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 has become one of the biggest leagues for console and personal computer gaming. It provides annual tournaments for up to half a dozen games with the lineup changing to accommodate the latest releases. It was founded in 2002 and has grown to be popular amongst many gamers, both with those who compete, but also with those who just wish to watch the live events and online shows. With both new and old competitors joining the fray regularly, the fans always have someone to root for. For the most part, MLG utilizes the Playstation 3 console for their gaming, but in some cases, the games have exclusivity on a certain console and cannot be purchased in any other format. In these cases, the game's native console is used. For live events, the participants are provided with all they need to play. Here is the latest lineup of games for MLG.
The Game Lineup
The Halo series made its debut back with Halo: Combat Evolved, which was used in the earliest MLG tournaments. Today, both Halo 3 and Halo: Reach have their own tournaments featuring four versus four team battles on varying maps. It provides high-intensity, twitch-based gameplay in a first-person shooter (FPS) format. Joining these two games comes the venerable Call of Duty series. Starting off with Modern Warfare, Modern Warfare 2 is the current Call of Duty game on show. It features similar gameplay to Halo, but in a more realistic setting and somewhat more depth.
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. The first real-time strategy game to be in any of Major League Gaming's tournaments, Starcraft II won't disappoint. A booming success in Korea, both its predecessor and the newly released sequel are created by the venerable Blizzard. It has excellent support for competitive gameplay and this will be no different.
Ps3 tournaments have featured the long-running World of Warcraft, Gears of War, Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six Vegas and it's sequel, Halo: Combat Evolved and Halo 2, Shadowrun, Call of Duty Modern Warfare and Super Smash Bros. Melee. Generally competitors don't crossover to different games and only compete within their own tournaments yearly. Next year is likely to see some newer games, including the next Call of Duty: Black Ops.
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