Eglin Air Force Base hosting top military gamers for Commanders Cup

Aug 15, 2023

by: Kimber Collins

Posted: May 12, 2023 / 06:15 PM CDT

Updated: May 12, 2023 / 06:15 PM CDT

EGLIN A.F.B. (WMBB) — The world of E-Sports is growing. One of the latest additions to the gaming world- there are military teams.

Each branch has sent its top video gamers from across the country to compete in the third annual Commanders Cup.

“2019 realistically, it was when we launched our gaming program at the USO and we immediately recognized the value,” said Callum Fletcher, USO director of global gaming operations. “Army E-Sports was already a foundational program within the army. Air Force gaming was getting started and we recognize that obviously, service members love to compete.”

Eglin Air Force Base became the first to build a USO gaming center in the military. Something every airman can use for free.

“So a center like Eglin has 24 state-of-the-art gaming pcs and gaming monitors. It has 24 Xbox series X limited editions that were actually donated to us from Xbox is quite literally top of the line,” said Fletcher.

The air force team has plenty of experience. The members have been playing since they were kids.

“Like four or five years old I started playing Halo and then I started getting the call of duty around like eight or nine years old,” said Alex Tuttle, airman first class (A1C).

The game for the tournament is called Rocket League.

“It’s three vs. three-car soccer, that’s the best way I can explain it,” said Tuttle.

Military members play video games for a number of reasons, like to escape the everyday grind. The Commanders Cup at Elgin Air Force Base is different. It’s competitive sure, but it’s the camaraderie that keeps the event growing.

“Last year was the first year we did it in person, and after the event, everyone’s watching each other high fiving each other, talking to each other,” said Fletcher.

Each team of three will compete in a round-robin format to determine the bracket rank and go after the shiny trophy.

“We’re military at heart, so we represent our branches and we’re here to do that. We’re here to take home the trophy,” said Tuttle.

The tournament will be Saturday at the Eglin USO office. All of the matches will be live-streamed on the USO’s Twitch page and you can follow more of the action on their Twitter.

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