Mother-son team brings esports to Lisle
With 25 years of experience in the sports and entertainment venue industry, Catherine Sarrett has been a market and financial consultant for hundreds of venues from professional sports arenas to youth sports complexes. She has watched the explosion of esports around the globe for years, concluding that the time is right for a new esports competition center in Chicagoland.
Finding a partner for this venture could not have been easier for Catherine. Not long after her son, Joseph Moseley, graduated from the University of Miami with degrees in Business Administration and Computer Science, they began planning the esports center that has recently opened in Lisle.
As a member of Miami's CS:GO team, Joseph experienced the establishment of intercollegiate esports. Since then, club esports teams have become varsity programs complete with scholarships for the best high school esports athletes.
Over several months Catherine and Joseph created an esports center business plan that includes the high-end PCs and peripherals that will satisfy the most competitive gamers and the relaxed atmosphere that will create a popular destination for casual gamers and families. Training rooms provide private spaces for scholastics teams and clubs to practice and sites for birthday parties and other group outings.
Scrims Esports Gaming Center is located at 2000 Ogden Avenue in Lisle, a former 6,000 square foot Family Video store. Per the State of Illinois COVID mitigation efforts, Scrims is operating at reduced capacity and offers socially distanced stations separated by acrylic dividers. Other protection measures include a new HVAC system with I-Wave air purification technology, mask requirement, and regular cleaning and sanitation of surfaces and equipment.
Gamers are able to play hundreds of game titles. Casual gamers of all skill levels can gather with friends to game and enjoy the Scrims Café and food and beverage options. Competitive gamers will have access to exclusive online tournaments, competing against players in other gaming centers throughout the world. With the explosion of demand for esports at the high school and college levels, this location will cater to the scholastic competitions as well as offer a venue for groups and teams to use for training and tournaments. Scrims also welcomes streamers and has computers available for computer coding classes and other STEM instruction.
At full capacity, Scrims will feature over 100 gaming stations, including a mix of high-end gaming PCs and NextGen consoles.
Scrims will be featuring a variety of grand opening events and specials throughout February. Visit scrimscenter.com