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America's Gaming Elite
Next Generation is reporting on the World Cyber games, which enter their final leg between the 16th and 20th of September. The U.S. teams have been finalized after the last round of national competitions in New York over the weekend. From the article: "The spectator excitement combined with a high level of competition this past weekend here in New York signals that the era of e-Sports is beginning to mature here in the US, as it already has elsewhere in the world. We have always been the biggest tournament in the world, and it is here that pro-gamers get their start. We are now seeing the kinds of corporate sponsorships necessary to back these players so they can train and compete at the highest level worldwide." Five bucks OGRE 1 and OGRE 2 for the Halo 2 win.
But there the kind of public interest that makes such sponsorships worthwhile? Obviously sponsors of the contests get great visibility with an important customer base. The lack of coverage these events suffer from (except in South Korea) seems to preclude any real marketing impact for individual competitors, except perhaps using first place winner's endorsement in conventional advertising saying.
People sponsor racecars because even if the car isn't first, if it is in the race people see the primary sponsorship. Of course when they teams win, they use that fact in conventional advertising as well, but small time racers can be sponsored by small companies in local circuits exactly because that visibility of sponsorship can affect people in the exact community where the business is.
Small time game players are not seen in local events that are accessible to the public at large. Large events like these only can attract large companies as sponsors, which would seem to indicate a lot of the players will go without such sponsorships. Not that sponsorships are as necessary as they are in auto racing...
Sig under construction since 1998.
"but it is one of the best online FPS ever"
Uhh...no. Halo and Halo players are pathetic jokes in the fps world. They are like the Kenny Gs of Jazz...
There has to be MS money involved to get crap like Halo on the list.
Lame.
"...but it is one of the best online FPS ever." It's also obviously the only FPS you've ever played...
This is probably because basketball is a sport I played competitively. This is most likely the same reason why you aren't interested in online gaming tournaments. Try playing one of the games these online competitors do, and actually try to win instead of playing like it's your leisure time. Then, watch a demo of one of the professional players playing. Try not to be impressed.
Well actually, I was on top-ten teams throughout the life of Starsiege: Tribes and Tribes 2. I know the adrenaline one gets during a close game, and the spent feeling after a good match. I just dont find it to be a real sport. I admit that may be a totally illogical thing to say, especially since I cannot back it up with more than "I think it is stupid", but I think it is like Fear Factor. It is pure entertainment and many find it to be great. I dont, I think it is stupid.
These guys are all right, Halo is a joke in the FPS world. You're really just embarassing yourself by defending it. Playing an FPS without a mouse (or trackball) is just stupid.