Gaming communities gather to play against their friends and win prizes along the way.

Modern day esports have evolved from gamers gathering in hotel conference rooms to extravagant productions that rival some of the biggest sporting events in the world. And while most of these events are centered around teams of professional gamers, the spirit of competition for bragging rights has not been lost amongst the pomp and circumstance.

The Halo Championship Series (HCS) has made open bracket competitions a staple and its tournaments, and hundreds of gamers in the Halo community descended onto Fort Worth during the HCS Fort Worth Major. While it was a chance for them to cheer on their favorite professional squads, it was also an opportunity to flex their skills in a variety of game modes, not only in Halo Infinite, which is 343 Industry’s latest Halo title, but also in some of the old Halo games. The Free For All (FFA) competition   drew the most excitement, as the top placing teams could win up to $5,000 and a chance to play in the FFA event at the Halo Championship Series World Championships in October.

Open bracket tournaments have always been about bringing the community of a game together, allowing players of all ages and skill set to play the games they love amongst friends and rivals. In July of 2021, PlayStation discussed why open brackets are a staple in the fighting game community. Fighting games have always been the gaming genre that anyone can work their way up through a bracket and win a lot of money. They say that the open brackets allow for more diverse players, as well as building community around the players who love the games.

Having the option for open brackets has also helped spark an esports interest into gamers who may not have had any desire to play their game professionally. Venture Beat reported in May that Riot games, the creators of League of Legends, announced they would be holding an all-open bracket tournament for its game Teamfight Tactics (TFT). The game itself has a huge fan base, but many of them aren’t as attracted to esports as some of Riot’s other die-hard players. So, Riot created this open bracket tournament to allow players to compete against each other rather than having to play against professional TFT players.

There were many types of gamers participating in the HCS FFA event. Some were there just for fun, using the chance to compete in person as a way to get better at the game.

Sofia Dubinina, who traveled to Fort Worth from Orlando, FL, says that she’ll enter the FFA tournaments to see how far she can progress amongst her peers. “Sometimes people don’t show up and I progress to the second round, and that’s a win for me. I’m not that good, I get like 7 kills the first time. But it’s pretty fun, just considering it to be a competitive thing for me is pretty fun.”

Other gamers were more serious about their game play, each of them wanting a slice of the prize money, as well has having their travel covered for the World Championships in Seattle, WA.

Ivan Ortega-Nguyen of Crete, Nebraska, who plays for team IVsaken (Four-Saken), won the FFA tournament. The win came with a prize of $2,000, and the chance to play in Seattle. He said this win was a long time coming after years of competing. “I started competing in 2017 after high school and then throughout college, but COVID hit and I took a little break, but now I’m back in full force.” This was Ortega-Nguyen’s first win at a Major tournament.

Despite the open brackets being competitive, there was plenty of sportsmanship to be found, with competitors welcoming Ortega-Nguyen with hugs, high fives, and congratulatory well wishes.

The Halo Championship Series will conclude its 2023 Season next month, and it promises to be an exciting time for both competitors and fans.