Buzz Blog

When this blog first started, the very first story I decided to cover was a major Halo 3 tournament being held at the Megaplex Theatres in the Gateway. Since then, I've done my best to give those of you who game for fun and for a living some kind of local source for all things happening with local gaming tournaments and developers. GameTyrant, one of SLC's few LAN party businesses, will be hosting their latest Street Fighter V tournament this Saturday in North Salt Lake. Today we chat with co-founder, Justin Truong, about his company and the upcoming tournament. (All pictures provided courtesy of GameTyrant.)

Justin Truong
GameTyrant.com

Hey Justin! First thing, tell us a bit about yourself.

Justin: Well, I'll state the obvious first, I love everything about gaming. My love for eSports first began with a custom game from the WC3 days some may know as "Dota ;)". Outside of gaming, I love spending time with my wife and boy, cheering on the Utes, playing sports and practicing falconry.


When did you first get into gaming and what were some of your favorite titles growing up?

I first fell in love with gaming when my parents bought me my SNES back when I was about 5. Some of my favorite titles growing up definitely have to be: Super Mario Bros., Super Smash Bros., Turtles in Time, Zombies Ate My Neighbors, Mega Man X, NBA Jam, and the rest of my SNES collection, haha.

What drew you more to PC games than game consoles?

Starcraft following Warcraft 2 & 3 were the games that drew me into PC gaming. I loved the ability to play and communicate with those around the world with my 56k modem back in the day.


How have you been enjoying a number of multiplayer games coming out over the past few years?

Yes, I love multiplayer games. I'm naturally a competitive person so I enjoy the feeling of winning and being able to compete.

When did the idea come about to start your own LAN party business?

It kind of just happened. I met some really awesome partners that approached me about it and it just happened.


How did you come across the space in North Salt Lake, and what made you choose it to set up shop?

Our CEO of GameTyrant actually owns the building in the North Salt Lake and had some space for us to lease, and it turned out to be great space with billboard space on I-15.

What was it like getting all the equipment you needed to make the place run right?

We have had some awesome sponsors like AOC, SteelSeries and Inwin, who gets us the most of the equipment we needed.


For those curious, what kind of towers are you using for the gameplay?

We built all of our own computers in the LAN Center. They run i5, GTX 960, 8gb DDR4 and 144hz monitors.

How was it for you first opening up and attracting business from gamers?

It was good. Prior to opening, we already had a good following from the tournaments we were running, and being able to advertise on our billboard was a huge help.


What made you decide to start throwing tournaments?

I wanted to start throwing tournaments because I loved playing Dota 2 competitively in my college days and I could not find any tournaments for that game. I ended up using some computer labs up at the University of Utah. They kept growing, and I just have kept doing them ever since.

You have a Street Fighter V tournament coming up this weekend. Tell us about the rules and what people can win.

For rules, we follow the standards of the larger tournaments such as EVO. People win cash for coming out to these tournaments; the cash prize is dependent on how many people attend the tournament.


For those who wish to use the facility, what do they need to do?

We can be tricky to find. I would recommend using Google Maps and searching for GameTyrant. Also, visit our website gametyrant.gg for all of our upcoming events and tournaments. Also if you have not tried out VR, come out and do it. If you mention you read this on City Weekly, we'll give you a free 30-minute demo.

What other tournaments do you have planned over the next few months?

We are pretty much booked every Saturday for tournaments. We have SFV, Overwatch, CS:GO, LoL, Dota 2, Super Smash Melee, Super Smash Wii U, etc. You can find the calendar on GameTyrant.gg.


What can we expect from you and GameTyrant over the rest of 2017?

2017 is going to be an exciting year! There are a few things I cannot say yet, but be on the lookout for some exciting things that will be announced within the next month. But what I can say is you can expect a great gaming experience here with us at GameTyrant, along with some expansion! Make sure you also check gametyrant.com for all your latest gaming news/tech reviews and our partners at Geek Tyrant for all your nerd news.