Pro gamers hit the big time
Source: Agencies |
August 19, 2012, Sunday
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Print Edition
Print Edition
IT'S not exactly an Olympic sport - not yet, anyway - but as the London Games drew to a close last Sunday, thousands of professional videogame players geared up for an event that for some can be as lucrative as winning a gold medal.
Videogamers have gathered in Cologne, Germany, this week for the Intel Extreme Masters competition, a professional videogame tournament that ends today.
Professional electronic gaming, or eSports, is relatively new and has been gaining popularity around the world in recent years. Germany and South Korea are two hot markets, and the United States is quickly catching up.
Pro gamers can earn anywhere from US$20,000 to US$100,000 or more in winnings and make even more in product endorsements, teaching and other sponsorships. Videogame makers say participating in an event can boost a game's popularity.
The IEM event in Germany has attracted over 250,000 fans, about 10 percent more than last year, to watch the best videogamers in the world compete in games such as "StarCraft II" and "League of Legends." An additional 20 million people from more than 180 countries will tune in to streams on the Web provided by ESLTV, TwitchTV and CBS Interactive Games.
More than 20,000 fans packed the Anaheim Convention Center in California in June to watch gamers compete for over US$200,000 in the Major League Gaming Spring Championship.
"The Internet streaming phenomena is probably the biggest reason eSports is having a huge rise right now," said Sean "Day(9)" Plott, a leading "StarCraft II" eSportscaster - pro gaming's play-by-play sportscaster. "Streaming has allowed this huge international representation to view matches live."
Videogamers have gathered in Cologne, Germany, this week for the Intel Extreme Masters competition, a professional videogame tournament that ends today.
Professional electronic gaming, or eSports, is relatively new and has been gaining popularity around the world in recent years. Germany and South Korea are two hot markets, and the United States is quickly catching up.
Pro gamers can earn anywhere from US$20,000 to US$100,000 or more in winnings and make even more in product endorsements, teaching and other sponsorships. Videogame makers say participating in an event can boost a game's popularity.
The IEM event in Germany has attracted over 250,000 fans, about 10 percent more than last year, to watch the best videogamers in the world compete in games such as "StarCraft II" and "League of Legends." An additional 20 million people from more than 180 countries will tune in to streams on the Web provided by ESLTV, TwitchTV and CBS Interactive Games.
More than 20,000 fans packed the Anaheim Convention Center in California in June to watch gamers compete for over US$200,000 in the Major League Gaming Spring Championship.
"The Internet streaming phenomena is probably the biggest reason eSports is having a huge rise right now," said Sean "Day(9)" Plott, a leading "StarCraft II" eSportscaster - pro gaming's play-by-play sportscaster. "Streaming has allowed this huge international representation to view matches live."
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