Kenyan champion "Demon" aiming for African Esports title

Eric "Demon" Ngige in action during the eLigue1tour esports.[Courtesy]

Kenya's FIFA23 esports champion Eric "Demon" Ngige has set his sights on the African title ahead of this weekend's gamrX African esports championship to be held in Lagos, Nigeria.

The 24 year old says he will be banking on his experience to sail through the star studded line up at the continental showpiece,

"I feel confident going into this competition. Last year, I was a bit nervous because it was my first international tournament. However, this year, I come with some experience. Having played in Europe and also having taken part in more domestic competitions has given me more experience."

Demon will be up against gamers from Senegal, Togo, Ghana, Benin, Cameroon, Ivory Coast, Tanzania and hosts Nigeria in the battle for the $15000 prize pool.

He says his recent performance at the French eLigue1tour also gives him much more reason to do better as he feels he has unfinished business,

"Last month I missed out on a podium finish in France by very slim margins. My goal is to make amends to that by a great performance in Nigeria. I am going for the African title, I believe I am the best. My preparation has been good"

The esports championship dubbed gamrX African tour is expected to go down on June 17, 2023 at the Eko Convention center.

Meanwhile, Mount Kenya University has become the first Kenyan university to officially recognize esports (competitive video gaming) as a formal university sport in partnership with IndexG Esports as their technical partners.

The program was officially launched by the university founder and BOD Chairman Prof. Simon Gicharu who presented the students with new video gaming equipment and opened a dedicated video gaming room, the "MKU GAMERS BAY" that shall serve as the training facility for the esports team.

"By recognizing the potential of esports, universities in Kenya can create an inclusive environment that nurtures talent, empowers students and prepares them for opportunities in the ever evolving digital landscape," he said during the opening ceremony.

The equipment includes three PlayStation 5 consoles, three 45" TV screens and copies of three selected game titles; FIFA23, Tekken 7 and NBA2K.

IndexG Esports CEO Ronny Lusigi hailed the University for embracing esports even as he assured the administration of proper technical support in the execution of the program,

"IndexG is happy to join MKU in making history. This is the first university in the East and Central Africa region to officially recognize esports as a varsity sport. We are happy at how quickly the administration accepted the proposal from their students, staff, and IndexG to adopt esports. We shall be offering our technical expertise to help them run an esports team and use it not only as a sport, but also as a vital student engagement tool that shall relate to other spheres of digital engagement, " he said,