JOINT BASE SAN ANTONIO-LACKLAND, Texas–(BUSINESS WIRE)–Air Force Gaming (AFG) today announced that the United States Air Force and United States Space Force will compete in the Call of Duty Endowment’s second annual CODE Bowl on December 11, 2020. The CODE Bowl pits esports teams from the United States Air Force, Space Force, Army, Navy and Marines against their United Kingdom counterparts: the Royal Navy, Army, Marines and Air Force, to raise money and awareness for veteran’s charities. The CODE Bowl will be the first trans-Atlantic military eSports competition to feature these branches.
The All Service CODE Bowl benefits the Call of Duty Endowment, created to help veterans find high quality employment after their military service and to raise awareness of the value veterans bring to the workplace. One hundred percent of funds raised through CODE Bowl will go directly to these efforts.
Air Force Gaming’s CODE Bowl broadcast efforts will be headquartered out of the Air Force Academy in Colorado Springs, Colorado, with service members playing remotely, and all branches teaming up with top Call of Duty streamers to compete. Each team will be coached by a professional esports player from the Call of Duty League. AFG members participating in the CODE Bowl were selected from an open tournament competition of more than 200 teams playing to find the best players in the Department of the Air Force.
Started as a grassroots effort by volunteer Airmen, Air Force Gaming is the official hub of gaming and esports for the entire Air Force and Space Force. The program, housed under the Air Force Services Center and focused on improving mental health by building community through video games, currently counts more than 10,000 servicemen and women on all platforms in just their first season of competition.
“Air Force Gaming exists to bolster resiliency and foster a community of support, mental wellbeing, and inclusion for all interested Air Force and Space Force service members,” said Captain Oliver Parsons, founder of Air Force Gaming. “These friendly competitions are great for morale across all branches and are a great showcase for the work Air Force Gaming is doing to establish a vibrant and positive culture across the entire Department of the Air Force. I’m looking forward to watching the first ever Air Force and Space Force esports teams dominate the competition!”
Additionally, Air Force Gaming announced that it will host special tournaments during the month of December for service members that are deployed. AFG hopes to provide a bright alternative to missing the holidays with family by holding friendly competitions and rallying the Air Force and Space Force communities around those currently serving overseas.
“It’s always tough to be away from home, but especially on the holidays. We wanted to create a few opportunities for our deployed Airmen to connect with each other through their shared love of video games,” said Colonel Marc Adair, Director of Operations, Air Force Services Center. “Holiday tournaments felt like a great way to bring a touch of home back to these individuals. This style of resilience promoting activity is exactly why we on-boarded Air Force Gaming, and I’m thrilled we can give our Airmen and Space Professionals stationed across the world a taste of home.”
For more information on Air Force Gaming, visit airforcegaming.com.
ABOUT AIR FORCE GAMING
Air Force Gaming is a new program founded to digitally connect Airmen and Space Professionals through their shared love of gaming. Housed under the Air Force Services Center, AFG is focused on supporting the Department of the Air Force’s resiliency and retention efforts through the creation of a global esports effort that brings Airmen and Space Professionals together through community experiences and competitive leagues. AFG’s program is powered by Rally Cry, a company dedicated to delivering esports to everyone through recreational sports leagues for video games.