 to the wide world of e-sports, a show devoted to all things e-sports. I'm your host, Katharine Norr. Today my guest is Kelly Uyoka, the president of PAXA. Our topic is community e-sports, opportunities to play and competition. Welcome Kelly. Hi Katharine, thanks for having me. All right, tell us about PAXA. Yeah, so PAXA is one of Hawaii's largest technology systems integrator. Integrators, we partner very closely with companies like Microsoft, Oracle, HPE, Dell, and the like. And our mission really is to help local organizations succeed through technology. All right, so actually e-sports falls precisely into that category. So what has PAXA done in relation to e-sports and gaming? No, just as to raise community awareness, PAXA has participated in some community effort to bring e-sports capabilities to potentially underserved communities, one of which was the Waipah Library System, where we sponsored some really cutting-edge gaming equipment. And we actually had a tournament between the University of Hawaii e-sports team and Hawaii Pacific University's team. And that's never happened before, so they were able to play in an exhibition just to show the art of what's possible. It was also a gateway for helping raise awareness on computer-based training. You know, I was there and I was very impressed that that happened. And you know, when I think about libraries, I do think about community, but I also think about low-tech and books. So how are you integrating tech with those kind of low-tech places that we traditionally associate with, you know, paper and books as opposed to technology? Yeah, so I think the concept was to help visualize, you know, the library system becoming sort of like this classroom of the future where we would have accessibility into e-sports, but also to help people come to the library to get credentialed in the IT industry as well. And e-sports is a catalyst, as you know. I won't say the growing popularity of e-sports, but just the overall phenomenon that it is. It affords a lot of opportunity. And again, to have something, you know, at the state libraries to some culminate that's never happened before, it was kind of exciting. So I think it helped, you know, drive awareness. But ultimately, the goal is to have the library system continue to be a place where people can learn. Sure. And so you have an interesting background, I believe. I think you've started out doing some gaming in your life. Tell us about that. Yeah, so I started on a Commodore 64. I think when I was five years old, I don't know how many people recall the Commodore 64. I mean, this predates the internet. So I just was fascinated by what you could achieve by, you know, typing in commands. And here I am, you know, maybe somewhat almost 40 years later. Throughout that time, you know, really, it just sparked my passion for gaming and technology. And, you know, early on in my career, just the IT industry in general. And so yeah, I started out as a gamer and I kept going to this day, actually. You know, it's really interesting because I've interviewed many people on my show that are advocating education in esports and gaming and really discussing how the skills from gaming translate into skills that people might adapt in their future careers. Do you feel that that has happened to you? Are you an example of that? Absolutely. And most definitely. So the skills that I've learned throughout, you know, my history and love for gaming has definitely opened up awareness just into what's possible, you know, through technology. And I've watched others, you know, youth who are avid competitors and gamers themselves kind of learn the skills that you, that real entry level skills you need to be in IT. And so I think that's just happening as an indirect correlation. And so our goal is to try and make direct correlations between how, you know, the talents in esports can, you know, help people get a job in our industry. Sure. And so one of the issues that we always discuss on the show is pushback from parents. When you were five years old and playing on your Commodore and as you grew up and became more interested in computers and technology, did your parents support that or how did they address that? Are you sure that they were kind of not that familiar with it? Yeah, they were. It was a foreign language to them, even at the time. And, you know, I'm a former collegiate athlete and I should probably mention my father is in the University of Hawaii Circle of Warner for being a captain of the 1955 football team that beat Nebraska in Lincoln. And so as you can imagine, his background and his understanding of gaming and esports as I was growing up seemed like a waste of time. However, however, very quickly, my dad started to play video games alongside me. And I think it really opened his eyes to see that, hey, my son has a passion for this digital technology, as opposed to just saying all video games are a waste of time, like many other parents feel. That said, I can see the sentiment changing because the opportunities are far too great to ignore for parents, especially when their children are just so engaged and passionate about gaming, whether competitive or not. So like anything else, there is a balance to strike between what you play and taking breaks. I mean, we get that advice about just looking at a computer screen in general. So I think there is a balance that needs to be struck, but nonetheless, I can see the sentiment changing. Have you also seen whether there has been increased opportunities for play in Hawaii throughout the islands? Yeah. I mean, I think as internet accessibility continues to grow in Hawaii, and the capability of our internet capacity also continues to grow. I think just in general, there will be a multitude of opportunities. However, getting into gaming is not inexpensive. Even console gaming, those consoles can run up to $700 apiece. And then when you consider titles and how saturated the market has become with so many popular titles now on the market, it