Championship Gaming Series

[Melbosa]

Thought this was interesting, and not sure if it will continue, but its a televised gaming event with prize $$$.  The last part isn't anything new, but thought the fact it was Televised was pretty different (for NA at least):

http://www.championshipgamingseries.com/

Championship Gaming Series Kicks Off



B y: Brent Soboleski - "Shockwave"

July 24th, 2006



The Championship Gaming Invitational kicked off the first of a series of programming specials, marking a first in the industry as professional gamers and their arena are being brought into the mainstream television audience. The first event hosted by the combined partnership of DirecTV, Xbox 360, Mountain Dew, IGN Entertainment, GameSpy and TeamXbox was held on Treasure Island in the San Francisco bay area last week.



In total there were five main events taking place including matches of Counter-Strike 1.6 (PC), Battlefield 2 (PC), Halo 2 (Xbox), Project Gotham Racing 3 (Xbox 360) and Dead or Alive 4 (Xbox 360). The first event taking place consisted of a series of Halo 2 matches that included some interesting bouts. One highly anticipated matchup was between 2004 Halo world champion Matt ?Zyos? Leto and Justin ?ImNotGarbage? Barnes of the H20 team. The two put on a fierce fight and Barnes was able to give Zyos a run for his money, but ultimately the skill of Leto was too much to handle. Watching the two battle it out really gave even us an appreciation for their talents, and in particular the accuracy of Zyos. The edge he had definitely had a lot to do with his ability to aim so precisely, but it was also clear that his tactical skills were also top notch. He was able to utilize positional advantages of the map (Lockout) to have his way with Leto who found himself in his opponent's sights a few too many times.



Another cool matchup took place between Jason ?Fiddy? Hodges and PMS Clan member Alexis ?PMS Tart? Hebert. The PMS Clan has been gaining a lot of attention as well as respect in the gaming world and they certainly have no shortage of members who are always ready for a challenger. However, Jason proved to be too much of a challenge for Alexis who was outscored 8-1. Although her defeat was decisive, Alexis held her head proudly as Jason raised his hands in victory. Interestingly enough, Jason would go on to win the Halo 2 series on Saturday as he defeated Jeff ?PacMayne? Powell to win $10,000.

The events? other winners included Joe ?Phantom Hitman? Tackett who banked $10,000 for his win playing Project Gotham Racing 3 over Brent ?Naka 360? Dimapilis. Making her way into the finals representing the PMS Clan, Margorie ?PMS Kasumi Chan? Bartell was defeated by Emannuel ?Master? Rodriguez who also secured himself a $10,000 check showing just why he is the master at Dead or Alive 4. On the PC side of things, the Counter-Strike 1.6 title went to team compLexity along with a $50,000 prize. The $40,000 check for the Battlefield 2 title went to 20ID who managed to outplay Team Warchild, Code7 and Team HOT.



All in all, each team and the individual players who showed up put on a great performance, giving many members of the audience their first taste of what professional gamers are capable of. Whether or not professional gaming will become as popular and successful as any number of other spectator sports is a question that only time will answer, but if last week?s Championship Gaming Invitational is any indication of what?s to come, it certainly looks as though video games are making their mark in the entertainment world. Stay tuned for more details about the Championship Gaming Series, and be sure to tune into DirecTV channel 101 on August 25, 26, and 27 to see all of the action from the Championship Gaming Invitational. For more on the series itself take a look at www.championshipgamingseries.com.