Video game leagues are nothing new, but they're so unknown by the majority of the population that their existence is generally only spread by word of mouth. Only those that monitor such news channels or are very much into their gaming will know of such leagues, their titles and the sorts of games they include in their lineups. In actual fact, gaming leagues are extremely lucrative, both for the industry and for the competitors, with prizes worth up to half a million dollars being offered every year by certain leagues, such as the PS3 league Major League Gaming. The only requirement is that the player pays the entry fee and then they are given a chance to qualify.
MLG (Major League Gaming)
It's safe to say that the Major League Gaming collective is probably the biggest gaming league in existence today. It's been going strong for eight years now and provides consistent, annual tournaments with the latest games, though never sacrificing quality. They hold live events throughout the world, but also provide online video and audio for those unable to attend such events. The tournaments act in a similar way, sometimes taking place live, but most of the time online. Major League Gaming hold between four and six tournaments on a yearly basis.
To provide some level of standardization for players, Major League Gaming focuses on the Playstation 3 as their console of choice. For games that are exclusive to other consoles, their native machines are used. For example Gears of War is only on the Xbox 360 and, hence, would be played on Xbox 360s. Live events see that the participants are provided with all the equipment the player needs.
The Game Lineup
Halo's support for several game modes, up to sixteen players and its twitch-based combat means it's perfect for competitive cybersports. Today's tournaments see Halo 3 and Halo: Reach possessing two of the six tournaments to themselves in four versus four matches. The series is known for its first-person shooter (FPS) format and science-fiction setting. As a complement to Halo, Call of Duty Modern Warfare 2 joins it to provide similar gameplay, yet a differing setting. These three games are part of a venerable series and provide excellent support for competitive team-based matches. Super Smash Bros. Brawl and Tekken 6 complete the fighting game section, utilizing one on one scenarios. The former game has been around, albeit in an earlier form, since the beginning tournaments and is a favorite of the veterans. Tekken 6 is brand new and hasn't been on show in any form in a MLG tournament before.
Starcraft 2's release saw booming sales, especially in Korea, where it's become a favorite pastime of the nation. Its own debut in the MLG tournament makes it the first real-time strategy game and a solidly backed one at that. It provides excellent support for competitions and is updated regularly.
Major League Gaming has provided tournaments for many different games, but also many of the earlier mentioned games' iterations. For example, Halo: Combat Evolved and Halo 2 were also part of the MLG tournaments. As was Call of Duty Modern Warfare and Super Smash Bros. Melee. Blizzard's first MLG game, World of Warcraft, was also part of the lineup. Other games part of the MLG circuit was Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six Vegas and the sequel, Gears of War and Shadowrun. Next year is likely to see further sequels, such as Call of Duty Black Ops.
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