mlg
Latest
R.I.P. Championship Gaming Series
The Championship Gaming Series announced today it's calling it quits after realizing that "profitability was too far in the future." The organization has a farewell letter on its site stating the concept was "an idea whose time came too early." Clearly, gamers would rather play than watch others do it on TV.The big "game over" for the CGS follows the death of the Cyberathlete Professional League earlier this year. Guess that leaves Major League Gaming as the last (relevant) corporate-sponsored group standing?
Fnatic Orz just about the best team in the world
Familiar faces from the former Duelists Going For Gladiator -- Celex, Emolol, and Ely with a sub, Kesher -- who now compete under the new banner of Gravitas Gaming, faced off against the defending champions Fnatic Orz trio of Glick, Rhaegyn, and Hafu in the Finals of MLG-Dallas earlier today. Gravitas Gaming came into the Finals with a 3-1 lead carried over from their earlier matchup during the elimination rounds, needing only three wins to dethrone the MLG-Orlando Champs.Fnatic played their strongest comp of Warlock (Glick), Warrior (Rhaegyn), and Druid (Hafu) while Gravitas Gaming countered with a Warrior (Kesher), Mage (Celex), and Priest (Ely) instead of their usual RMP. Some viewers wrote Fnatic Orz off considering their uphill climb to win five games against Gravitas' three, but the defending Champions showed exactly what they were made of by winning three straight matches after falling behind 5-2, evening out the competition at 5-5. The Grand Finals all rested on a single, do-or-die match -- played in Nagrand Arena -- a nailbiter that exemplified the best of professional Arena play. In what was one of the best comebacks I've seen in an Arena tournament, Fnatic Orz pulled off four straight wins to win back-to-back MLG Championships and cement their place in pro circuit history.It was the second time the two teams met in the Grand Finals, with Gravitas still under the Frag Dominant banner. The games were broadcast streaming through GotFrag TV, with excellent, spot-on commentating and incredible camera work that made it relatively easy to follow the extremely fast-paced matches, although the last match's stream was plagued with hiccups. The winners walked away with $12,000 and three HP Blackbird 002, while the runners-up won $6,000. Pro circuit mainstays Team Pandemic took third place with $3,000 after losing to Fnatic Orz in the Semi-Finals. Fnatic Orz' storied rise from being dropped by MoB Gaming, winning MLG-Orlando without a sponsor, and being picked up by Fnatic and winning a spot at the World Championships at BlizzCon just before this fantastic win today makes them one of the most exciting and favored teams to watch in the pro Arena tournament scene. It will be a treat to see them compete against the world's best at the World Championships next weekend... except that you'll need a DirectTV subscription for that.
Parents let child drop out of school to play Guitar Hero
Sure, the story of a rocker dropping out of school in order to pursue a career in, uh, rocking, is one we've heard told plenty of times. Famous musicians have admitted to dropping out, including Bruce Springsteen and Mick Jagger. It comes with the territory, we suppose. And now, it would seem, the lifestyle is being attributed to fake rockers, thanks to the parents of one Guitar Hero player.Blake Peebles is a 16 year old kid from Raleigh, North Carolina. Having done well in local tournaments, his parents are apparently fine with him quitting school. That's not to say he's without any education, as his parents pay for private tutors. With so few professional gamers out there that make enough money to live comfortably on, some would say it's a big gamble to let junior quit school to concentrate on gaming like this. But hey, what do we know? We're only lowly bloggers, after all.[Via Go Nintendo]
The Art of War(craft): How WoW as an eSport can actually work
If you're even moderately interested in Arenas, I hope you caught the live stream of MLG Orlando yesterday, hosted by GotFrag TV. The stream quality was much better than the one from the Worldwide Invitational, and it was truly entertaining, um... television. A lot of video entertainment is available through the web these days, and GotFrag TV has been providing topnotch coverage of the Major League Gaming World of Warcraft Arena tournament series. As a student of Arenas, I've found the coverage to be extremely fun and educational. This is competition at its highest level, where players actually get paid, or win money, for playing. And just like any sport, there are a few special elements that make it interesting to watch. The starsEvery sport has its stars. You have athletes like Tiger Woods being the face of golf, or Kobe Bryant being the guy you either love or hate in basketball (for the record, I've been a Kobe fan since he got drafted by the Hornets in 1996), or even Maria Sharapova for tennis, who doesn't even necessarily have to win in order to be fun to watch (I mean, look at Anna Kournikova). Tournaments, when they're in a televised LAN format -- as opposed to online, such as the Blizzard-sponsored 2008 World of Warcraft Arena Tournament -- means that audiences will actually get a glimpse of the players behind the characters. Just like sports stars, these players need to have some special quality that holds the interest of fans. Let's go through a few examples.
