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| Online gamers control characters in a virtual
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UK
online gamers are
on red alert as they prepare for the arrival of the
Cyberathlete Professional League World Tour.
The tour, which takes in nine countries on four
continents, is the first of its kind and demonstrates the desire amongst the
pro-gaming community to be taken seriously as a professional
sport.
For those who don’t know, online gamers compete against each
other playing popular games such as Counter Strike, World of Warcraft, and
Unreal Tournament. The games are played on PCs rather than
games consoles .
Thousands of fans are expected to descend upon Sheffield, a
city in the north of England, to watch their favourite pro-gamers battle
it out in a $1million tournament. One competitor who is sure to
cause a splash is 23-year-old American, Jonathan Wendel, better
known by gaming alias , “Fatal1ty”.
Despite his youth, “Fatal1ty” is a gaming legend, having won
three Cyberathlete Professional League championships and become the world’s
first Doom 3 world champion, for which he won $25000 prize money. He has also
signed lucrative sponsorship deals with
companies which produce peripherals and accessories for gamers.
The UK is also fielding a strong team. Top UK
player, David Treacy, a member of the British team Four-Kings, has already
secured a place in the events grand final in the United States.
The Four-Kings Counter Strike team have also made good progress taking second
place overall in the first season of the tournament and winning $20000 in prize
money.
The team have recently competed in the World E-Sports Games
league in South Korea. The reception they received there demonstrates the
growing status of pro-gamers. ‘They were mobbed for photographs
and autographs before they played the season final’, says
Four-Kings co-manager Phillip Wride.
Chinese gaming fanatics don’t have long to wait for their
opportunity to witness the spectacle of world-class gaming. The
CPL World Tour comes to Beijing on October 13th with a top prize of $50000. So
keep your finger on the trigger – maybe you could be the next
world champion.