is not cheap. So I think there are opportunities. However, again, one of the goals for myself in pencil was to try and help bring accessibility into more of the mainstream titles that are played competitively. So are you seeing more and more when you're working with businesses or organizations that the topic of gaming or eSports comes up? I mean, in terms of gamification or in terms of concerns of whether people will be using their computers for playing games, or even recognizing that that's a positive thing? Yeah. I mean, just being an IT, a former IT administrator myself, I've kind of seen it all. So I can say that I've seen organizations completely block eSports during work time, which I'm in complete agreement with. However, the gamification aspects, there are things, again, not directly correlated, but there are things from the eSports industry that I'm starting to see in Hawaii permeate throughout organizations, whether or not it's technology based or not. Good point on the gamification, because I do see that happening. And yeah, it makes things more engaging and more fun. I have heard that there are companies that do have games or eSports games competitions in their organizations to allow for camaraderie with between employees and management. Have you seen that in Hawaii at all? Not so much. I have the idea of wanting to do that at my own, at our own organization. However, I think with remote work and the quote-unquote hybrid workforce taking over, some of those aspects for building camaraderie gets lost. However, that's it. It is a really good excuse to have people come back into the office and participate that way. So yes, I have had the idea. However, I haven't seen that. I haven't seen that out and about as much. So in your work, do you address the issue of latency that we have in Hawaii? Oh, absolutely. That is an issue for the industry in Hawaii at large, because many organizations are evaluating how to take advantage of cloud computing and between Microsoft, AWS, Google, Oracle. Perception is many times, most times reality. So having latency between Hawaii and the continent of the US, it is an issue. However, I believe there are technologies that are helping us overcome said issues. Now, as it pertains to eSports, that still remains somewhat limiting factor for Hawaii, because gamers, when you add two or three milliseconds, that could mean winning or losing. So yes, there's something to be said about trying to overcome the latency that we experienced. With that, I would also indicate, though, that Hawaii and our unique geography provides an opportunity because latency is cut in half when you play in Hawaii and connect to Asia, which eSports is just a global phenomenon in Asia. And the opportunities are just tremendous. So there's that aspect, but for the more casual gamer, yes, the latency in Hawaii is a perceived issue. You know, we saw in that with the Overwatch tournament that was done, you know, kind of hosted by University of Hawaii, Manoa, that they were able to work with them, you know, that Hawaii became an advantageous location because of latency. Do you see that being a thing of the future that maybe even Hawaii could be a phenomenal location to attract eSports? Catherine, that's exactly what I was referencing. I was referencing the Overwatch Championships and having the teams from North America fly to or come to Hawaii to participate to take advantage of the lower latency that we experienced when playing in Asia. And that is the best way, I think, at this time to take advantage of our geography. And it was very well executed. And, you know, I love to see University of Hawaii continue to do what they're doing in eSports. On top of that, University of Hawaii is really competitive. They're really good. And for us to be able to have, you know, the Overwatch Championships in Hawaii, I always try to, because we talked about parents, I always try to come up with analogies, right, about what that's like. That's like, maybe it's like a Super Bowl. I don't know if it's, you know, it's kind of like the NBA finals being played in Hawaii or something like that. I don't know. But it's a big deal. And, you know, it's really exciting. So I hope that we can continue to foster awareness so that we can bring more competitions like that to the islands. You know, it's really important to have experts in technology like you weigh in on these things because a lot of times, you know, we talk about these issues but don't really know the technical aspects. So I want to address another issue that you may or may not have thought of. And that is, we have, you know, obviously our venues have been impacted by COVID and things like movie theaters and other venues. Do you foresee an opportunity for movie theaters to have competitive, you know, eSports tournaments or gaming opportunities in those venues? Absolutely. I mean, that was the concept of bringing the computer laboratory to the WIPAWL library. So it could happen anywhere. And I think, you know, I've never thought of the theater as being a place. However, they certainly have the infrastructure to attract and raise awareness but also to showcase, you know, what's possible. Because I can just imagine, right, a competitive gaming event happening locally at the theater where people can come and watch as well. I think that would be something, I think that would definitely, it's a great idea. But I also think like with our sporting venues too, you know, when you look at what's happening stateside, some of the stadiums sell out for the League of Legends Championships or for any of them. I mean, the popularity is just so big, it's hard to ignore. So I think there are definitely a lot of opportunities to take advantage of commercial spaces. Sure. And, you know, of course, the most important commercial space for Hawaii is Aloha Stadium. And it's actually demolition, which will happen in the near future, I think, and construction of a new venue. What are your thoughts regarding having esports events there? I