Orz wins MLG Orlando tourney
The MLG Orlando tourney has come to an end, with Orz coming out on top. As I mentioned this morning, Orz has come back from a pretty severe choke last month that concluded with MoB Gaming dropping their sponsorship. They were put up against some of the best teams the MLG has to offer, and met the challenges every step of the way. The final round against the Frag Dominant Duelists was a matchup nobody ever expected Orz to win, with Orz running Warrior/Lock/Druid in the final round up against FDD's RMP. Orz walks away with $12,000 and three HP Blackbirds. Frag Dominant makes off with a mere $6,000.Last month's winners, Evil Geniuses, placed third in this year's tournament, not doing quite as well as the last time around. That's almost to be expected, and they even said as much in an interview GotFrag held with them prior to the tournament. Being last year's winners, they had a great big target painted on their backs and a lot of teams probably spent a fair amount of time doing little more than scouting out EG and their moves. It's actually rather impressive they still walked out in third despite that, and it's a testament to their skill and ability to adapt. Evil Geniuses walks away with $3,000.The next tournament will be next month in Dallas, Texas. Orz is looking for a new sponsor, but even if they don't find one I'm sure we'll see them there. That $12k has to go to some use, right?
MLG Orlando coverage continues with an epic showdown
If you haven't been following GotFrag's coverage of the MLG 3v3 Tourney going down in Orlando this weekend, you really are missing out. Coverage kicks in again this morning at 9am Eastern, 6am Pacific. After the warmups, I believe the opening matchup will be Evil Geniuses (formerly Frag Dominant) up against Orz, formerly sponsored by MoB Gaming.Let me give you a little background on this matchup. Evil Geniuses came into the last tournament as Frag Dominant. While they were never a complete unknown, most of them had never experienced the LAN tournament setting before. They managed to wow us and their competition by proving themselves capable of running multiple compositions between the three of them, and running them very well. In the end, they came out as the victors after a long series against Nihilum.Orz was formerly sponsored by MoB Gaming, and one of their members is the fan favorite Hafu. Last month, they were slammed with a pretty major upset. They didn't do very well at all, and it actually led to their team losing sponsorship. MoB Gaming replaced them for this month's tourney. Now in Orlando, Orz has made a fantastic comeback, beating out both the SK Gaming team and the team MoB replaced them with. I bet MoB isn't feeling so hot right now.First thing this morning, these two will be going head to head (I think). Even if you're not a PvP fan, you have to admit that's a pretty cool showdown, no?
Frag Dominant on the importance of composition
Nick Bee over at GotFrag interviewed members of Evil Geniuses (previously called Frag Dominant), and revealed a few points about the Arena that many casual players don't necessary see. While Nick doesn't actually say to which member he talked, the interview doesn't seem about the individual as much as the team.When asked about perceptions of Frag Dominant, the Evil Genius responded that before the MLG San Diego tournament (which they won), the only really available basis for opinions was from the Tournament realm and other tournaments. But his real point is that since Frag Dominant could run multiple class compositions using the same players, they had a very good chance of winning -- their adaptability was higher than other teams'.He reinforces that idea of composition flexibility at the end of the interview. The Genius says whether you like it or not, you need to be aware of WoW's metagame if you're going to compete seriously in the Arena. (This means each person on a competitive team should have experience with multiple classes, and how the dynamics between those classes change.)I think this outlines an idea that many folks miss about the Arena. Arena competition isn't just about your character competing, but also the players behind the characters. I could be the best Hunter to ever tame a pet -- but I probably don't bring much to a team if I can't tell the difference between a Silence and an Interrupt. Your skill isn't just fast-twitch reflex or single-class knowledge: it's overall knowledge about the whole enchilada. In the midst of nerf-calling, we should keep in mind that player skill doesn't just mean "skill at my class."
