Rep. John Garamendi, D-Calif., expresses concerns about the land mysteriously being bought up surrounding Travis Air Force Base. The Air Force is helping host an esports tournament designed to help service members better prepare for complex combat situations. The Air Force is partnering with MITRE, a nonprofit national security company, for the launch of a tournament MITRE believes will help the service "better understand mission logistics choices and prioritization while under attack," according to a report from Military.com. MITRE has opened up registration to play the game "Drone Guardians," which will require teams of participants to defend a deployed airfield from enemy attacks while still maintaining the ability to launch aircraft missions. A contestant plays a computer game during the "E-Stars Seoul."

Esports is most commonly associated with high-octane competitive games such as League of Legends, Rocket League and Call of Duty: Warzone. A chill farming sim might not immediately spring to mind, but very soon, some of the world's finest Stardew Valley players will face off for thousands of dollars. Creator Eric Barone (aka ConcernedApe) said the first official Stardew Valley Cup event will take place at noon ET on September 4th. "It's a competition of skill, knowledge and teamwork, with a prize pool of over $40k," Barone wrote on Twitter. In collaboration with @UnsurpassableZ, I'm pleased to announce the 1st official Stardew Valley Cup! It's a competition of skill, knowledge, and teamwork, with a prize pool of over $40k.

In a joint agreement with a company called RTS, Sony has bought the Evolution Championship Series, one of the oldest and longest-running esports tournaments in the world. Sony didn't disclose the terms of the deal but did note it will operate the organization with help from RTS, which is an offshoot of talent management agency Endeavor. According to Sony, Evo co-founders Tom and Tony Cannon will stay on in advisory roles to help continue to guide the organization. "The new partnership is committed to bringing amazing tournaments and competitive gaming experiences back to you this year and beyond," the two said in a joint statement. Last year, Evo was scheduled to go forward as an online-only event but was canceled after co-founder Joey "Mr. Wizard" Cuellar was accused of assaulting a minor.

MIAMI – Two people were killed and 11 others wounded Sunday when a video game tournament competitor went on a shooting rampage before turning the gun on himself in the northern Florida city of Jacksonville, local police said. Sheriff Mike Williams named the suspect of the shooting at a Madden 19 American football eSports tournament as 24-year-old David Katz from Baltimore, Maryland. "There were three deceased individuals at the scene, one of those being the suspect, who took his own life," Williams told reporters. He said local fire and rescue transported nine victims -- seven of whom had gunshot wounds -- to local hospitals, while another two people who were shot took their own transportation to hospital. Williams said Katz was a competitor in the eSports tournament and used "at least one handgun" to carry out the shooting.