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Tickets Now on Sale for First-Ever MAGE

Tickets are now on sale for the inaugural Mid-America Gamers Expo (MAGE), taking place at the Mid-America Center in Council Bluffs, Iowa. MAGE is the metro area’s first major gaming event, running from Friday, November 19 to Sunday, November 21, 2021.

Powered by the Iowa West Foundation, MAGE ‘21 will present a Gamers Expo with speakers, entertainment, and a showcase for local and national sponsors and vendors who provide products and services. On Friday and Saturday, local and regional panelists will share their insight into this growing industry and the potential for the future. Panel discussions will include timely topics such as “Women in Gaming” and “Careers in Esports.”

And, as part of the Expo, on Saturday, November 20th from 8-11 p.m., the floor of the Mid-America Center Arena will be transformed into an electric dance party with DJs playing dance music accompanied by light shows, projected images, visual effects, and a few surprises.

MAGE ’21 will also feature a 26-hour LAN (local area network) Party with hundreds of gamers simultaneously playing multilayer games across a private connection. Participants are asked to bring their own computers or consoles and personal headsets for this all-ages event.

Also headlining MAGE ’21 is a Tournament of Champions with high school, college, and independent teams playing Valorant and Rocket League for cash and prizes. First and second-round games will take place on Friday and Saturday, November 19 and 20, with the semi-finals and finals streamed live on Twitch from the Mid-America Center Arena on Sunday, November 21st.

Valorant is a free-to-play first-person shooter game developed by Riot Games. Teams of five players will work together under sharp, first-person gunplay while playing as Agents: characters with unique tactical abilities that allow for teams to create many different play styles. With each member having only one life per round, players will have to utilize their resources to attack and defend various sites in a best of 25 [first to 13>. Limited to the first 32 teams that register, MAGE ’21 will offer a Valorant prize pool of $1,500.

In Rocket League, teams of three work together to play soccer with rocket-powered cars. Players use each other, and their own technical flying skills, to control their cars and play the ball. Rocket boost packs litter the playing field, which players can use to move very fast, or even fly into the air. This creates points of contention between players as they battle to score goals and to win! The first 32 teams that register for the Rocket League tournament will face off in a quest to win some of the $1,500 prize pool.

In addition to the Iowa West Foundation, MAGE ’21 is partnering with former Nebraska Cornhusker and NFL player and current Lakeland University Esports Coach Ahman Green and local LAN Party pros NETWAR to produce this event. The Official Technology Partner of MAGE ’21 is Great Plains Communications and the Official Headquarters Hotel is the Courtyard by Marriott Council Bluffs for those that want to make a weekend of it. Additional partners include Iowa Western Community College, the Council Bluffs Convention and Visitors Bureau, Google, Official Radio Partner 89.7 The River and Official Social Media Partner Hurrdat.

MAGE ’21 takes place on Friday, November 19, from 4-9 p.m.; Saturday, November 20, from 10 a.m. – 11 p.m.; and Sunday, November 21, from 10 a.m. - 5 p.m. Tickets and entries for the Tournament and LAN Party are available starting today and include a variety of options including single-day and weekend passes, LAN Party admission, Tournament entry for two different games, panel discussions, and the Saturday night dance party.

For more information or to purchase tickets, visit MAGEIowa.com.