Team Liquid's Alienware training facility is out of this world – and more are on the way
The city of Utrecht in the Netherlands isn't likely to spark recognition from many folk outside of Europe. Unless that is, you're involved in the ever-expanding world of esports, an entire genre of competitive gaming that rarely gets a mention on mainstream news and TV. While Utrecht is typically known for its beautiful canals and great history, its also now home to the Alienware Training Facility, the European headquarters for Team Liquid.
For the unfamiliar, Team Liquid is one of the largest esports organizations in the world, covering everything from Super Smash Bros to Counter-Strike: Global Offensive. In fact, Team Liquid's roots actually started back in Utrecht over two decades ago, founded in the bedroom of co-CEO Victor Goossens – so while the location may appear unconventional for one of the largest team names in competitive gaming, many of them would just consider it to be home 2.0.
The Utrecht-based training facility isn't the only global headquarters for the esports giants, who have another HQ in Los Angeles, but it's certainly a breathtaking campus. I spoke to Jason Lucas Luijckx, the Senior Partnerships Manager for Team Liquid, to learn more about the future of their industry and the careful design choices that went into building the Alienware Training Facility.
If you haven't watched the video tour of the training facility located below, I implore you to do so. Its design is somehow both outlandish and tasteful, blending modern design aspects like LED strip lighting with living plants, bamboo-sourced wood and clean, white walls.
This is a building that looks like it would be more at home housing some of the world's best-paid traditional sports stars rather than what many people may judge as just 'a bunch of gamers', but its creation and necessity is a testimony to just how far the esports industry has come, regardless of its apparent underground appeal to some older audiences.
When I mentioned this, I was quickly corrected by Luijckx – just because the industry doesn't get the same coverage on traditional TV or print doesn't mean the appeal of esports is by any means underrepresented.
Esports vs tradition
Esports still feels like such a niche industry for anyone outside of the gaming sphere, but you guys can fill stadiums, and your training facility is cooler than most I've seen in a sports environment. With popularity rising, do you see Esports rivaling the traditional sports industry, and how soon do you think this will happen?
Luijckx laughs as he replies "Absolutely. In the US for example, League of Legends alone is already considered the 4th biggest 'sport' in terms of viewership. The LoL World Championship pulls more viewers than the Superbowl. And that's just one game! Team Liquid competes in over 17 different games."
If I had to pick the business advice I've heard the most, it would be to diversify your portfolio, something that Team Liquid has done beautifully. They compete in world tournaments for popular games like Fortnite, Apex Legends and Rocket League, and this adaptability has made them one of the most successful esports teams in the world.Â
"Viewership is normally one of the most important metrics, and for viewership, I would say that esports is already rivaling traditional sports. Do I see it getter bigger than football (soccer) over the next ten years? Probably not, but in places like the US, League of Legends is already bigger than the National Hockey League" states Luijckx.
He goes on to point out that the two worlds are also merging, with plenty of high profile sporting investors such as Team Liquid's own investor group aXiomatic Gaming sharing ties between the new and traditional sporting genres. For example, Peter Guber, co-Executive Chairman and Co-Founder of aXiomatic also owns the LA Dodgers and LAFC.
Luijckx also proudly says "We also recently signed a WNBA (Women's National Basketball Association) player, Aerial Powers. She won the WNBA championship last year, and she's an avid streamer and gamer who plays for Team Liquid in addition to the WNBA." (Powers signed with Team Liquid in January after playing in its Valorant Pro-Am tournament in early 2020, per Esports Insider.)
A high-tech building for a high-tech industry
(Image credit: Team liquid / Dell)
The new facility is gorgeous! How it is used by one of your teams in a typical day?
Luijckx explained "When the architects built it, it was very important for us that it was built in a sustainable way. There are solar panels everywhere, we have a wild nature garden on the roof. They call it a Micro-city because it's mixed-use."
Team Liquid has a dedicated office within this monument to sustainable architecture, along with 13 luxury apartments to house players. This requirement is apparent when you consider that the life of an esports player is hardly a typical 9-5 job. Late starts are required, often due to streaming requirements so training starts in the afternoons.
As you'll see in the tour video, a professional chef is located on-site to prepare meals for the team, and fully decked-out streaming pods are available outside of training for the players, equipped with the latest Alienware hardware.
"There are also scrim rooms that have seven setups to sit five players, a coach and a manager." Luijckx continues "They'll often have a full eight-hour schedule for the day that typically consists of practice with aim-training maps or finger exercises, scrims (or friendly games with other teams) and then an evening off, but some players will use their free evenings to stream to their fans".
Looking around the facility tour, there are a lot of big brands being represented there – Dell Alienware (obviously), SecretLabs, Monster Energy...how important are these brand partnerships with you guys? What are a few deciding factors that sway your allegiances?
"We definitely only want to use the best" replies Luijckx, "though I think the definition of best is always subjective...for us, the key thing we look at is the mission and vision of a company. Team Liquid has been in business for over 20 years now, and we've always been seen as a more mature and professional esports team than some of the organizations you might see popping up in games like Fortnite. It's very important to us that our brands are aligned with Team Liquid of a mission and vision perspective.
