Forza Motorsport 7 will feature in another esport tournament this summer. No, not ForzaRC; it will be the focus of the Special Olympics’ first video game tournament.
The 2018 USA Games will be held in Seattle this year, in Microsoft’s home state of Washington. The electronics giant has been a Special Olympics partner since 2014, and has graduated to a Premier Partner this year.
Gaming is actually a natural fit for the Games. Beth Knox, president and CEO of the 2018 Special Olympics, explains:
“Many of our athletes are avid gamers and research indicates playing video games can potentially boost cognitive and motor skills of people with intellectual disabilities. We are thrilled to partner with Xbox to bring the first-ever video gaming tournament to the USA Games. We hope everyone will come out and support the competitors in this pilot event.”
Eight Unified teams will compete in FM7, after qualifying across the nation last month in participating Microsoft Stores. A Unified team is a duo, consisting of one athlete with, and one without, an intellectual disability.
The news comes hot on the heels of Microsoft’s new Xbox Adaptive Controller. While there’s no confirmation in the press release, we assume the new peripheral will feature.
Visitors will get to play FM7 as well, plus other Xbox titles like Minecraft and Super Lucky Tales. Gaming stations will be peppered throughout the Fan Zone in the Northwest Plaza at Husky Stadium, and will be open all week to the general public.
The Xbox Gaming Tournament happens July 2. We wish the best of luck to all the participants!
Featured image courtesy of McLaren.
