RALEIGH, N.C. (WNCN) — Thousands of fans packed into the PNC Arena Saturday for the first day of Riot Games’ League Championship Series, pinning two League of Legends teams against each other in the Esports Tournament.

Organizers say it’s a game with a worldwide fanbase.

“League of Legends has been around for 13 years, so it’s a game that brings together both younger generations and older generations,” said Raul Fernandez, with Riot Games.

Saturday’s game at PNC Arena did just that: bringing people together from across the country.

“I’m from New York, and these two guys are from Ohio,” said one fan, Bryan Samuelson.

“Video games are bringing people together, you see friends coming to these events together, you see couples coming to this, you see parents and their kids coming to it,” Fernandez said.

Even Raleigh’s own residents say they’re excited to see esports becoming more and more popular in the city.

“I’ve been here for seven years and I just like that the city is growing, and Esports is becoming this big thing here,” said Raleigh resident Justin Talarik.

Fans packed into PNC Arena several hours early to get jerseys of their favorite teams or to play some games themselves, but really they say it’s all about being with their own community.

“Gamers are kind of stereotyped as being inside, being in a basement, being in a dark area, it’s just great to kind of go out and see people enjoying an event together,” said one fan, Eddie Dits.

The championship series continues on Sunday. The prize pool is $100,000 and the winning team gets an invite to the next tournament in London.