Showing posts with label video game leagues. Show all posts
Showing posts with label video game leagues. Show all posts

Friday, November 19, 2010

XBox 360 League - The Biggest Tournaments And Games

Video game leagues have grown in popularity over the last decade and have now become fully-fledged tournaments and competitions with vast numbers of prizes, both in item and monetary form. In some countries, gaming tournaments are amongst the primary forms of entertainment and large sums of money are not only given to the winners, but placed in bets as well. It's become a lucrative business and it's a chance for many individuals who think they have the skills to perform against some of the best players in the world. There are dozens of leagues for different kinds of gaming, such as PC-only or an Xbox 360 league. Some mix and match platforms, hosting only the latest or most competitive games to truly distinguish the champions.

Major League Gaming (MLG)

Major League Gaming (MLG) is considered one of the largest gaming leagues in the world and provides yearly tournaments in some of the latest games available. However, they put competition ahead of new games and may even utilize older games due to the high-level of competitiveness they instill. Major League Gaming utilizes the Playstation 3 consoles if the game is available on all the platforms, but if they do use other consoles if the game is exclusive to those machines, such as Halo or Gear of War. MLG has been known to hold events all over the world as well as online events.

What Games Are Used?

Halo is the mainstay of many gaming leagues and the MLG is no exception. It provides close-quarter maps and large maps, both of which focus on twitch-based gameplay and either free-for-all matches or objective-based ones. This allows Halo to be one of the most flexible games in the tournaments and along with its massive player-base, it's perfect for most gaming leagues. Call of Duty shares top place with Halo in terms of players as it has reached phenomenal levels of popularity over the years and provides the same pace and competition as Halo. Both Halo and Call of Duty are both utilized in their latest forms, with Halo 3 and Halo: Reach being used as well as Modern Warfare 2, though next year will likely see Black Ops being used. Call of Duty is a prime example of both team-based competition and free-for-all competition. Gears of War strays from the mold as it provides third-person cover-based shooting, but focuses on team-based play. It can, however, provide matches for free-for-alls and pairs and is a very good example of controlled competition. The sequel is currently in place with Gears of War 3 likely to be put in place when that is released.

Rules And Cheating

Unfortunately, not everyone is beyond such practice. While cheating in an online, video gaming league might be somewhat easier, the console's low-level interface means it's a lot more difficult. However, cheating can be perceived in a number of ways. For example, perhaps the easiest method of cheating is purchasing a controller with macro keys. This button has a string of other button presses attached to it, so all you need to do is press it once to perform combination moves or something similar, which is inhumanly possible at such a speed.

Thursday, November 18, 2010

Information About Video Game Leagues

A dream amongst younger individuals and maybe older ones, the thought of making a living simply by playing video games is usually a dud one. There are many possibilities, such as video game testing, but the reality behind that is that it's terrible hours, terribly boring and only a small chance of promotion. However, for those who wish to look further afield, video game leagues might provide the reality to your dream. Allowing players to compete against other challengers, these leagues offer serious sums of prize money and items to those that win said leagues. It is, however, a very difficult process, as you will be competing against the best and most serious gamers the world has to offer, either in person or over the Internet and on your own or as part of a team.

The Main Competing Bodies

There are several influential gaming leagues. The Cyberathlete Professional League (CPL) has been around since 2004 and has distributed over million in prizes. It's considered somewhat of a veteran and is where many go to compete in first-person shooter (FPS) games. The World Cyber Games are yearly events to dish out a serious amount of prize money ranging between 0,000 and 0,000. It features dozens of game types, so it's not strictly limited to a single genre. The Pro Gaming League (PGL) is also a primary contender though primarily in console games, unlike the previous leagues, and offers less prize money.

Competing

Video game competitions function like most major competitions. The competitors face off against other competitors in a bid to challenge the reigning champions. Once the competitors are weeded out and only the best remain, these then face off against the champions. If the champions defend their title, they are rewarded with the prize money, as are the competitors if they win. There are variations in each tournament, such as champions being consider competitors and facing off against the teams until only one team remains. The prizes are not always monetary. They can sometimes be physical items such as graphics cards, consoles and other items of varying monetary values. The following year sees the champions written in to face either returning or new competitors.

Cheating

Cheating is a serious issue as with any major sport. Unlike other sports though, gaming makes cheating a lot easier as there are practically thousands of ways to manipulate a game into making it easier for the player. Some may utilize 3rd party programs, while others might exploit game glitches to provide themselves with an advantage. To combat such irregular methods of play, referees and judges are sometimes present to supervise players.

Hardware has also come under flak, as it can provide players with the ability to do more than they're normally capable of. For example, some controllers provide a macro button, which, when pressed, pressed a series or combination of buttons, preventing the need for the player to do so. This translates as the player performing tasks usually impossible.