"What's really cool is if you look at our partners, excluding very recent additions, most of them have been with us for many years. Dell especially has been partnered with Team Liquid for ten years now, and we generally don't have short partnerships because we select at a very top level and ensure they're aligned with what we want to achieve."
What does the future hold?
(Image credit: Team Liquid / Dell)
Dell has a fantastic environmental ethos, and that seems to be something that you guys also care deeply about - can you talk us through some of the sustainability and recycling that was built into the facility?
"Renewable materials were super important for us" states Luijckx, Â "The facility was built for Team Liquid, but with our partner Dell, so many aspects of its Legend ID design language in mind. All the wood is bamboo-based, the acoustic panels on the ceiling are made with 100% recycled PET plastics. We even use a heat circulation system that takes fumes and hot air from the stove in the kitchen, and that energy is then used the heat the facility."
A point is also raised over the health of the players living and training in such a facility. The image of a 'pro gamer' in many older minds will be a greasy teenager, huddled over a PC for days at a time, but Team Liquid are keen to step away from that image, not because it's not the current reality for professional esports players, but seemingly because it can quickly become too accurate.
"A few years ago, the standards for esports was that players lived in 'gaming houses', traditionally a two-bedroom space with bunk beds per room, and then a gaming room setup in the living space where players would be there for 16 hours a day, right next to each other and living on pizza and energy drinks." Luijckx's face resembles my own, grimacing slightly at the thought.
"That stereotype doesn't apply anymore. We have a large lounge, with a living plant wall at the facility, with seasonal plants that change throughout the year and provides oxygen and peace to the environment. It was very important to support not just bodily health, but the mental health of our players too"
This is the second training facility built by Team Liquid - early days, but do you have a dream location for a third?
I'll admit, Luijckx looks both excited and nervous to answer my final question, giggling "how do I say this...we're definitely looking into building an additional facility, and we're scouting locations already. I can't reveal where, but I can say the new training facility will be on another continent and that we will be coming to where a lot of our fans are."
He drilled home that "our fans are super important to us, so for a next Alienware Training Facility, whenever that may come, it will come to a space where our fans are super excited to have us."
My time spent asking Luijckx questions certainly has me excited not just for the future of Team Liquid, but for the development and reach of esports in the coming years. The industry has exploded in such a relatively short amount of time, with prizes and tournaments that would likely blow the minds of an older generation of people who are more than likely completely oblivious to its existence.Â
If you're looking to adapt with the future of the sporting industry, you're safe to keep watching your favorite soccer or basketball teams, but you may want to consider turning into a few league matches of Apex Legends or Smash Bros.
This Microsoft Teams update means you don't have an excuse for missing a meeting anymore
Avoiding webinars held on Microsoft Teams may be trickier than ever thanks to a new update to the service.
Microsoft has revealed a pair of upgrades to its video conferencing platform that it hopes will make Teams a more attractive proposition for hosting webinars.
Going forward, attendees to a webinar will see their invite automatically added to their calendar - meaning there's no excuse now for forgetting to attend.
"When webinars are setup and scheduled, the webinar invite is now automatically added to the attendee's calendar," the update's entry on the Microsoft 365 roadmap reads.
The entry adds that the feature is currently in development, and should begin rolling out in December 2021, with all Microsoft Teams users set to receive it.
That isn't all that's coming to Microsoft Teams when it comes to webinars though, as a separate entry also reveals another update that will allow companies or individuals much greater customization when hosting webinars.
Users will soon be able to customize the domain used for any webinar communications such as invitations or changes of date - meaning that when such emails are sent to attendees, both the sender name and email domain will now reflect the tenant name, making it easier for attendees to recognize.
This update will also see general availability, and is set to launch in December 2021.
The upgrades are the latest in a series of changes by Microsoft as it looks to make Teams a more appealing choice not just for webinars, but meetings everywhere.
Microsoft Teams is also now playing a much more central role in Windows 11, showing that the company has big hopes for the software - check out our full Windows 11 review for more.
What is crypto staking? Here's how the new crypto craze works, and how to get started on eToro
Crypto is back in vogue! Interest in blockchain investing has boomed over the past year, with many investors seeking to diversify their portfolios with cryptoassets. So too has interest in a new way for investors to bolster their existing crypto holdings: staking.
Not only has crypto staking hit the mainstream, it’s become more accessible than ever, as exchanges like eToro have rolled out dedicated services to give everyday investors the opportunity to get involved. But hold up – what exactly is staking and what are the benefits involved? Let’s get into it.
What is crypto staking?
At its core, crypto staking allows investors to put their cryptoassets to work in return for rewards. It’s often compared to placing cash in a savings account or term deposit: in return for following requirements or locking your money away for a set period of time, you earn interest. But with staking, you're using your cryptoassets to earn more coins or tokens.
That’s the gist, but there’s a little bit more involved.
