By: Tyler Schrodt, CEO of EGF
The Electronic Gaming Federation (EGF) is a Rochester based company, founded to create competitive video gaming (also known as electronic sports or “eSports”) leagues for both colleges and individual gamers all over the world. In addition to organizing and governing these leagues and tournaments, EGF also engages in a variety of efforts to enhance the media environment and community around competitive gaming. These efforts include the design and development of web and mobile applications, and media production – including live broadcasts of EGF events and news coverage of the industry.
EGF’s goal is to serve the 500 million core gamers and 55 million gaming viewers in the world by:
1. Establishing an NCAA equivalent for videogames, potentially including 4,600 colleges and 2,400 non-degree granting institutions
2. Building an open and friendly competitive community
3. Furthering the eSports industry through media broadcasting and technology development
EGF was founded in December 2013 by CEO Tyler Schrodt. Tyler has has been a long-time competitive gamer and saw an opportunity to complement the growing professional eSports industry with a college-based gaming league. Over the course of the last year, Tyler has recruited developers, designers, editors, and media production staff from connections at Rochester Institute of Technology (RIT) to accomplish the company’s ambitious goals. The staff come from a diversity of backgrounds but are united by their love of videogames and dedication to the vision of the company.
While still in its early growth stage, EGF has had a number of successes in the last eight months. Their first of which was winning RIT’s Spring business plan competition which provided EGF its initial seed money. Continuing their momentum, EGF placed in the top five at RIT’s Tiger Tank competition, and was one of the six teams accepted into the 2014 Saunders Summer Start-up Program. They have recently begun official operations, running several open tournaments with an average registration of 90 competitors. They have also engaged a number of colleges who have expressed interest in being part of their pilot college league that the company calls the Collegiate Electronic Gaming Federation, or “CEGF”.
All of the success of EGF to date has largely been a product of the entrepreneurial environment supported by the Rochester community. Specifically, EGF would attribute their success to people such as Kevin Dooley, Anthony Testa, Richard Notargiacomo, Richard DeMartino, and the RIT Simone Center. Their support of the company had largely contributed to developing the organization to where it is today.
