If you can dodge a ball, you can dodge a super combo

Ever see Talladega Nights and think "I'd love to see a version of this with major league gaming?" Someone did. ESPN reports th?at Will Ferrell will take on the role as a professional gamer in the not yet named esports film produced by Legendary, Mosaic, and Gary Sanchez Produ??ctions.

My initial gut reaction to this was "ugh" considering I typically don't enjoy Will Ferrell nor professional gaming. I think Ferrell's humor is more geared towards a younger audience, but I did enjoy Night at the Roxbury and Elf. MOBA and RTS games are not ??quite my cup of tea and I only have a passing interest in the competitive fighting scene (I find ?speed running more interesting). Despite all that, something inside me thinks this has potential to be an entertaining comedy.

When I try to picture what it will be, I image there will be a lot of jokes taking piss out of the idea of pro gamers being called "athletes" and also mocking video games in general. I picture a mash between Dodgeball: A True Underdog Story and Talladega Nights, potentially having jokes similar to those used in the Conan O'Brien segment Clueless Gamer where one "nerd' gives details and the ??straight man (Conan) acts bored by how nerdy it is. 

Most people, including gamers, will understand it's for the sake of humor and entertainment, but the film makers will have to tread carefully with jokes mocking gaming as there will inevitably be people who get offended. Last year when Jimmy Kimmel had a short on his show satirizing Youtube Gaming and Let's Plays??, it was down-voted t?o hell and caused a lot of outrage.

Will Ferrell to star in movie about esports [ESPN]

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And other observations from the MLG CS:GO Major

In keeping my word of continuing to go to MLG events, I recently went to the Nationwide Arena in downtown Columbus, Ohio for the first Counter-Strike: Global Offensive Major in America, which was also the first to have a prize pool of $1 million thanks to Valve bumping the pot up from $250,000. 

While there, I noticed the event was a total sausagefest, and I've been thinking about that ever since. There are things MLG and Valve could do to get more women interested in both eSports and Counter-Strike, but perhaps the organizers just haven't considered them. Luckily, ?I'm here t??o remedy that.

Much like the audience, the announcers and casters were all men. I obviously can't speak on behalf of women, but I'd assume being better represented on camera would encourage more participation. Having a female caster would have added variety to what was a predominately white male team. While many casters in general tend to be men, there are qualified women out there, such as Lauren "Pansy" Scott, who was not at the event.

That isn't to say MLG doesn't hire women. At both events I attended, there were plenty of ladies, mostly working behind the scenes. Heather "sapphiRe" Garozzo was one of three observers for the CS: GO Major, meaning she h??elped decide what players and cameras would go up on the screen as matches were happening; a job that requires knowing the game inside and out.&nb?sp;

The Counter-Strike series started 16 years ago, and yet there still aren't female character models in the current game, Global Offensive. I'm sure many people would appreciate the option, but wh??enever this suggestion is made, the same few arguments aga?inst it arise.

Players like to claim that counter-terrorists are predominantly male because it is a demanding position that a woman couldn't possibly do, but clearly they have never heard of the Yemen's elite female counter-terrorism force, consisting of 42 women who do everything the men do and then some, or the female fighters of Kurdistan. Others say the hitboxes would have to be smaller due to women tending to have smaller frames when that isn't always the case; all genders come in various shapes and sizes.

Arguing for realism in a game where counter-terrorists can hide in porta-potties while their teammate bunny hops to get multiple no-sco??pe sniper kills?? in a row is asinine.

_{[Tensions were high during the finals, and it wasn't just men who cared.]}

Since I'm rather new to the world of eSports, I enjoy taking in the environment a??nd culture around me more so than paying close attention to the games, as I could just as easily watch those from home. I couldn't help but eavesdrop on a couple sitting in the row ahead of me during the finals.

The woman was wearing a t-shirt repping Luminosity Gaming, the team that ended up winning the tournament. I'd guess she was in her late 30s or early 40s, and it seemed obvious she was the one who wanted to be there most. "They are a Brazilian team, but that guy there is actually an American they recruited," I overheard her explaining to her boyfriend, who looked about the same age. He was clearly the one fresh to competitive Counter-Strike in this scenario. This moment surprised me, as it may you, consid?ering the stereotypical image of an eSports spectator isn't that of a middle-aged woman.

So yes, some women are already invested in eSports and Counter-Strike, but imagine if MLG and Valve gave more of them a reason to care. You're talking about around half the population of the world being mostly ig??nored here -- though that could be said about many aspects of gaming as a wh??ole.

