On August 1st, 2026, the organization Gaming is Rezilience hosted its second annual Rez Summer Games, RSG 26, a gaming event celebrating inclusivity and the Indigenous community through gameplay. The hybrid in-person and online event took place at the OU Gaming Lounge from 3-7 PM and welcomed ages 16+ to attend in-person and ages 18+ to play online.
Angee Noel, the business owner of Gaming is Rezilience, wanted to use the OU Gaming Lounge as a space for the event. She knew the OU Esports & Co-Curricular Innovation Director, Mike “Moog” Aguilar, from her time doing esports research as a graduate student and wanted to use the space to host the event.
The use of the Gaming Lounge as a physical space gave high schoolers the chance to play and compete on high-powered gaming sets that they may not otherwise have access to at their homes or schools. This equity helps give all gamers a chance to compete and follows the OU Gaming Club’s philosophy that gaming is for everyone.
RSG saw over 30 players from 28 different Indigenous communities participate in its Fortnite tournament. The tournament featured solo and duo Fortnite matches that people of all ages competed in, including Indigenous content creators and streamers.
The Fortnite tournament, which was livestreamed on the OUEsports Twitch channel, also featured special guests such as actor Jack Murillo to discuss experiences of Indigenous actors in gaming spaces.
RSG also featured giveaways for various prizes, including Stream Decks, key lights and other streaming tools. Indigenous writers and businesses also donated several books, as well as mîmîNîsak, a collectible toy brand rooted in Cree storytelling traditions.
RSG was sponsored by several organizations: the College of the Muscogee Nation, Auntie Tech Collective and Oklahoma Women in Tech. Each of these sponsors helped make RSG 26 a memorable and successful event for Gaming is Rezilience.
Will Thompson, another guest and local business co-owner of Absurdist Productions, an award-winning tabletop gaming company, attended RSG 2026 in person. Noel reached out to Thompson to provide some board games for the event giveaway. He donated two: Paleo Vet and the 2026 Origins Award-winning Winter Rabbit.
Several families attended the event in person and used the OU Gaming Lounge computers to join the tournament. This was the first time RSG was hosted at the Gaming Lounge.
RSG 26 faced a few challenges, including an hour-long delay for the stream start, but the issues were ultimately resolved, and the event ran smoothly afterward. Noel was optimistic to see RSG grow in the future and hopefully return to the Gaming Lounge in 2027. The event was an overall success and showcased the power of Indigenous voices and spaces in the gaming community.
“We’re building off of this every year, and we developed this partnership so we can hopefully come back next July,” Noel said. “It’ll be good. We learn, and we grow.”
