BEMIDJI — Duncan Wardle believes that everyone is born creative.
Such a message was driven home during Paul Bunyan Communications’ annual GigaZone Gaming Championship and TechXpo on Saturday at the Sanford Center.
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As the distinguished guest, Wardle delivered an interactive presentation where he encouraged everybody in attendance to lean into their creative sides.
“We’re all born creative,” Wardle said. “You may play with the box and not the toy. We’re all born with amazing imaginations. We’re all born with empathy. We’re all born with intuition.”

Wardle has flexed his own creativity through his work at Disney Parks, Lucasfilm, Marvel, Pixar, Imagineering and Animation. He has been a TEDx speaker multiple times, is a frequent contributor to Fast Company, Harvard Business Review and Forbes, and teaches Innovation and Creativity Masterclasses at Yale and Harvard Universities.
He also holds the American Citizen Award presented at the White House, an Honorary Doctorate from Edinburgh University and the Duke of Edinburgh Award, presented by Her Majesty, Queen Elizabeth.

Given the purpose of the gaming championship, Wardle emphasized the creativity of gaming — not just of those who created the games but also those who immerse themselves in the gaming experience.
“People ask me if I think gaming limits creativity. No, it doesn’t. It’s creative problem-solving 101,” Wardle added. “I get to choose my own costume, my own team, my own adventure.”
Taking his stance even further, Wardle noted the prominence of gaming specifically and technology broadly in nearly every facet of life.
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“Gaming is the future of just about everything,” he said. “Gaming today is entertainment, but it will also be in education, in health care. Gaming is going to take over so many other jobs.”
With the rise and continued growth of artificial intelligence, Wardle noted key characteristic traits that AI will have the most trouble replacing in the job market.
“What are the things that will be the most employable skill sets in the next five to 10 years? The ones with which we were born,” he said. “Creativity, imagination, curiosity, empathy and intuition.”

Connect with tech
A plethora of competitors tried their hands in the Sanford Center arena for the gaming portion of Saturday’s event. The main stage tournament included Rocket League, with other competitions taking place for Madden 25, Valorant, Super Smash Bros., Mario Kart 8 Deluxe, Fortnite and Magic: The Gathering.

Various arcade-style games also lined the halls surrounding the arena and featured throughout the space were more than 20 vendors for the TechXpo — introduced in 2023 as a way to connect students and job seekers with employers, educators and technology enthusiasts from across northern Minnesota.
A wide swath of organizations set up shop to visit with attendees, including the Northern Minnesota Robotics Conference, Betrami Electric Cooperative, the Minnesota State Advanced Manufacturing Center of Excellence and Bemidji State’s Department of Technology, Art and Design, to name a few.
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Aside from this view of the Bemidji area’s tech scene, Wardle served as a judge for the Greater Bemidji NorthStartup Pitch Competition, where chosen entrepreneurs presented a five-minute pitch to a panel, followed by a five-minute question-and-answer session.
“I was really impressed, not just by the ideas, but the passion to support the community and that has come through,” Wardle added. “The overriding theme is being passionate enough to support the community.”

‘Community focus’
In his first year as CEO, Chad Bullock credited the work of the Paul Bunyan Communications team for bringing together more than 4,000 attendees to the event. As soon as Saturday concluded, planning would begin for 2026.
“The planning and the preparation starts immediately for the team and they do a great job with it,” Bullock said. “They spend many hours working on this project and I couldn’t say more for the team. I don’t think there’s anything they can’t do, and they’re showing that with this event.”

Echoing Wardle’s sentiments, Bullock noted the interwoven nature of technology and the way it impacts everyday life, particularly in education. Along these lines, Bullock commended the announcement that Bemidji State and Northwest Technical College would launch its first-ever esports program in 2026 in partnership with Paul Bunyan Communications.
“The fact that we were able to announce it during the gaming championship seemed very appropriate,” Bullock mentioned. “(BSU and NTC) have common commitments to the region. Our biggest focus as a cooperative is our community and our region.”
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As festivities came to a close, Wardle noted the community focus of the event with gaming at the core — drawing in people from across all generations.

“My age group — where did we go? — the pinball machine. Younger generations went to Fortnite,” he left off. “What’s great about gaming is it brings people together.”
Results
A total of 32 teams competed in the main stage Rocket League 3v3 Tournament with Tyler, David and Trevor Bos — representing Team 50 Nations from Brainerd — taking home the championship title and a $900 team prize.
Earning second place and a $600 team prize were the Slithering Hampsters made up of Jace Nyberg, Bryce Giving and Jayden St. Cair from Bovey.

The Greenway Raiders, made up of Colin Robertshaw, Austin Anderson and Azariah Aitken from Grand Rapids, came in third and received a $300 prize.
New to the gaming championship this year was the GigaZone Gaming High Invitational, where Park Center earned the top spot, followed by Edina in second, Mandan, N.D., in third and Norman County East in fourth.
A full list of championship results can be found at
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