Maybe MLG and Valve are content with the amount of money they are earning. The tickets for the Major were sold out, but ????only about half the seats in the arena were offered, leaving the sides of the stage empty. I bet if a few changes were made to cater a bit more to a wider audience, the whole damned arena would easily be filled in the future.

_{[A press pass was provided to the event courtesy of MLG Columbus and MLG.tv.]}

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Worth waking up before noon for

I've always been a big fan of the Halo series, and I especially love the multiplayer for Halo 5: Guardians, so when I heard the MLG Halo World Championship North American Finals were?? taking place in Columbus, Ohio, literally under a mile from where I live, I had to go.

Last Sunday, I woke up early and made the three-minute journey to the relatively new MLG Arena to experience my first-ever professional eSports event??. I regret nothing.

Upon arriving, I thought I had pulled into the wrong parking lot. The arena was essentially unmarked. I?? texted my friend I was meeting there who had been at the event the previous two days to confirm this was the right place. "There should be a taco truck in front of it," she replied. I?ndeed, there was. And there was much rejoicing because who doesn't love tacos?

I don't often like to make a big deal a?bout being press, but the moment I walked in the door, a security guard barked at me as if I was violently coming at him. I blurted out, "I'm pr?ess!" so the nearby MLG reps would calm him down. I felt both pretentious and relieved that was over with.

Entering the arena, I was shocked at how small it is. Turns out the venue only seats 200 people, and not comfortably, I might add. The seats literally touch and leave much to be desired for leg room. That said, I've had far worse, though I couldn't help but have a flashback to the PC Gamer conference at E?3 2015 where my and Laura's ??asses nearly died. Nearly identical seating.

I noticed a machine up front pumping ample amounts of fog into the air so all the bright, colorful lights could hit it just right and look pretty for the cameras. I think they overdid it. My contacts started to fee??l dry, but then the fog backed off a bit once the first match started.

I didn't pay muc??h attention to the announcers that crowed over the event. I was more enamored with the atmosphere and taking mental notes to better my own skills. The predomin??antly white male audience around me got animated, yelling when things would get particularly exciting in a match, which in turn made me excited. "This must be what it is like to be a sports fan," I thought. "I like this." At one point, a voice shouted from the back of the arena, "Give him a bullet!" and everyone laughed. I laughed, too. I'm still not sure why.

I noticed a lot of women in the audience, whom my friend informed me were all girlfriends of the professional players on stage. She knows them personally. I had hoped they were just fans of the eSport or hopeful future players, but alas they were there rooting for their men. My friend was there because she loved competitive Halo though, so that makes one!

A few sets passed by which seemed one-sided. I thought this was odd for what was supposed to be the best of the best. Three teams clearly stood above everyone else there: CLG, Evil Geniuses, and my new favorite team, Denial eSports. If you've ever seen any eSports competitions at all, you've probably heard of CLG and Evil Geniuses -- they seem to have teams in every game imaginable -- but Denial eSports is the new kid on the block. And I mean that literally: some of the players were kids in their teens.

Denial eSports ended up making it to the finals to take on CLG, who had been completely dominating every team it went up against including its arch rival, Evil Ge??niuses, in the semifinals. Prior to the start of the finals, an announcer interviewed Bubu Dubu from Denial.

Bubu was visually nervous while the announcer hyped up how his team seemingly came out of nowhere as the underdog of the tournament. It was almost as adorable of a display as the Unravel guy announcing his game. I found it hard not to root for Denial, especially considering one of the players, Huke, had only been playing Halo competitively for two months, having made the jump from Call of Duty.

The crowd in the arena was overwhelmingly behind Denial as the finals happened. Lots of cheering and yelling, especially when Huke would pull off something impressive. I was certainly invested. My heart raced during the?? finals -- though that could have been from the cheesecake chimichangas I was eating. In the end, CLG won. The crowd politely golf-clapped.

CLG may have taken home the prize money??, but Denial put on a show and clearly made a name for itself. The team certainly earne??d a fan in me, and made me crave going to more eSports events, something I never thought I'd want to do.

I have to say, if you've shown an intere?st in a game and you ever get a chance to attend a professional tournament for it, go. Watching eSports online just isn't the same as being in the crowd and experiencing the thrill of being a spectato?r. You might end up loving it. I know I did, even if I drove home feeling sad my favorite team didn't win.

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Foundation for eSports broadcast network

As suspected, Activision has acquired Major League Gaming.