MLG Orlando coverage begins on GotFrag TV
GotFrag's coverage of the MLG 3v3 Arena Tournament in Orlando begins at 9am Eastern, 6am Pacific today. If you didn't tune in at all last month, I definitely recommend doing so this time around. Generally, I'm not a PvP fan, but this was very fun to watch last time. WoW's impact as an eSport isn't really something you can witness in-game (which is a shame) but for me, tournaments like this give it a whole new dynamic. The emphasis is placed more on the players and the choices they make, and a little less on rock-paper-scissors and endless countercomping. It's an all weekend event, so if you're only interested in watching the finals, that'll be tomorrow.Like Amanda Dean and GotFrag themselves detailed the other day, there are a lot of teams to keep an eye on this time around. Frag Dominant took the win last month, and there are plenty of other teams you may recognize. SK-Gaming, MoB, Got Game East/West, Pandemic, Fnatic, plenty more. If you don't keep an eye on the PvP scene on a regular basis you might not recognize those names, but they put on a good show last time.To view the live stream, you will probably be prompted to install a codec if you don't have it yet. All of us WoW players are a little paranoid these days (with good reason), so don't be afraid to run a background check on anything you're asked to download. I'm pretty positive there's nothing to worry about in this case, but better safe than sorry, eh?
GotFrag's Orlando Tournament Preview
American arena's best of the best will be back in action this weekend as MLGs PC Circuit continues in Orlando. Once again, the winning team will be awarded $12,000 and three Blackbird Gaming PCs. There is a lot on the line with a total prize purse is $31,500. You can watch the tournament live on GotFrag TV. Broadcasts will begin Saturday and Sunday, July 12th and 13th at 9am Eastern time. Many of the same teams from the San Diego event will be representing in Florida. GotGrat's Knitt Quinn posted a preview analysis of the teams to beat. The analysis describes the strengths and weaknesses of each team. You can expect to see some well known teams and a few newcomers to the MLG scene. Many of the teams have a pool of known compositions to draw from:
Blood Sport: Do and don't, pro-style
PvP in its purest form is a beautiful thing. Amanda Dean, always obsessed with the thrill of victory and the agony of defeat brings you news you can use in the Arena. Hailing from Korea, Council of Mages was victorious in this year's World Wide Invitational 3v3 tournament. Second place went to Improved Clicks of Spain. The winners took home a check worth $36,000 for their victory and made an excellent showing throughout the tournament. Improved Clicks cashed in at $18,000, and third place finishers SK-US was awarded $9,000. The final standings for were: 1. Council of Mages 2. Improved Clicks3. SK Gaming 4. Millenium Dream 5-6. Kill EA 5-6. Made in Taiwan 7-8. SK Gaming 7-8. Pandemic Blue 9-12. aAa nawaK 9-12. Elite 9-12. MoB Gaming 9-12. Pandemic Black 13-16. Sapped Cows cant say moo 13-16. Team EG 13-16. fnatic 13-16. Nihilum.Mousesports
MLG Orlando tickets on sale
Tickets are now on sale for the next step of the Major League Gaming 2008 PC Circuit, which will be in sunny Orlando. The event runs from July 11 until July 13, and will once again be covered by GotFrag. We'll see more of the best Arena players going head to head in a 3v3 Arena tournament, with over $31,500 available in prizes. You can visit the official site for registration details. There are 32 team slots available in MLG Orlando.Of course, you can still view the videos from MLG San Diego on GotFrag. There's a lot of interesting gameplay available there, and everyone who's wondering about how to handle Season 4 can pick up some tricks. As news develops and we start seeing who registers, we'll get a better idea of what compositions we might expect at MLG Orlando.
