Georgia State University’s varsity esports team will host and compete against multiple college and university teams during the PantherLAN Esports Tournament, with live, in-arena finals on Saturday, Oct. 20, at the Georgia State Sports Arena, 125 Decatur St., S.E., in Atlanta.

Doors will open at 8 a.m., with game play starting at 9 a.m. The event is free and open to the public, and will also be streamed through https://www.twitch.tv/georgiastateu and https://www.twitch.tv/georgiagamedevs.

The tournament starts online on Oct. 8, and will also be streamed through Twitch.

Scheduled to compete are varsity esports teams from Georgia State, Georgia Gwinnett College, Kennesaw State University, Oglethorpe University, the University of Georgia and the University of West Georgia.

Games in which the teams will compete include Smite, Brawlhalla, Paladins, Overwatch, League of Legends, Hearthstone and Dragon Ball FighterZ.

Georgia State’s varsity esports team was founded in 2017, and is among the more than 30 colleges and universities nationwide participating in the National Association of Collegiate Esports and other Georgia academic institutions in the Georgia Esports League.

Varsity esports provide benefits beyond game play, including student participation in broadcasting, production, marketing, management and game development, a rapidly growing part of Georgia’s entertainment industry.

Esports at Georgia State are administered through the university’s Creative Media Industries Institute, and the tournament is supported by the Georgia Game Development Association.