The move falls in line with the company's ambitious go??al to "create the ESPN of eSports," according to CEO Bobby Kotick. "MLG's ability to create premium content and its proven broadcast technology platform -- including its live streaming capabilities -- strengthens our strategic position in competitive gaming," he said.

MLG CEO and co-founder Sundance DiGiovanni (again, great name) added, "This acquisition and Activision Blizzard's commitment ??to competitive gaming will expand the opportunities for gamers to be recognized and celebrated for their competit??ive excellence."

Today's press release also mentioned that "MLG will continue t??o operate MLG.tv, MLG Pro Circuit, and GameBattles platforms, and will? continue to work with its partners and other publishers across the industry."

The financial details wer??en't disclosed, but this is believed to be a $46 million deal.

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Uhhh

Man, the eSports wor??ld is so much more interesting these days.

With so many big-time publishers attempting to enter the market, Activision just up an?d did what everyone probably wanted to do all along -- it potentially bought one of the bigge??st players in the world. It has made the moves to scoop up MLG for a reported sum of $46 million, and acquired "substantially all" of its assets.

The deal (which hasn't been file??d or executed yet) took place on December 21, at which point MLG's Board of Directors approved the sale, and CEO Sundance DiGiovanni has been replaced by former CFO Greg Chisholm. Stockholders are apparently not pleased according to the eSports Observer, with one individual stating that he "got fucked" -- the sale was also reportedly approved without a stockholder's meeting, and the "majority" of the sum may simply be going towards paying off debts.

Right now, the future of MLG is uncertain, but signs seem to poin?t to the organization's dissolution.

MLG sells “substantially all” assets to Activision Blizzard for $46 million, DiGiovanni replace??d [eSports Observer]

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Time to cash in on that bounty

You might remember back in May the news that a Smash Bros. player had a bounty put on their head. If anyone could beat Gonzale “Zero” Barrios in a Smash Bros. tournament, they’d be paid $500. At the time, he had won 34 tournaments (not rounds, tournaments) after rising up out of nowhere.

Finally, after a whopping 53 tournaments won?? and a streak lasting roughly 11 months, Zero has fallen. Nairoby “Nairo” Quezada beat him at the MLG Finals. The final score was 3-2, 3-1.

Congratulations @Liquid_Nairo, he is the #MLGGrandFinals Super Smash Bros. Wii U Champion on //t.co/LEuju0XnS0! //t.co/uP8eWkDSD9

— MLG Finals in NOLA (@MLG) October 19, 2015

Zero ??also took it incredibly well in a series of?? tweets:

Damn! Can't win them all. Good job @Liquid_Nairo :O

— 「ZeRo」@ MLG (@TSMZeRo) October 19, 2015

Hope you guys enjoyed watch?ing! It was a ton of fun! I'm feeling great actually. I tried my best but it wasn't enough! No shame in that!

— 「ZeRo」@ MLG (@TSMZeRo) October 19, 2015

Who knows whether that bounty is st?ill valid, but I honestly think everybody involved here won. Nairo for obvious reasons, MLG for having an amazing finals, and Zero for no longer having the pressure of 53 undefeated tournaments looming over him.

Everyb?ody?? wins! Well, Nairo wins… but everybody’s happy.

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The best match you have ever witnessed!

Major League Gaming (MLG) just completed hosting its first Rocket League tournament, and the grand finals was one of the most exciting things I have ever witnessed. The two competing teams were Cosmic Aftershock and Kings of Urban. Cosmic Aftershock has two of the most famous personalities that have come out of the eSport, Kronovi and Gibbs, and have never lost a series.

If you've ever wanted to see how Rocket League looks when your teammates aren't bumping into you constantly and taking your boost, this series is a must-watch. At ??the very least, everyone should watch the final game of the series. Now if you'll excuse m?e, I have some aerial training to do...

Please note: there will be spoilers in the comments!&???nbsp;

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Betting big on the future of eSports

Major League Gaming, Lai Fung Holdings Limited, and e?Sun Holdings? Limited are constructing a competitive gaming arena in China, scheduled to open to the public in 2017.

The structure will be located off the coast of Macau within "th??e V-Zone, the first-in-the-world video??game destination planned as a centerpiece of Lai Fung's Renminbi 18 billion 'Creative Culture City' development on Hengqin Island." (This sounds like a front for a supervillain or something.) The V-Zone will also be home to gaming-themed restaurants, retail shops, creative spaces, and an expo area for game developers.

Tournaments held at the arena are going to be streamed exclusively through MLG.tv, as one would expect. The company says it will "welcome our fans 365 days per year" and calls the development "yet another step in our plan to make eSpor??ts and MLG a part of mainstream worldwide culture."