think it's slated to maybe be built by 2027. I mean, extracting into the future, what are your thoughts about that? Oh, I think it could be a destination. Again, to think about the Overwatch Championships happening at the University of Hawaii. I mean, what other game publishers could be, you know, enticed with having the championships culminate in a venue like Aloha Stadium? I think the infrastructure is there. And again, I feel as though what is a destination for that is a really big opportunity for us. Sure. Now, what sport did you play in college? I played football. Okay. So if you're looking at, like, when you're a legislator and you're discussing this, or if you're one of the decision makers, or if you're testifying on it, you know, I think most people think about traditional sports and this stadium. Do you think that if they're only talking about traditional sports when they talk about the stadium, that maybe they're not really addressing the reality of future entertainment? No, potentially. I think mainstream sports, especially football, basketball, those are just, you know, it's here to stay. I mean, it's a way of life. However, the culture of esports is also here to stay. I mean, and you know, sometimes you could consider it when you talk about esports, you could consider it a subculture because there's so many people that don't know the details around how popular it is. And again, just the phenomenon that it is. So maybe, you know, there's an opportunity, however, I think we could test, you know, like in some kind of pilot capacity, how what opportunity is there to bring a real championship, like with one of the larger titles to Hawaii, to be played at Austin. So there are many ways to test that and Pax is trying to be involved with the quote unquote testing of that to measure like what what is the real opportunity and how to quantify. So what other initiatives is Pax working on in relation to esports in Hawaii and gaming in Hawaii? We are considering a tournament, a competitive tournament that will culminate in some type of scholarship for those that play. I mean, this is very early, because I saw, you know, and I can see as compared to, like I said, mainstream athletics, like football, basketball, baseball, etc. I'm not sure that esports is there yet, nationally, where we would offer or educational institutions offer full scholarships to play. So I was, you know, envisioning that we could have a competitive tournament that would culminate in some type of scholarships for those that are 18 other and looking to go to college. Just in Hawaii is a very similar concept to, you know, having tournaments for high school students. And there are official, you know, it is part of the Hawaii High School Athletics Association now, when you consider esports. So again, we're just trying to create opportunity and awareness to see what's possible for businesses, for players, and for the community. Sure. And, you know, I understand that there's about 400 esports university programs across the country. So do you think Hawaii is keeping up with that? I think, you know, again, University of Hawaii, and between them and what Hawaii Pacific University has, we're definitely keeping up. I mean, again, I believe UH competes in the mountain west and we've been sometimes. So, you know, we're really good. And if you've seen, of course, you've probably seen what's happening or what HPU has done with their arena. And that is nothing short of incredible. I mean, what they have and what they afford to students and other and the community in general. It's really high tech when you consider esports. I think we're at the curve or even ahead of it in some regard. Yeah, you know what's interesting is University of Hawaii West Oahu has an incredible esports facility. So, you know, that's another, have you had a chance to go out there? Yes. Yes, I've seen it tremendous. Again, it's again, we're at the curve or past it, you know, and so the opportunities are there. I think it's about bringing it together, right, to find out what is the collective opportunity between everybody who's, you know, raising awareness. So, is Paxa involved with AI in AI? Yes, yes. Yes, good question. So, through one of our partners, Microsoft, who has made some really early investments into open AI and now enveloping AI into their commercial product, their commercial public product called Azure, we are definitely involved. But we're treading, we're treading carefully. We're treading carefully to find out what's the responsibility look like going forward and how to implement any type of AI responsibly. Sure, you know, that is a big part of it. But another AI seems to be the, you know, the topic of the day and the topic of maybe a couple months ago or maybe four months ago was metaverse. So, what are your thoughts about your involvement in the metaverse and what's going on? Yeah, that's interesting as well. I would really want to kind of narrow it down to what I'd like to see with AI and eSports is if the AI was good enough, right? And we've all experienced how great, you know, generative AI is through chat GPT. But as it evolves, I would hope to see human, a human challenge on the AI and beat it. Because, you know, that would be a real testament to how competitive and how good some of these professional eSports players actually are. And it would put it into an order of magnitude, right, to say and showcase how exceptional these players are. Fantastic. So, if someone is interested in contacting Paxa, how can they do that? Oh, go to our website. It's pitpaxa.com slash contact. And all our information is readily available there. All right. And so Kelly, thank you so much for being my guest today. We've learned a lot. Thank you, Catherine. Thank you for having good insights. All right. So thank you to our viewers for joining us today. Next two weeks from now, Tom Leonard will be hosting a show. And we'll see you then. Aloha. Instagram, and LinkedIn. Check out our website, thinktecawaii.com. Mahalo.