Ohio Team Sweeps Super League Gaming World Championship As Players Flock To Next Season's "Summer Splash"

SANTA MONICA, Calif., June 30, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- The 'Champions', a group of nine gamers from Northeastern Ohio who spent four weeks battling teams across the U.S. and Canada during Super League's third season of in-theater Minecraft gameplay, beat out over 300 teams and more than 1,600 players to take home the $15,000 scholarship prize. Each week, gamers everywhere strategized, collaborated and built custom mods in their local movie theaters, enjoying competitive gameplay while at the same time developing valuable STEM and teamwork skills.

"Super League has become a nationwide phenomenon, and I think that's because we've found a natural way to combine healthy gaming and competition with really valuable skill development. When players come into our theaters, they're learning in a very social and engaged environment. They build friendships, an appreciation for teamwork, and a strong set of reasoning and critical thinking skills that will carry them through school and daily life," says Super League CEO Ann Hand. "It's pretty amazing to see them grow while having so much fun."

The Season 3 winners - Kurt Andrew Campbell (Warren, OH, a.k.a. SonicKurt01), Matthew Gagne (Grafton, OH, a.k.a. Matt4G), Benjamin C. Eyster (Bellville, OH, a.k.a. bennyeyster), Grant Hayden (Butler, OH, a.k.a. G1money), Adam Moley (Olmsted, OH, a.k.a. LevelAdam), Evan Smith (Lyndhurst, OH, a.k.a. Catmaniac9), Vincent Morando (Mansfield, OH, a.k.a. Fury_destroy), Ian E. Fagan (Cleveland, OH, a.k.a. IERuler) and Avery Eldridge (Lexington, OH, a.k.a. Enderhunter321) - are 5th through 9th grade students who played at their local Cinemark Strongsville in Cleveland. Having met in previous Super League seasons, many of the players stayed in touch and decided to form the 'Champions' for Season 3 of the league. Some players, including Eldridge and Morando, drove as far as an hour each week to help support their team for the win.

"These nine kids are a perfect example of what Super League is all about," says President and COO Brett Morris. "Many of them have stayed in touch between seasons, practicing and strategizing together, while others continue to team up league after league. This isn't just about the game. It's about the camaraderie. These players are co-creating the Super League culture of friendship and learning. This is a second home where they flourish in their gameplay as well as in their personal development."

Super League's next session will be condensed into a special 5-day intensive called Summer Splash, hosted by mega YouTube celebrity and Minecraft expert CaptainSparklez. Taking place July 18th through 22nd, from 9 a.m. to 12 p.m. in local movie theaters across the country, Summer Splash is an underwater themed adventure where players will compete in a variety of custom head-to-head and cooperative matches, built to entertain and educate gamers of all ages and skill levels. CaptainSparklez, who personally helped develop the new Summer Splash experience, will be making surprise appearances throughout the country during the series, and treating fans to special access and prizes.

Sign-ups are now live on www.SuperLeague.com and players are encouraged to invite friends to create their own teams or join an existing one.

To see a complete listing of participating theaters and sign up, visit: www.SuperLeague.com

About Super League Gaming
Super League Gaming (https://superleague.com) is the world's first and biggest video game league that takes place in movie theaters worldwide. Bringing gamers of all ages together for a social, face-to-face gameplay experience on the big screen, Super League is establishing theater auditoriums as the ultimate place to play some of the world's most popular games and compete to climb the international Super League leaderboards. The phenomenon started in Santa Monica, California, in the summer of 2015 hosting "theater mode" events (with the top 3 exhibitors in the U.S.: Regal, AMC and Cinemark) and the No. 1 game in the world, Minecraft. Super League is rapidly expanding its game library and reach to theater chains globally.

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SOURCE Super League Gaming