The gaming community of the Valley came together to display their gaming skills at Apex Gamers Connect 2023 from July Sunday to Wednesday. The annual event was held at Apex College and was organised by the Apex IT Club. The event’s purpose was to provide a space for gaming enthusiasts from various institutions to interact and compete against one another by showcasing their tactical problem-solving abilities.

The club chose two games for the players to compete in—Valorant and FIFA 23. Valorant is one of the world's most well-known tactical multiplayer games, with an estimated 20 million active users in June alone. Produced by Riot Games, teams can play as either defenders or attackers.

FIFA 23, created by Electronic Arts, is a famous football recreation game. It brought in 10.3 million users during its launch week in October last year. Generally respected as a definitive football match-up, FIFA draws an enormous fanbase, particularly among young players.

78 players competed in Valorant, whereas 115 gamers showcased their skills in FIFA 23. Both the games moved forward in knockout rounds, giving every competitor an equal chance to win the contest and take home the trophy. Each team had five players and a manager responsible for the coordination of the team. “This is possibly the largest inter-college esports competition ever held,” said Aryan Rungta, the club’s treasurer.

Saroj Dangol, the president of the Nepal ESports Association (NEA), and Saron Tuladhar, NEA’s foreign relations manager, were some of the principal visitors this year.

The team from Islington College was crowned the winner in the Valorant category. Grishma Shrestha won the FIFA women's singles, whereas Diwash Bhattarai took home the men's singles.

Aavash Man Dangol, president of the club, expressed joy as he felt that the event had progressed beyond his expectation. “The players enjoyed their time here. I think everyone was thoroughly entertained,” says Dangol.