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Fwiz

Top commentator and eSports personality Ryan "Fwiz" Wyatt started his career at MLG, but later moved to Machinima as head of Live and eSports, where he has worked for the past three years. Now, armed with expertise, he comes back to M??LG ??as their VP of Programming. 

According to Major League Gaming's announcement, Wyatt will focus on creating new and o?riginal shows, bringing in top talent, and working with partners to take ??MLG above and beyond. His YouTube channel will also air exclusively on MLG.tv and MLG's YouTube channel.

This move follows the company's announcement of a 1,376 percent increase in viewership for MLG.tv for Q1.

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Holy chicken fingers

Ha! "1,376 percent" is something a kid might say when you ask him how much he loves chicken fingers dipped in honey mustard?. It's the percent of dislike I have for when people descri??be themselves as irreverent. It's the percent of me that loves tiramisu, corgis, and walking through the woods.

1,376 is also the percentage increase in viewership on MLG.tv for this first quarter of 2014. Major League Gaming says that viewership is up 60 percent over December, and viewers are sticking around for almost 160 minutes each visit. Two new mobile MLG.tv apps, for iOS (www.mlg.tv/iosapp) and Android (www.mlg.tv/androidapp), will likely move that nu?mber a bit higher. 

Now tell me eSports isn't massive.

Alongside these stats, MLG has announced that gamer and social personality Matthew "Nad?eshot" Haag will stream exclusively on their platform.  

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StarCraft II tourney sponsored by Lionsgate

The Ender's Game on Blu-Ray Tournament is the first tournament on Twitch and MLG to be sponsored by a major movie studio. In this case, it's Lionsgate, who are helping foot the bill for the more than ?$20,000 in prize money for the upcoming StarCraft II tournament. 

See what they did there? Ender's Game is about a boy being tra?ined to take on a space battle??. 

"The skills used to develop battle leaders in Ender’s Game are drawn from real world gaming, e?specially the types of skills used by premier tournament level players,” said Anne Parducci, Executive Vice President of Marketing, Lionsgate.  “We are excited to partner with Major League Gaming and Twitch, both leaders in the eSports world, to present this unprecedented movie tie-i?n aimed directly at those who take gaming seriously."

Th?e tourney will host 32 of the top StarCraft II players, with the first round kicking ?off on Twitch starting February 5 and running through February 9. The second round will begin on February 16. 

The winners from each event will go onto the Ender's Game on Blu-Ray Tournament on?? February 22, where the winner will take $10,000. 

Of course, this all falls inline with the release of Ender's Game on Blu-ray, coming February 11.

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'Significantly more money' than on Twitch

On Gamer has an interview with Major League Gaming's CEO Sundance DiGiovanni, and there's a lot of interesting tidbits regarding the competitive gaming company. The biggest surprise for me is that ever since MLG.tv launched, they've been "EBITA positive and expects to stay EBITA positive on a quar??terly ba??sis in 2014."

Their new site and video player has been so successful that MLG is able to offer up a better incentive for streamers, well eSports streamers at least. Sundance says content creators will "make significantly more money" compared to using Twitch.tv's services. He does state that their? streaming player needs some work, mostly with t?he chat interface.

Personally it's great to hear how well MLG is doing. It was e??asy to write of??f the company in the early days, but they stuck with it and that dedication has rewarded all those that stood by with them for the last 10 years. Also for those of you in the advertising game look at those CPM rates!

MLG's Sundance DiGiovanni on the future of MLG.TV [On Gamers]

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Plus the next $1 million tournament announced

Call of Duty: Ghosts latest updates is all eSports focused. An upcomi??ng update will restrict Ghillie suits, tracker sights, danger close, and disable third-person spectating in competitive rules. They will also add a kill feed to Broadcaster mode, and address the broadcaster mode stability.

There's several other fixes coming detailed on the Call of Duty forums, but?? ?the main highlight is the note that Infinity Ward is investigating the addition of Xbox One LAN support.

Which leads us right to the next announcement: the next Call of Duty Championships have been announced. The second annual tournament will see 32 Call of Duty teams from around the world competing for $1 million. The tournament takes place in Los Angeles March 28-30, and this time participants will be playing on?? the Xbox One. The tournament will be streamed on Xbox Live and on MLG.tv.

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Major league growth

While League of Legends creeps up on the National Hockey League in terms of numbers, MLG is quite happy to boast that its "[v]iewers consumed more than 54 million hours of MLG’s onlin??e video in 2013 vs. 14 million hours of video consumed by NCAA March Madness Live viewers."