Gotfrag releases videos of the MLG 3v3 WoW Tournament
Remember the MLG San Diego 3v3 WoW Arena Tournament we reported on a while back? If you missed the live streaming video of the event, you now have a second chance to watch, as GotFrag has begun posting videos of various matches and interviews with team members at their website. If you have any interest in Arena PvP, these videos are definitely recommended watching. The commentators obviously know what they're talking about, and explain both teams' actions in terms that your average WoW player should be able to understand. A lot of us at WoW Insider watched, and we all agree that we learned something valuable about life, love, and learning to play Arena PvP from it. You may even pick up some tricks to kick off your Season 4 playing from them.
Video: Halo 3's Cold Storage in action
As you're well aware, with Bungie's surprise Halo 3 Cold Storage reveal at MLG San Diego we only received a few not so clear off-screen pictures of the new map being played at the event. Not the best look at Bungie's latest Halo 3 multiplayer map masterpiece, but we had to deal. Well, thanks to a helpful MLG attendee, we now have video footage of Cold Storage being played and even though it's off-screen footage like the photos, it's a video and that means it's six times better. And to be honest, we aren't all that familiar with Cold Storage's inspiration Chill Out, so we can't garner an opinion just yet. But we do like the blue teleporters. They seem very chill.
Frag Dominant wins MLG San Diego tourney
MLG's PC Circuit Arena competition has come to an end, after an exciting weekend of coverage by GotFrag. The final round came down to a best of eleven showdown between Frag Dominant and Nihilum, first to six wins. Frag Dominant's Rogue/Warrior/Druid managed to get the best of Nihilum's Priest/Druid/Hunter after a grueling contest that never had a clear winner until the very end. After the first eight matches, they were tied at an even 4-4. The Nihilum team's aggresive nature seemed to get the better of them when Frag Dominant caught onto their playstyle. More than once it appeared to me that their Hunter was left open to FD's double melee burst when the Nihilum Priest and Druid shifted their attention to take out Frag Dominant's healer. Nihilum's healers being focused on downing Frag's own forced them into reactive healing rather than proactive, and the deaths of their Hunter throughout the contests ultimately lead to their downfall. Very well played by Frag Dominant.The tournament was definitely a good watch, and the highlight of my day was my roommate shouting obscenities about drain teams. WoW arena tournaments don't quite have the strangely entertaining glitz and glamour of Starcraft tournaments yet, but it's only a matter of time. I'm fairly confident that I'll tune in for the Circuit's tournament in Orlando on July 11th, and many others after that.Edited to fix the date of the Orlando tourney.
MLG event reveals new Halo 3 multiplayer map: Cold Storage
Attendees of a recent Major League Gaming event in San Diego were rewarded for their ability to watch other people play video games for eight hours with a visit from Bungie figureheads Shishka and Lukems, who gave the glassy-eyed viewers a sneak peek at their newest multiplayer map for Halo 3, named "Cold Storage". This new map is apparently set in the back room of a Cold Stone Creamery, as part of Bungie's recent partnership with the highly successful, treatweaving corporation.Actually, the map closely resembles a level from Halo the first, titled "Chill Out". It was one of the game's more unique maps, due to it's smaller size and asymmetry -- though how those aspects will carry over into the remake has yet to be revealed, as Bungie has yet to "formally" announce said map. Apparently, speaking to a roomful of professional video game spectators doesn't count as a formal social engagement. Who'd have thunk it?
MLG debuts newest Halo 3 map 'Cold Storage'
In a very ninja-like and surprising move, team Bungie decided to use this weekend's MLG San Diego event to debut one of their work-in-progress Halo 3 multiplayer maps called Cold Storage.Bungie's own Lukems and Shishka unveiled the new map yesterday and let MLG San Diego attendees watch a few MLG Pros duke it out in the chilly new map. Of course, details are super duper scarce seeing that Bungie hasn't formally announced Cold Storage outside of the MLG event, but we do know one major piece of info about the map. We know that Halo 3's Cold Storage is a pretty strict remake of one of Halo: CE's most popular close quarters maps Chill Out. Crazy huh? And to keep your new Halo 3 map salivaters salivating, you can jump over to MLG.com to view a few off-screen pictures of Cold Storage in all its awesomeness. Now we wait for more Bungie approved details ...[Thanks, to everyone who sent this in]
Watch Arena, Win Prizes!
