Editor's note: I only recently learned (on the last episode of Mobcast) that people play Guitar Hero professionally, in tournaments! So I figured I'd put this story up on the front page as a good primer of sorts to the world of e-sports, even if it's a bit self-indulgent. Plus the video is pretty sweet, despite the announcer saying "killtac."
Don't miss part two of JP's "Inside E-Sports" column, where he gives some basic Starcraft 2 tips from a pro's perspective. -Shoe
You've probably heard of people like Jonathan "Fatal1ty" Wendel. Or you've read about the demise of organizations like the Cyberathlete Professional League (CPL) and the World Series of Video Games (WSVG). I've lived through those experiences first-hand and call some of the biggest names in e-sports my friends.
I worked in the world of e-sports throughout the past six years of my life: I started out as a data-entry grunt at events like QuakeCon for GotFrag, and now I currently run two podcasts, host two weekly live shows broadcasting Starcraft 2 matches for Major League Gaming (MLG), and also work at events for MLG as a field reporter and live blogger. I guess you could say I've been around.
I recently graduated from college and have a lot of free time, so I'm going to be posting here with my ramblings thoughts, opening up (or trying to) the eyes of mainstream gamers like yourselves to something I'm sure you've closed them to. We'll start off talking about Major League Gaming (MLG).
Right now Major League Gaming dominates e-sports in the west. Since they're also my employer, this article is probably going to come off completely biased and preachy — sorry for that. Sadly, though, no other leagues in North America right now can rival or even be talked about in the same breath as MLG, as they have many big sponsors and have survived through the fall of the other leagues.
MLG hosts several tournaments on several platforms, but their flagship title, Halo 3, needs no introduction. Also onboard for the past two years is World of Warcraft, which is coming back for this season.
One thing that the league does that was a first here in North America was actually salary their pro players — and not just chump change, mind you. Players like Tom "Tsquared" Taylor and several others can earn six digits with endorsements.
ESPN has covered the tournaments in the past — they even have a show with MLG called ESPN Saturday Night. You can even watch live streaming of the events on the league's website.
That's going to do it for this first entry. I'll figure out the frequency of these posts and let you know in the next feature.
If you have any criticisms, comments, topics you want covered — or you simply want to talk shop about e-sports — let me know via the comments or by dropping me a line at jp.mcdaniel@gmail.com.