As a whole, "MLG online video consumption was up 262% over 2012 and 1557% since 2010." The eSports leader is clearly barreling forward. It recently announced its own premium streaming platform, MLG.TV, meant to circumvent the likes of Twitch and UStream. I?? wonder how long until the PS4 and Xbox One get MLG.TV apps. I wonder how long before I wo?n't instinctively type "MLB" first. Hopefully never.

One other fun tidbit of ??data: 90% of MLG.TV's audience is male. Maybe that ac?counts for all the growth.

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Featuring Dota 2 and Call of Duty games all weekend

MLG Columbus is taking place all weekend, and the festivities have already begun AND YOU'RE LATE! Dota 2 and Call of Duty: Ghosts are the tasty flavors offered up this weekend, the former of which has had a constantly increasing prize pool, which is now up to $128,882, which is an extra $78,882. Wow, you rock Dota 2 community.

You can stream the event at the official MLG website, or you can watch the Dota 2 matches while inside the client, as usual. Columbus has one of the best, if not the best, combination of competing Dota 2 teams since The International 2013, so it is definitely worth a watch. Also, something something Call of Duty: Ghosts. I don't know shi*t about that game.

The official schedule for the weekend can be viewed here.

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MLG.TV

The original eSports network, Major League Gaming, has launched a new premium online video streaming plat??form called MLG.TV. The new site offers a 1080p HD player, along?? with a Twitter-driven chat feature.

MLG.TV has eSports programming daily, on top of streaming events like the upcoming Columbus, Ohio MLG Championship taking place November 22-24. MLG.TV is als??o airing a regular show called eSports Report every Thursday at 7PM Eastern. Sports Center, basically.

So MLG is getting into the whole streaming business, butting up against Twitch and UStream. Except in? this case it's all ML??G produced only, and it's just for eSports content.

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Just like The International 2013!

The biggest Dota 2 tournament of the year, The International, was even bigger this year thanks to a community-funded prize pool that increased the total awarded cash from $1,600,000 to $2,874,380. Players bought Interactive Compendiums for $10, and some of that cash went straight into the?? prize po?ol, directly fueling the event that they love.

MLG is doing the same thing with MLG Columbus, scheduled for November 22-24. There's no Interactive Compendium, but there is a package on the Dota 2 store that consists of a HUD, wards, a courier, battle bonus, and allows players to be eligible for in-game items drops for $9.99. Of that $9.99, $2.50 will go straight into the prize pool. Cyborg Matt, a popular Dota 2 persona, has put together a handy-dandy tally that tracks the prize pool. So far, the prize pool is over $100,000, which more than doubles the origin??al prize pool of $50,000. Way to go, community! 

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Watch it!

Call of Duty: Black Ops II and Dota 2 are the games of the Major League Gaming Fall Invitational, set to kick off today in Winter Park, Florida at Full Sail University. Today, four of the top Dota 2 teams will battle it out for $15,000 and a spot in? the International tourne??y.

Tomorrow, October 19, four teams -- Complexity, Optic, 8-12 UNiTE, and FaZe -- will play Black Ops II for $15,000. It seems Optic is the fan favorite? for this tourn?ey.

Passes online are availab??le to watch the broadcast, or watch the broadcast for free on MLG.tv.

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Fariko Impact wins $400,000 for playing games good

Team Fariko Impact won big after three days of intense Call of Duty: Black Ops II multiplayer action in the first ever Call of Duty Championship. 32 teams from around the world came t?ogether to battle it out, with the ultimate winners here scoring $400,000. Runner-up teams scored anywhere between $25,000, t?o $200,000.

You can see the final five hours of the tournament below, and I have to say some of those final plays are really intense. I do love watching a good match of Call of Duty.

Watch live video from callofdutyalpha on TwitchTV

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Watch a bunch of dudes win money by playing a freaking game

The Call of Duty Championship kicks off today and sees teams from all around the world competing for up to $1 million dollars in prizes. The tournament begins with a ceremony starting at 12PM Pacific, and then t?he 32 teams go off to fight to the virtual death starting at 12:30PM.

The tournament lasts until Sunday at 3PM when the final match to?? determine the first ever Call of Duty Champion tournament winner takes place. The first place tea??m will win $400,000, a trophy, and Super Bowl-like rings. Yes, really.

The entire tournament will be livestreamed on Twitch.TV, and you can see it a?ll unfold below.

Watch live video from callofdutyalp??ha on www.twitch.tv

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StarCraft II, League of Legends, and....Black Ops II?

