Caio Cruz and his friend, Daniel Shea, get ready to complete in the final Minecraft tournament at Showcase Cinemas.
By Katy Rogers
When it comes to the roleplaying game Minecraft, there aren’t too many parents or kids who haven’t had a healthy dose of the world-building game.
In fact, few things are hotter in the world of young people than Minecraft.
While many of the kids have played at school or at home up to now, there’s a new generation of players who are taking things public and playing in huge leagues on the big screen hosted by movie theatres.
To that end, National Amusements and Super League recently collaborated to host Minecraft tournaments on the big screen through April and May at the Revere Showcase Cinemas.
The collaboration gave kids the unique opportunity to play the popular online multi-player game with friends on the large screen on select Saturday mornings in April and May.
“Super League started running Minecraft competitions and tournaments in theatres last year. We saw them and we were really interested in gaming within the theatre,” said Showcase Cinemas Vice President of Global Marketing, Amber Stepper. “We’re always looking for ways to make the theatre a true entertainment venue in all aspects and not just movie going. We also show events on screen such as operas, ballet, and concerts, so gaming just fits into that as well. It’s another great shared experience that we think is a natural fit for the theatre environment.”
While all ages were welcome to participate, the primary audience included children as young as 6 and gamer enthusiasts in their mid-teens. To even the playing field, the tournaments were separated into age categories within the theatre. Tickets were sold in advance for $60, which included four Saturdays of gaming and a complimentary ‘Rise of Heroes’ t-shirt.
On hand, staff members from Super League were present to assist with setup, to answer questions, and to make sure the game ran smoothly throughout the duration of the tournaments. Kids could keep track of their score week by week.
“Our customers really love it, seeing all the kids playing and just really enjoying it,” Stepper added as she described the lively atmosphere. “It really took off. We all know how popular Minecraft is.”
With the great enthusiasm for playing Minecraft in the unique movie theatre environment, Showcase Cinemas hopes to continue the trend and collaborate with Super League on future gaming projects.
For kids, there is no experience quite like playing their favorite game on a giant movie-sized screen, lounging in reclinable seats with movie theatre popcorn, surrounded by new and old friends.