If you get the chance, be sure to tune in to GotFrag's coverage of the MLG's PC Circuit' Arena competition this weekend. The action will be going on throughout the day today and into tomorrow. I can think of five great reasons to watch this event: Get to see stunning arena action by the best players Support WoW Arenas as a spectator E-Sport Learn ways to improve your own play style by watching the pros It's more fun than watching golf on TV Win fabulous prizes. That's right, you don't even have to be an arena champ to take home the goods today. Heck, you don't even have to be in San Diego. GotFrag announced a prediction contest on their website. The first player to post the top four finishing teams and the final score in the comments of GotFrag's post will be granted an A40 MixAmp and A40 Headset. Take a look at some of the teams that will be playing and post away. Check the post at GotFrag for more details.
Watch MLG action on GotFrag
The best of the best will be going head to head next weekend, June 14 and 15 in Major League Gaming's $22,500 tournament. Members of the winning team will each receive a Blackbird gaming PC in addition to a $4,000 cash prize. The arena action will be live in San Diego, but for those of us who can't be in "'s Finest City," the events will be broadcast on GotFrag TV. Broadcast coverage begins at 9AM (Pacific) each day and will be hosted by Rob "voice" Simpson and Jared "vhell" Coulston. This event, inaugurating MLG's PC Circuit, promises to be action packed. Registered participants include: fnatic Frag Dominant Frag Dominant (Duelists going for Glad) MoB TurtleForce MoB TurtlePowerPandemic SK Gaming If you've never viewed any of GotFrags web-based programs, you will need to prepare your computer. Viewing the tournament will require installing GotFrag's Octoshape Plug-in which operates in the Java runtime on a PC. You can also use an external Octoshape player. Mac and Linux users are not excluded from the broadcast. It'll be almost as much fun as watching the Wings win the Stanley Cup.
MLG announces new PC Circuit featuring WoW
The arena battles in World of Warcraft may be challenging and fun to play, but can they also be fun to watch? Blizzard is hoping the answer is yes, and pro-gaming league Major League Gaming is hopping on for the ride. As the headliner for their new PC Circuit, they are betting big that the millions of people who play the game will want to tune in to watch the best of the best battle it out. $22,500 in prize money is set aside for the top competitors at each of the PC Circuit's three stops. One of the 32 competing teams will be walking away with some serious money for upgrades. 31 teams will be shaking their heads and wondering what happened.GotFrag eSports is giving the event the full coverage that sort of money demands. What nobody knows is how many spectators will tune in to watch what will likely be a competition nearly impossible to follow without a good understanding of PvP in WoW, or some commentators who really know their stuff. PC eSports fans were hoping for CounterStrike 1.6 and seemed disappointed with the selection of World of Warcraft as their initial gaming platform. But hey, we love WoW here. Bring it on! Just, please, be sure to get commentators who know what they're talking about.
Major League Gaming hosts WoW competition
Major League Gaming, which is apparently the parent company of WoW Insider favorite MMO-Champion, have announced that there will be a new PC gaming circuit, featuring our favorite MMO. The circuit will have events in San Diego, from June 13th–15th; Orlando, July 11th–13th; and Dallas, October 3–5. Each event will have $22,500 in prizes -- it's no Blizzard Arena Tournament, but that's still a lot of money.The circuit will be played on HP Blackbird 002 computers, so I guess you won't have to worry about frame rates (that thing has 1 GB of VRAM). The competition will be 3v3, just like Blizzard's tourney. Only 32 teams will be allowed to register, and you need to have an account set up on MLG's site first; registration opens May 15. They say "more details on rules and the official format will be released on May 15th" -- maybe Blizzard will let them use a special tournament server? At any rate, it looks like Blizzard may have been more successful at turning WoW into an esport than we thought.[Thanks, Jeff]