MLG's Winter Championship will begin on March 15 and run until the 17, with $170,000 worth of prize money up for grabs. The featured games are StarCraft II: Heart of the Swarm, League of Legends, and Black Ops II. MLG sure is pushing Black Ops II as an ??eSport, despite the era of FPS competitive games seemingly behind us.

The competition will take place at the Dallas Convention Center and tickets to go live and in person are available through the MLG store. Streaming will be free up to 720p HD, but if you want some of that sweet 1080p action, you're going to have to upgrade. Can't say much about the Black Ops or League of Legend commentators, but the StarCraft II ones are the cream of the crop, including Day[9], DJ Wheat, and Husky.

Here are all the casters for each game:

• Call of Duty: Black Ops II: Puckett, Fwiz, Hastro, Revan, and floor reporter – Bee.
• League of Legends: Riot Rivington, Riot Phreak, Kobe24, Optimus Tom, EGADorFEED, and floor reporter – Jade.
• StarCraft II: Heart of the Swarm: Day[9], DJ Wheat, Husky, Total Biscuit, Incontrol, Axslav, Axeltoss, and floor reporter - Anna Prosser Robinson.

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These games are serious business

Leading up the possible PlayStation 4 announcement on February 20, I've been looking into some?? paradigm shifts we've seen over the past generation. This is stuff that will likely be with us for a while; these are things that I think will continue on for at least a decade to come.

So far, we've already taken looks at motion controls and consoles becoming more like all-in-one media centers, and today I'll be continuing my series by exploring the incredible popularity ?of eSports. 

Competitive, head-to-head gaming has been around for quite some time. Since the invention of arcade culture and games like Wolfenstein in the early '90s, it has se?en a steady increase in? popularity among core gamers.

In the past couple of years though, especially since the introduction of massive online battle arena, or MOBA games, the sheer number of players taking part has increased dramatically. According to some statistics that are only a few months old, League of Legends, a free-to-play MOBA, is now the most? popular on?line game.

Each day there are over 12 million people logging in to play LoL, and with nearly 30 million monthly active players, the game eclipses other industry juggernauts like Call of Duty and World of Warcraft. Each month, there are over one billion hours of play put into LoL -- that's roughly equivalent to half the hours logged in the entire history of the Halo franchise. It is entirely possible that at any given point, LoL is the most played game in the world.

These numbers alone are certainly impressive, but when viewed within the trend among the rest of the gaming industry, it becomes pretty clear that com??petitive gaming in general, and eSports specifically, is definitely on the rise. 

The real power of sports is in the dynamic narrative, the creation of new stories, conflicts between countries or cities that inspire audiences and give them a stake in the outcome. eSports has traditionally had a hard time garnering the same following, and the same sense of intrinsic dram??a. Twitch.TV and the proliferation of easy-to-use streaming software and platforms have been a boon for accessibility, howe??ver.

Personalities like D??ay9 have given eSports that sense of dramatic tension, and helped bring an understanding and a fluency to the games these people play t?hat we simply haven't seen before. By making the games easier to understand, more and more players and audiences have been able to learn about the history of different teams, their rivalries, their conflicts, and what they've had to do to succeed; though that doesn't even tap the sheer ease of learning the rules of these games, or the intricacies of higher-level play.

Competitive games still have a long way to go before they see the kind ??of mainstream adoption as something like American football, tennis, or soccer, but their rapid expansion has led to something of a revolution in gaming. These days, unless your game's on a console, there's an excellent chance that it's fr??ee-to-play and built from the ground up to fit into the growing niche of eSports players.

At the very least, this new system directly challenges the current understanding of what makes a top-selling game. When grizzled heavyweights like Call of Duty and Halo don't see the same audience that a comparatively cheaply produced and freely accessible game does, ?then we can safely assume that something has changed, and chances are good that many of the things we've ??taken as given in the past can and should be re-examined.

I can't say I've ever been too big of a fan of eSports. Competitive gaming generally fills me with an unholy rage and the absolute necessity to begin questioning the matrilineality of those around me. I like playing games, I even like playing games competitively, but as my roommates will tell you, when we get into it in Halo 4, it gets BAD. I learned long ago that spewing hate-filled diatribes at my best friends wasn't too conducive to actually keeping those people as friends.

