This past weekend, OU Esports hosted the fifth annual Esports Bedlam with Gamers of OSU. Between Friday and Saturday, teams from seven competitive titles competed to raise money for Make A Wish Oklahoma.
The event was hosted in the Black Box Theatre in Cross Building A with a team warm-up space in the DIY Room in Cross Building B. Both rooms had full computer set-ups for the teams. We previewed this event in this article HERE.
EK Fluid Gaming and the Republic of Gamers provided the computers needed for the competition.
Friday
The competition began on Friday with a Super Smash Bros. Ultimate crew battle. The two teams fought fiercely, but GOSU came out victorious to bring the series to a 0-1 start in favor of GOSU.
Jose “Dripnotic” Macias, a player on GOSU’s Smash team, was excited about the win to kick off Bedlam and being in Norman for the weekly Smash Dojo tournament that took place after the Crew Battle.
“I really like the venue honestly,” Macias said. “I really like the experience and I get to see a lot of really good players here.”
OU Esports came back with a stellar performance in Splatoon 3, a game new to Bedlam. The OU Splatoon Crimson team swept GOSU to even the series at 1-1.
Drew “Ice Dew” Marshall, the captain of the OU Splatoon Crimson team, was thrilled to have this opportunity for an in-person match.
“It was a lot of fun to share and enjoy moments in person for the first time,” Marshall said.
With the series even, the competition rested for the night and students geared for a big day of games on Saturday.
Saturday
Saturday kicked off with Rainbow Six Siege. OU fought to come back from behind after a shaky start, but GOSU managed to pull out the win and brought the series to 1-2 in their favor.
Colton “Vis” Beavers, a player on the OU R6 Crimson team, was disappointed with the start, but was happy with how the team improved.
“Our first map Skyscraper was kind of sloppy,” Vis said. “We didn’t really play our best. But we won the second map. Villa. Villa went a lot better. We used a lot more teamwork and did better.”
Next up was Rocket League. Both teams had stellar performances, but OU came out on top to once again even the series at 2-2.
Corban “Bano” Tillison, manager and captain of the OU Rocket League team, was pleased to play a live event.
“The match itself was a fun experience,” Tillison said. “My team got a taste of what a LAN can consist of. We played well, though there were some adjustments that had to be made. Overall, we are happy with the end result. It was a great experience to play on campus for the first time.”
OU hoped to ride the wave of momentum into Valorant. The competition was stiff, but OU managed to pull through and take their first lead of the series at 3-2.
Andrew “ShiivR” Bell, the captain of the OU Valorant Crimson team, was impressed with the team’s adjustments throughout the match.
“I feel like the game went really well,” Bell said. “We did start off a little bit shaky on Icebox. We were missing a few shots here and there, and I think our tempo was a little too fast. But once we slowed down, the game became a lot easier and we won the games from there.”
Following Valorant was Overwatch 2. While these teams have met at Bedlam before, this is the first year they meet under the 5v5 format of Overwatch 2, compared to the 6v6 format of Overwatch.
After a hard-fought match, OU won and stretched their series lead to 4-2, the largest lead of the weekend.
After a brief intermission where students played a friendly Halo match, Bedlam wrapped up with League of Legends. OU had already sealed a series victory, but OU League of Legends Crimson did not let up and took the final game of Bedlam.
Joseph “Himana” Savala, coach of the OU LoL Crimson team, was thrilled to see the competition be so strong to end the night.
“I expected the OSU team to show up in the tradition that has been established, with excellent camaraderie and a keen fashion sense,” Savala said. “They did not disappoint in either regard! OSU fought until the end and if nothing else completely baffled the OU team for at least five minutes after their game two draft.”
OU finished on top with a series score of 5-2.
The fifth annual Esports Bedlam was a success, with both OU and GOSU students showing up to both play hard and cheer on the players. Additionally, $476 were raised for Make A Wish Oklahoma.
To rewatch the 2022 Bedlam Series fully watch the video below. It has been segmented on YouTube to all for quick searching of each match series.
To review the analytics of viewership from Bedlam 2022 look at the images below for each day.
OU Esports would like to thank everyone who showed up and donated, and we’re excited to have another successful Bedlam next year with GOSU!
Event coverage credits to:
Rae Machado – Team News Writer – Meteorology/Professional Writing Major
Cooper Marshall – Team News Lead – Journalism Major
Austin Nguyen – Production Director – Creative Media Production Major
Silas Bales – Media & News Director – Journalism Major
Kristine Nguyen – Marketing Director – Biochem Major
Elise Siler – Team Media Lead – Art, Tech, & Culture Major
Production & casting credits to:
Producer:
Austin Nguyen, Creative Media Production Major
Intro:
Mike Aguilar, MBA – Program Director, OU Esports & Co-Curricular Innovation
Jody Farmer – Intercollegiate Esports Director, Art, Tech, & Culture Major
Smash Coverage:
Caleb Moss, Economics Major
Splatoon Coverage:
Austin Nguyen, Creative Media Production Major
R6 Coverage:
Jackson Boyd, Construction Science Major
Production & casting credits to: (Cont.)
RL Coverage:
Brandon Villarreal, Communications Major (Graduate)
Jacob Ross, Computer Science Major
Overwatch Coverage:
Cale Childs, Civil Engineering Major
Valorant Coverage:
Jonah Dave, Biomedical Engineering Major
Halo Coverage (Community Segment):
Austin Nguyen, Creative Media Production Major
Kristine Nguyen, Biochemistry Major
LoL Coverage:
Nima Najafian, Computer Science Major
A small sample of our marketing campaign to draw awareness across Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter:
