falls location. He’s starting his elder twelvemonth astatine Thunder Ridge High School this autumn and has been playing successful Esports leagues since he was a freshman.

RELATED | Students from 9 section schools participate successful video crippled tourney hosted by Idaho Falls District 91

The competitory quality of video games person been a tie for him since he was 5. When Esports tournaments became an action successful school, he was each complete it.

His crippled of prime is Valorant, a character-based tactical shooter game.

“Each personification has their ain typical abilities (in this game),” Marcus says.

The nonsubjective of nan crippled is to successfully works a explosive and destruct nan different squad earlier nan opposing squad is capable to extremity them. Meet Marcus and spot what it’s for illustration successful nan video above.

Marcus Jensen playing Valorant astatine XP League successful Idaho Falls. | Rett Nelson, EastIdahoNews.com

Marcus won a tourney astatine Compass Academy earlier this twelvemonth and was portion of a winning astatine an XP League tourney respective months ago.

Marcus would for illustration to be Brigham Young University-Idaho aliases Idaho State University aft graduation and says nan skills he’s acquired successful this capacity mightiness beryllium beneficial for his early profession path.

“Quick problem-solving and talking to group (are nan main skills I’ve gained),” he says.

Despite nan benefits of Esports tournaments, Johnson says nan online connection among online competitors is often rude and mean-spirited. He’s focused connected school those who participate astir nan effect of cyberbullying and nan value of sportsmanship and showing respect to others.

XP League is hosting summertime camps until schoolhouse starts up again. Hours will beryllium akin to nan schoolhouse schedule erstwhile it’s backmost successful session.

To motion up aliases for much information, visit nan website.

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