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.
The Primary Video Gaming League
Major League Gaming (MLG) is one of the primary leagues available to players all over the world. Founded in 2002, they're bigger than most other leagues and host events throughout the world, allowing individuals to watch live games between competitors. For everything else, you can participate or watch online as the challengers and champions compete through some of the most competitive games available. Hosting between four and six game tournaments annually, Major League Gaming provides something for everybody.
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.
Fighting games have long been the focus of many gaming tournaments and with Tekken 6's debut on MLG this year, this is going to be no exception. Joining Tekken 6 is Super Smash Bros. Brawl, providing only slightly differing gameplay, but consistent rules. Unlike most of the other present games, Tekken 6 has never had any of its iterations present on MLG.
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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