If you’re familiar with the basics of crypto, you’ll have heard of blockchains - decentralised, digital ledgers used to record transactions for most crypto assets. Different cryptoassets have different mechanisms to maintain the integrity of the blockchain though. For example, Bitcoin uses ‘Proof of Work’ (PoW) whereby people compete to place the next block in the chain by solving a numeric problem. The person who does is then rewarded with Bitcoin.
However, the likes of Cardano, Ethereum 2.0 and other crypto assets rely on a mechanism called ‘Proof of Stake’ (PoS).
Under the PoS system, only holders of a particular cryptoasset who have agreed to ‘stake’ their coins are eligible to place (or 'forge’) the next block in the blockchain. So it’s not as easy as simply owning a particular type of cryptoasset – it involves actually locking it away for a set amount of time. The forger of the next block in the chain is then assigned randomly, but the more coins staked, the greater the chance of being selected.
The benefits of staking
At this point you’re probably thinking that this all seems like a lot of effort, so what are the benefits of crypto staking?
The major one is that people who stake their existing cryptoassets to help maintain the integrity of the blockchain can be rewarded by receiving more coins or tokens. This will obviously be a pretty alluring incentive for many investors, as it’s a way to grow the number of coins or tokens you have without having to purchase new ones.
Another benefit of staking is that it’s far more accessible to regular investors. Unlike Bitcoin’s blockchain, where only people with access to a lot of computing power can mine the currency, the Proof of Stake mechanism allows people to support the blockchain just by holding onto coins. That also makes it a far less energy-intensive practice than Bitcoin mining, which might be an important personal consideration for some.
(Image credit: eToro)
How do you stake on eToro, and what crypto can you stake?
While you can stake on your own, it does require a fair bit of know-how which might be daunting for regular investors – plus there are usually minimum coin requirements, which can put it out of reach for those with smaller holdings.
But the good news is that crypto exchanges like eToro have come up with a solution to make staking more accessible (and simpler) for everyday investors.
eToro allows investors to stake cryptoassets like Cardano, Ethereum 2.0 and Tron on their online platform, simply by holding an open position on their eligible crypto asset for a minimum period of time – at least seven days for Tron and nine days for Cardano.
Users then start to earn rewards in the form of more crypto assets, which are automatically paid out on a monthly basis. Of course, eToro does take a cut for the service, but investors can expect to receive a minimum of 75% of the monthly staking yield – you can find more info on fees here.
Anything else you need to know?
Like any investment, there are costs and risks involved with crypto staking that are worth considering. For instance, if you're wanting to stake through an exchange, you’re likely to be charged a fee or a percentage of the total reward as compensation for the service.
And it won’t be news to you that the value of cryptoassets can be quite volatile. That means that if you do choose to lock your coins or tokens away for a longer period of time via staking, there’s always the possibility that they could decrease in value.
If you’re interested in giving staking a shot, then check out eToro’s dedicated staking service, where you’ll also be able to find answers to more of your burning questions about the staking process.
Windows 11 finally catches up with macOS to improve Bluetooth
Windows 11 is improving how Bluetooth devices are displayed on the Taskbar, with a new interactive overview of battery life and options to connect to these devices in an upcoming update.
Since Windows XP in 2001, there's been a constant Bluetooth icon in the Taskbar that would show you options such as available devices, as well as a link to the Bluetooth Settings in the Control Panel.
But with wireless devices more common than ever before in 2022, Microsoft has decided to make the process simpler by replacing this 20-year method with an overview of the devices that are paired to your PC, without having to leave the app or the desktop.
This is yet another example of the company making processes easier for users in Windows 11, but there's still more work to do in this area, with features that macOS users have had for years.
Analysis: From three clicks to one
(Image credit: TechRadar)
Connecting to wireless devices has never been as straightforward as connecting to a Wi-Fi network in Windows. Simply adding a Bluetooth section in Settings or the Control Panel felt unnecessary, especially with smartphones and Macs reducing the process to two steps.
The Taskbar in Windows 11 has had a Quick Settings feature since its launch in October 2021, so you can directly access 'Focus' mode, audio settings, and more without leaving the app you were currently in.
With Bluetooth being available in this panel as well, it will be very handy to those who have multiple devices connected to their PCs. This is rolling out to users who are on Windows Insider build 2567 and above. If you've not signed up to be a Windows Insider to help test early versions of Windows 11, this new and improved Bluetooth functionality will hopefully arrive later this year.
It should be worth the wait, especially if you have multiple game controllers or headphones, it can help alleviate the confusion to be given a quick overview of what's not connected, and quickly resolve that.
Having a battery status for each device will be a great help too in reminding users to charge them when needed.
(Image credit: TechRadar)
However, there's still more that can be done in this area. Other features such as switching between noise-canceling and equalizer modes for headphones could be a great help, similar to what Apple users have had on their Macs for a few years.
But it's still a great step in the right direction to start with, and a much-needed feature in a time when many of us use Bluetooth devices almost every day for our PCs.