All that said, there is something special about eSports which I've neglected until relatively recently. It's the pageantry, the narrative that really draws people in. I, for example, have been a pretty dedicated Super Smash Bros. Melee player for the past few years. One of my friends is the best in my state, a??????????????????????????nd we used to play quite often, especially when we were still in the dorms at university.&??nbsp;

My favorite character for the 12-year-old fighting game/Nintendo circlejerk is Young Link, protagonist of my favorite game, Majora's Mask. But he's a low-tier. Generally considered to pretty damned awful. Then, I saw a match between tw??o of the players in the world -- Armada and Hungrybox -- at a tournament. 

Armada is generally a Peach player and Hungrybox exclusively plays Jigglypuff. Both of those characters are in the top tiers for Melee. In quarter-finals, the two squared off and Armada switched from his tried-and-true character to... Young Link. That little kid sitting 11 spots d??own on the tier list from Peach. It was huge. Stunning. And it gave me an odd sense of connection to the player. 

That kind of connection,?? that narrat?ive is vital for sports to carry any kind of weight with its audience. The struggle of people in some tenuous way connected to you through, typically, geography, is what helps pull audiences in. When two teams square off at the Super Bowl or the World Series, there is so much more there than a few dozen people running around and passing a ball. It's the collective effort of a city and its fans to produce the best team they can and show them off for all the country to see. 

Last year, shortly after E3, I was invited by Blizzard to go check out StarCraft II: Heart of the Swarm at the MLG Spring Championship. Besides getting to check out HotS, I was expecting a day of annoying eSports fans getting way too excited about things that don't? matter.

I'm glad to admit that I was wrong.

Geography doesn't really lend itself as the primary driver of the all-important narrative of eSports. Instead, who you play matters. Like I mentioned before, seeing Armada win tournaments with Young Link was really inspiring to me. It felt like a validation of my choice, of my character. Similarly with games like StarCraft and LoL, race or champion selection is something that connects players. In time, you'll learn the intricacies and idiosyncratic of your character or faction. It's not something that can be explained to someone who doesn't play, and it's something that outsiders will never really unde??rstand. I think, ultimately, that's what separates the modern era of eSports from ??those that came before.

If you play Halo, who can you really g??et behind? If you watch a competitive match, how are you connecting to the players at? the tournament? 

With StarCraft, I will a?lways have t?he back of any Terran player out there. I may not be that great a player, but I can at least understand those who are competing, in a sense, on my behalf because of it. 

The post Trends of this Generation: The Rise of eSports appeared first on Destructoid.

Activision gets serious with eSports

Activision is getting serious with eSports as they're hosting their first official major tournament for Black Ops II. The Call of Duty Championship tournament will be taking place in Hollywood, California from April 5 - 7 and will see 32 teams from around the world competing in the first-pe?rson shooter.

The tournament is being put together in partnership with Xbox, Major League Gaming, and the Electronic Sports League to make all this happen. Those wishing to become one of the final 32 teams just need to sign up for ?Call of Duty: Elite, and then compete in League Play all this month. The top eight eligible teams will earn a spot in the finals. The rest of the tournament seating will be filled by the top eight tea??ms competing in the MLG 2013 Pro Circuit, top eight teams competing in ESL's European Finals, and additional tournaments taking place in Asia, Australia, and Brazil.

Check out the official page for the Call of Duty Championship for full details ??on the tournament. Like any eSports tournament, this will all? be livestreamed as well. 

The post Call of Duty Championship ??tour??nament offering up $1M appeared first on Destructoid.

New StarCraft II expansion in action

Though the Heart of the Swarm expansion for StarCraft II is still over a month away, MLG will be featuring the game in its Online Winter Season Showdown beginning on February 4, 2013. Broadcasts will take place each weekday at 5:00pm Eastern and will continue until March 8. A complete schedule can be viewed here.

Of the 56 players, the winning 28 will m??ove on to the Winter Championship from March 15-17, joining Leenock, Bomber, Life, and Flash. The winner of the Winter Championsh??ip will earn $25,000. 

I've been watching some HotS games courtesy of Husky's casting (embedded above), and I am now anticipating this tournament in addition to the offic?ial release on March 12.

The post Heart of the Swar?m to be featured in MLG winter season appeared first on Destructoid.

But Major League Gaming in 'no rush' to release game

It's interesting to think that the games you find popular as eSports don't specifically start out being made to appeal to pro-gamers. Speaking to the Penny Arcade Report, MLG CEO Sundance DiGiovan??ni says it is "inevitable" his company will develop a game specifically for the eSports field.

What's interesting to note is that DiGiovanni explains how things that one would expect in a popular multiplayer FPS -- such as killstreaks, persistent leveling, and perks -- actually make it harder for them to gain popularity in the eSports field. He remarks that an MLG FPS would be more akin to Quake or Unreal Tournament. 

