{"id":3928,"date":"2019-06-18T16:39:38","date_gmt":"2019-06-18T16:39:38","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/publicaffairs-sme.com\/ExchangePost\/?p=3928"},"modified":"2019-06-21T14:38:13","modified_gmt":"2019-06-21T14:38:13","slug":"professional-gamers-get-taste-of-military-life-through-exchange-partnership","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/publicaffairs-sme.com\/ExchangePost\/2019\/06\/18\/professional-gamers-get-taste-of-military-life-through-exchange-partnership\/","title":{"rendered":"Professional Gamers Get Taste of Military Life Through Exchange Partnership"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"FORT BLISS \u2013 <\/strong>Five professional gamers from Complexity gaming, a professional esports organization, put their consoles down and a rucksack on as they spent a day in the life of a Soldier at Fort Bliss on June 14.<\/a> The event was a partnership between the Army & Air Force Exchange Service, U.S. Army Installation Management Command and MSI Computer Corp., which are bringing esports tournaments to installations around the world.<\/p>\n

Esports has become a focus of the Army, and leaders recently created an Army esports team to compete in tournaments nationwide to attract potential recruits. As part of the Better Opportunities for Single Soldiers (BOSS) initiative, Complexity gamers lived and trained like Soldiers, learning skills such as discipline and resilience.<\/p>\n

\u201cMy normal day I\u2019m waking up at 10 or 11 o\u2019clock, and today I was up bright and early at 5 a.m. to get ready for PT at 6,\u201d said Complexity gamer Sam Hatch. \u201cThere\u2019s so much that goes into being a Soldier. Until you walk a mile in their shoes you don\u2019t understand how tough it is.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"\"Besides spending the day as a Soldier, the gamers also conducted a meet-and-greet and hosted an open play event in Fort Bliss Exchange\u2019s PowerZone<\/a>, giving Soldiers the opportunity to test their gaming skills against some of the best in the business.<\/p>\n

\u201cThese events are a great way to spark Soldier curiosity and interest in esports and provide an outlet for them to recharge from the stresses of their everyday life while also strengthening retention and recruitment,\u201d said Paula Bradford, Fort Bliss Exchange store manager.<\/p>\n

The tables will turn later this month when 15 BOSS Soldiers travel to Complexity\u2019s headquarters in Frisco, Texas, to get a first-hand look at what it takes to be a professional esports gamer.<\/p>\n

Facebook-friendly version: <\/strong>Professional gamers from Complexity put their controllers down and rucksacks on as they lived a day in the life of a Soldier at Fort Bliss, with the help of the Exchange and IMCOM. Read more: https:\/\/wp.me\/p9Q7PG-11m<\/a>.<\/p>\n

— 30 —<\/p>\n

Since 1895, the Army & Air Force Exchange Service (Exchange) has gone where Soldiers, Airmen and their families go to improve the quality of their lives by providing valued goods and services at exclusive military pricing. The Exchange is the 61st-largest retailer in the United States. Its earnings provided $2.3 billion in dividends to support military morale, welfare and recreation programs over the last 10 years. The Exchange is a non-appropriated fund entity of the Department of Defense and is directed by a Board of Directors. The Exchange is a 50th Anniversary Vietnam War Commemorative Partner, planning and conducting events and activities that recognize the service, valor and sacrifice of Vietnam Veterans and their families in conjunction with the United States of America Vietnam War Commemoration. To find out more about the Exchange history and mission or to view recent press releases please visit our website at http:\/\/www.ShopMyExchange.com<\/a> or follow us on Twitter at https:\/\/twitter.com\/ExchangePAO<\/a>.<\/p>\n

###<\/p>\n

Media Notes:<\/strong><\/p>\n

For more information or to schedule an interview with an Exchange representative please contact Chris Ward, 214-312-3861 or wardchr@aafes.com<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Follow the Exchange:<\/p>\n

Facebook:\u00a0 www.facebook.com\/shopmyexchange<\/a><\/p>\n

Twitter:\u00a0 https:\/\/twitter.com\/shopmyexchange<\/a><\/p>\n

Instagram: @shopmyexchange<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

FORT BLISS \u2013 Five professional gamers from Complexity gaming, a professional esports organization, put their consoles down and a rucksack on as they spent a day in the life of a Soldier at Fort Bliss on June 14. The event was a partnership between the Army & Air Force Exchange Service, U.S. Army Installation Management […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":22,"featured_media":3931,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[25],"tags":[122,134,35,39],"class_list":["post-3928","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-press_releases","tag-esports","tag-fort-bliss","tag-military","tag-the-army-air-force-exchange-service"],"parsely":{"version":"1.1.0","canonical_url":"https:\/\/publicaffairs-sme.com\/ExchangePost\/2019\/06\/18\/professional-gamers-get-taste-of-military-life-through-exchange-partnership\/","smart_links":{"inbound":0,"outbound":0},"traffic_boost_suggestions_count":0,"meta":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","headline":"Professional Gamers Get Taste of Military Life Through Exchange Partnership","url":"http:\/\/publicaffairs-sme.com\/ExchangePost\/2019\/06\/18\/professional-gamers-get-taste-of-military-life-through-exchange-partnership\/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"http:\/\/publicaffairs-sme.com\/ExchangePost\/2019\/06\/18\/professional-gamers-get-taste-of-military-life-through-exchange-partnership\/"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/publicaffairs-sme.com\/ExchangePost\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2019\/06\/Ft-Bliss-esports1-1-e1560875897203.jpg?w=150&h=150&crop=1","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https:\/\/publicaffairs-sme.com\/ExchangePost\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2019\/06\/Ft-Bliss-esports1-1-e1560875897203.jpg"},"articleSection":"Press Releases","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Marisa Conner"}],"creator":["Marisa Conner"],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"The Exchange Newsroom","logo":""},"keywords":["esports","fort bliss","military","the army & air force exchange service"],"dateCreated":"2019-06-18T16:39:38Z","datePublished":"2019-06-18T16:39:38Z","dateModified":"2019-06-21T14:38:13Z"},"rendered":"