Geekletes is the first black-owned esports gaming facility in Texas

The esports industry sees Texas native, Danny Martin, as the first black owner of an esports facility in Dallas.

The Geekletes Esports Studio is designed to provide facilities and support for those seeking a career in esports and competitive gaming. From being a player to a manager and other new prospects in one of the fastest-growing multi-billion dollar industry, Geekletes is designed to give fans a chance.

According to dmagazine, the esports facility is a 15,000-square-foot facility in DeSoto. The arena has a competition stage, a private streaming room, tournament rooms, podcast recording studios, an outdoor basketball court, and a cafe with a bar.

While being good at a game and having a community to play with is great, an aspect Geekletes remembers to focus on is branding. Having a facility to play in is nice, being able to market yourself as not only a skilled gamer, but a valuable entertainment asset to a company as a whole. Their efforts seek to help players build a brand is ongoing, but it’s an aspect that is a welcome change to these esports facilities that seem to be glorified arcades.

To help obtain their objective, Geekletes has made a Patreon page in order to support the case in building a strong gaming community for gamers looking to pursue going professional. Supporters on their Patreon donating above $25 will be rewarded with plaques of their names to be hung personally in the facility. 

On August 17th, the facility officially opened its doors with the event Geekletes Con 2019 (GC19). At the grand opening, guests and attendees were able to meet esports industry influences, meet pro players, and participate in the main games, Super Smash Bros and NBA 2K, of which the latter had a grand prize of $8000.

We appreciate the community for coming out to GC19. Without your support none of this is possible. We also want to thank all of the sponsors and vendors who were a part of #GC19. This marks the beginning of the future for #DallasEsports! pic.twitter.com/HBRiknAQPR

— Geekletes® (@Geekletes) August 28, 2019

Danny Martin has been a major part of NBA 2k league and has a great vision for the future with this latest endeavor. Martin hopes that he can bring more of a voice and representation to the esports industry by opening a black-owned esports arena in town. “We want to be leaders in showcasing diversity within this new industry,” he said in a press release.

Listen as he responds to a question by explaining why he brought Geekletes to the southern sector of Dallas where he grew up:

To learn more about Martin and his vision, check out episode 30 of the Esportz Network Podcast.

Credit: Rudolf Baldovino