Gaming Events Reviewing Security Following Jacksonville Shooting

The fall out from the Jacksonville shooting includes lawsuits, event cancellations and increased security for future gaming conventions.

• By Sydny Shepard
• Aug 29, 2018

The shooting at The Landing in Jacksonville, Fla. is making waves in the gaming community, including lawsuits, cancelled events and increased security at events.

Just two days after the shooting that killed two people and injured nine more, a Florida firm has announced it plans to file a lawsuit alleging negligent security contributed the mass shooting. Morgan & Morgan attorneys said that Americans have the right to be safe when they attend events in public places and that business and even organizers have a duty under law to provide protection for patrons.

"Businness as usual will no longer be tolerated by Americans," Matt Morgan said. " It's time for business owners and event organizers to step up their game." 

In response to the shooting and its fallout, Electrionic Arts (EA) has cancelled the remaining three qualifying events for its Madden Classic esports tournament.

"We have made the decision to cancel our three remaining Madden Classic qualifier events while we run a comprehensive review of safety protocols for competitors and spectators," EA CEO Andrew Wilson said in a statement released on Monday night. "We will work with our partners and our internal teams to establish a consistent level of security at all of our competitive gaming events."

EA isn't the only company looking to increase security at future events. Twitch, the video service that was streaming the Madden 19 competition during the shooting, is reviewing security plans for its October TwitchCon event.

The broadcast company has already posted security procedures to its TwitchCon website, including the notification that attendees would be scanned upon entry, all bags would be searched and uniformed police and uniformed security guards would be in attendance. After the shooting, however, the company released a statement saying those procedures are being reviewed for potential tightening.

"Security at TwitchCon is our top priority and is something we take very seriously at all our events," the company said in a statement. "We regularly review and iterate on our policies ad approach in order to provide a safe and positive experience for staff, attendees, and exhibitors. In the wake of yesterday's tragedy, we will be re-reviewing our plans and updating them accordingly."

The esports industry has been estimated to be worth nearly $1 billion. With events, competitive tournaments and conventions adding to a large percentage of the industry's revenue. Calls for security have now been heard loud and clear.