Gaming Tourneys Coming to U.S. Television

greig writes "DirecTV is aiming to bring to the states what the South Koreans have been enjoying for years: regular broadcasts of videogaming tournaments. Games at the first tournament were Battlefield 2, Counterstrike 1.6, Halo 2, Project Gothem Racing and Dead or Alive 4. The initial broadcasts of the exhibition invitational are on the free DirecTV channel 101 this weekend. Is this the first step to escalating videogames to the status of the X-Games and poker?" Taken from the about section: "The Championship Gaming Series will launch as a league starting 2007; however, in 2006, we will broadcast 3 television events: Championship Gaming Invitational, the Cyberathlete Professional League (CPL) Winter Finals and an event that will be announced shortly."

Comments

Not long now guys, warm up your Shock rifles.

[LiquidCoooled]

In 2291, in an attempt to control violence among deep space miners the New Earth Government legalized no-holds-barred fighting.

Liandri Mining Corporation, working with the NEG, established a series of leagues and bloody public exhibitions.

The fight's popularity grew with their brutality. Soon, Liandri discovered that the public matches were their most profitable enterprise.

The professional league was formed; a cabal of the most violent and skilled warriors in known space, selected to fight in a Grand Tournament.

Now it is 2341, 50 years have passed since founding of DeathMatch. Profits from the Tournament number in the hundreds of billions.

You have been selected to fight in the professional league by the Liandri Rules Board. Your strength and brutality are legendary.

The time has come to prove you are the best; to crush your enemies; to win the Tournament.

Re:Not long now guys, warm up your Shock rifles.

[DJHewi1025]

Best first post ever. Although.... what's funny about calling the gamers cyberathletes is you are gonna see one kid that's about 500 lbs. Now, that's just effing funny.

Is there really a market for this?

[hine_uk]

Does anyone see a market for this sort of event? Gaming - a predominantly solo event (yes we can argue that it is 'social' when gaming online but thats another discussions) does not lend itself well to passive viewing. Isnt this one of the main arguements as to why gamers (myself included) claim that it takes consumer entertainment to a different level? Because unlike television where the viewer sits there; the gamer is immersing him (or her) self in the game world and experience and is the catalyst rather than the recepticle.

Look at LAN parties, do you see people sat back watching the action in large numbers? No, instead everyone sees that Dust is on and jumps into the action. Games just arent fun to watch.

To me it just doesnt seem like entertainment, I dont want to watch other people play games I want to play it myself - thats what games are for.

Re:Is there really a market for this?

[Txiasaeia]

I just arrived in South Korea two weeks ago from Canada, so perhaps I'm in a position to comment. I was shocked to see that my cable package included not one, but two games dedicated to PC gaming. One of these channels shows StarCraft games 24/7. Believe it or not, it's actually entertaining to watch these Korean kids duke it out in SC: there's no turtling, no slow and ponderous building of bases, but a fast-paced, exciting game in which both players execute multiple faints, ripostes, hit-and-run attacks, and finally the crushing defeat when one player's last nexus or hive comes crashing down. They usually don't go on for too long, but it's fascinating to see the dexterity and skill of these players. It's also very interesting to see reaction shots from the players when one of their strategies is foiled by their opponents, or when they mop up that last straggler on the map.

It's very, very interesting to watch. I'm not into StarCraft in a big way, but I can stand to watch a few games per week. I never thought I'd enjoy watching live games of a video game, but once you take in a few, it's hard not to see the appeal.

Re:Videogame a sport ?

[Troed]

Videogames, on the other hand, will see your best stats nerfed, rules changed, new versions coming out, maps modified

Formula 1, on the other hand, will see your best stats nerfed, rules changed, new versions coming out, maps modified