Guild Hall, the Esports pub in Burbank for all kinds of gamers

Seong Mo "Daram" Jeong, Junseok “Tonny” Bae

Jan 23, 2018

On January 12th, when the Overwatch League began, one clip on the Overwatch community went viral. It depicted a group of Esports fans’ cheering for the match with the Boston Uprising at one of the pubs in Boston. It was quite impressive to see everyone cheering for the Boston team; it was like they were encouraging their beloved EPL or MLG home teams.

It was a rare sight to see during an Esports event. However, the videos prove that gamers have come to accept the new home-based Esports league, despite their skepticism when it was first announced.

▲ The pub in Boston during the Boston Uprising match

We were able to hear about an interesting place from a colleague in LA when we visited the on January 16th. It turns out that there is a pub for Esports fans in Burbank where the Blizzard Arena is, just like the one in Boston. I was quite interested as I was not familiar with pubs in general, so we went with Nick D’Orazio, who had introduced is to the pub, to see what it was like in person.

Not only are there famous streamers and pro team-related parties, but Erik “DoA” Lonnquist and Christopher “MonteCristo” Mykles, the Overwatch League casters, are also known to often visit this Esports pub in Burbank. Let us have a look at how it looks.

▲ It took 10 minutes from the Overwatch Arena to the Guild Hall

▲ It may also look like an ordinary pub on the inside, but…

▲ All the monitors on the wall show the Overwatch League

▲ Even the staff watch the match from time to time while pouring a glass of beer

▲ In fact, all monitors on the wall were showing the League

▲ One monitor was showing a famous streamer’s LoL channel

▲ This is the Esports pub where everyone meets up, drinks, and plays or watches the game at the same time

▲ An event at the ordinary-looking counter

▲ The “Join Overwatch” posters that always welcome new heroes,

▲ Any gamer will find something familiar in this (extra)ordinary pub

▲ A Mario Odyssey streamer’s channel was also showing right next to the LoL channel

▲ The food was good; they even had an edible candle

▲ A definitely not ordinary Death Star pudding with Darth Vader-looking dressing

▲ One side was packed with tabletop games, all free to play

▲ From one of the most famous games, Jenga,

▲ to ones that we’ve never heard of before

▲ It was common to see people playing some board games, watching the League, and drinking all together

▲ The mood was a pleasant one, and people shouted out together when there was a good play on screen

This kind of pub culture is an everyday thing in the US and EU regions, but a pub that only deals with Esports and has a variety of entertainment for gamers is still not a common thing to spot even in these countries.

So, we met the owner of the place who was enjoying a board game, Spencer Cox and heard a short story about the reason why he decided to make such a place.

“It’s been 6 months since we made this place,” said Mr. Cox, “we made it hoping that everyone enjoys Esports just like at any other Sports bars.”

DoA and MonteCristo, the Overwatch League casters, are also known to visit here. The place is already becoming a hotspot for people who love games, and they are planning to show the LoL League when the NA LCS begins.

We hope that more pubs like this are made in each state and region, and also hope that watching Esports at a pub is seen as ordinary entertainment, just like watching American Football, soccer, or baseball.