The Esports Arena at ICE London will celebrate a first on Wednesday, February 8, when it hosts the premiere of Ironclad, a short documentary-style film produced by ESG Gaming.
Shot on location in Dundee, Salford and across London, the film explores the issue and impact of digital and tech inequality on the space, seen through the lived experience of players and the broader esports community. Ironclad features interviews with the likes of KingJae, the David Beckham co-owned Guild Esports, Dundee & Angus College, EXCEL Esports, and Esports Youth Club, amongst others.
Ironclad producer Sam Cooke, who co-founded Esports Insider and the WFH League, stated: “Digital and tech inequality in esports represent serious issues which actually discriminate against huge swathes of the population and limit accessibility at an entry level.”
“The purpose of Ironclad is to provide an opportunity for some of those in the space to share their stories and their lived experience in order to drive awareness of these key issues and to, hopefully, serve as a catalyst for change. The general consensus amongst those interviewed was that more can be done, and that accessible bricks and mortar gaming facilities are one part of this puzzle,” he added.
Lee Willows, founder of ESG Gaming, also commented: “Raising awareness around digital and tech inequality, player protection and inclusivity are central themes for ESG Gaming. Ironclad is the first of several short films from ESG, which will seek to raise awareness and seek to improve access and inclusivity.”
“I would also like to thank the team at Clarion Gaming for firstly having the vision to establish the Esports Arena in the first place but also for supporting what we are trying to achieve at ESG Gaming and for providing us with a superb event at which to launch Ironclad,” he concluded.
A subsequent screening of Ironclad is scheduled to take place at ESI Next Gen, an event focused on uniting leaders across education, video games and esports, at the University of Warwick across March 22-23.
Incorporated in August 2021, ESG Gaming is a regulated, not-for-profit Community Interest Company, whose mission is to ensure that consumers worldwide possess the skills, knowledge, resilience and tools to engage with digital entertainment in a safe, responsible, positive and inclusive manner.
ESG Gaming develops, delivers, and evaluates educational products and commissions research that have a focus on digital and tech inequality, player protection and inclusivity within gaming and esports.
ICE London, which will take place February 7-9 at ExCeL London, is one of the major events in the industry’s calendar for the year, bringing together games creators, distributors, operators, retailers, innovators, trade associations, strategic bodies and regulators – representing every gaming vertical.