DiGiovanni also points to a multi-screen approach so that coaching and tactics can be clearly displayed for the players (and presumably the spectators, too). This would be a real neat addition as giving the audience a more in-depth analysis to what, I assume, would be frantic and fast ??gameplay. I'm really interested to see what MLG's moves makes into game development; whatever the put out would be worth playing, pro gamer or not.

Major League Gaming CEO says an MLG-??create??d first-person shooter is inevitable [Penny Arcade Report] [Image]

The post An MLG-developed FPS is ‘inevitable’ says CEO appeared first on Destructoid.

Year-long collaboration between SOE and MLG

Sony Online Entertainment and Major League Gaming have announced a new partnership to bring free-to-play MMO first-person shooter PlanetSide 2 closer to the latter organization's audience of competitive gamers. In the coming months, they'??ll be work??ing together on game features to bring the title up to speed.

This year-long collaboration is said to "span all of MLG's properties including original broadcast programming, online competition and presence at MLG events." As such, viewers will eventually be able to catch PlanetSide 2 streaming at the official website and compete using MLG's GameBattles site. The game will also ??be at the Winter Championship in Dallas, Texas ??this March 15-17.

While specific plans for the schedule haven't been revealed just yet, it sounds as if SOE is committed to making this initiative a success in the long term. "We're excited for this opportunity to work with MLG and are confident that their competitive gaming expertise can turn PlanetSide 2 into a premiere eSport??s platform," said ?SOE president John Smedley.

The post PlanetSide 2 competition heats up with MLG par??tnership appeared first on Destructoid.

Watch online next weekend

Next week, the Major League Gaming 2012 Pro Circuit will wrap up with the MLG Fall Championship in Dallas, Texas, on November 2-4. 1,200 players will fight it out for more than $180,000 in prizes playing games StarCraft II and League of Legends, as well as fighters like Tekken Tag Tournament 2 and PlayStation All-Stars Battle Royale. Halo 4 will also be in?? the mix in a pre-release tourney.

It all goes down next weekend at the Dallas Convention Center, but if you can't be there, watch online starting November 2 at 5pm CST. Or,? if you can make it, passes are ??$35 for the full weekend. 

The post MLG Fall Championship takes p?la?ce in Dallas, Nov. 2-4 appeared first on Destructoid.

The fight for the top eight spots begins!

For the past month, StarCraft II players have been competing in the MvP, or MLG versus Proleague, a coordinated effort between MLG, KeSPA, and the IEG. Today marks the first day of playoffs, where the top 16 players will ?vie for a spot in the finals that are taking place on October 29th. 

Tonight features match-ups between Naniwa vs. Thorzain and Alive vs. Oz. Streaming begins at 7:00pm Eastern and will be cast by Axslav and Axeltoss. The standings and schedule are available online, and if you're late to join the action, you can snag a viewing pass right here for $10.

Now, if I may, GO HUK!

Playoff Schedule – Broadcast on www.majorleaguegaming.com

Friday, October 19, 7pm ET - Round 1 - Europe & Korea/Taiwan
Saturday, October 20, 3pm ET - Round 1 - Proleague Day 1
Sunday, October 21, 3pm ET - Round 1 - Proleague Day 2
Monday, October 22, 7pm ET – Round 1 - North America
Tuesday, October 23, 7pm ET - Quarterfinals - Proleague
Thursday, October 25, 7pm ET - Quarterfinals - NA vs. NA & EU vs. KT
Friday, October 26, 7pm ET - Semifinals - PL vs. PL & NA vs. EU/KT
Monday, October 29, 7pm ET - Final - MLG Finalist vs. ?Proleague Finalist

The post MLG vs. Proleague playoffs begin tonight appeared first on Destructoid.

If the almost-weekly dose of MLG League of Legends just is not doing it for you, then I have great news. From November 2nd to the 4th, eight teams will compete for a chance at $30,000 worth of prizes during MLG's Fall Championship in Dallas. More juicy details will arrive in the next few weeks, but until then you can, as mentioned, tune in on specific Wednesdays to watch the LoL Prizefights on the site.

I'm glad that MLG continues to host tournaments with a lot of prize money at stake. Even though LoL isn't my cup of tea, it's great to see the game supported and show continual growth. Obviously a lot of people love it, even if Riot isn't exactly the ?most open-minded company to be at the helm of the most popular MOBA in town.

The post MLG’s Fall Championship features LoL and $30,000 appeared first on Destructoid.