Competitive Gaming comes to ESPN

Kody — Wed, 16 Jan 2008 07:18:32 GMT

In what's being billed as "A Historic Day For Major League Gaming" on MLG's website, Major League Gaming has teamed up with the leader in sports broadcasting, ESPN, with an exclusive content agreement that will see ESPN televise the entire 2008 Pro Circuit.

ESPN will also be providing coverage of the ciruit, with a team of reporters on hand at every event to provide analysis, interviews, and scores and stats.

“ESPN is committed to serving our fans, and we recognize the growing popularity of pro video gaming,” said John Kosner, senior vice president and general manager, ESPN digital media. “Adding MLG content to our already comprehensive offering will help us continue to deliver the best news, information and entertainment to our growing gaming audience.”

“Pro video gaming offers sports fans everything they love about sports—great teams, break-out personalities and stars, and exciting competition,” said Matthew Bromberg, President and CEO of Major League Gaming. “MLG’s digital properties now reach over four million fans a month, and millions more follow the League on TV, mobile devices, and X-Box Live. We’re excited to build upon that audience with ESPN.”

It looks like competitive gaming has finally hit the mainstream with this deal -- something that isn't really surprising, considering the current state of video gaming and its rapid growth beyond the hardcore gamer, introducing gaming to a new sector of would-be gamers, both pro and casual alike.

To read more about this announcement, head over to the MLG press release.

So you wanna be a pro video game player?

Kody — Wed, 10 Oct 2007 02:17:31 GMT

ESPN.com's Page 2 released an excellent article today written by Patrick Hruby. It's not your typical sports article, though. This one looks into the life of competitive gamers and how this up and coming e-Sport is beginning to garner a lot of attention - not just from sponsors and the press - but from fans as well.

Patrick Hruby wrote:

Fingertips on plastic. Angry cicadas. Hundreds of gamers jabbing hundreds of buttons, slack-jawed, unblinking, faces damn near pressed to the glass, all jockeying to become the very best "Halo 2" players on the planet, watched in turn by what seems like -- wait, what is -- a couple thousand fans. This is Major League Gaming's Chicago tournament, the latest stop in an eight-month, six-event season, host to 16 professional teams and dozens of semipro and amateur wannabes. And no, that's not a misprint.

The fact that competitive gaming has come this far so fast is impressive. The country's top Halo 2 player has a contract worth $250,000 a year - to play games - and has even founded his own business where he trains would-be Halo players, showing them the ropes for the cool price of $115 an hour. The number of clients he tutors has reached over 1,000 people and even includes such notables as New Jersey Nets forward Richard Jefferson.

Patrick Hruby wrote:

Poor coaches Final Boss, which brings us to our next point: Pro gamers have coaches. And game plans. They scout opponents by watching film. They even hold NFL preseason-style scrimmages -- hence the two kids, Justin and Lester, playing "Halo 2" on two of the half-dozen flickering televisions lining each side of the room. They're members of 5K, one of MLG's up-and-coming squads, here to give Final Boss some quality practice. And also crash on the couch.

It's a lengthy article, but it's very much worth the read if you're interested in finding out more about the life of a pro gamer. Head over to So you wanna be a pro video game player? to read more.

Other : espn

Competitive Gaming comes to ESPN

So you wanna be a pro video game player?