The hunt for the Golden Joystick
SAN FRANCISCO -- The players aren't ready to quit school or their day jobs, but many are hopeful.
On Monday, Total Entertainment Network (TEN) and PC chipmaker Advanced Micro Devices Inc. threw the first pitch for what could be the next major sports circuit -- the Professional Gamers' League. With possible sponsorships and $250,000 in prize money in the offing, the best of the best are looking to go pro and have a chance at the top trophy -- the Golden Joystick.
"A lot of people have been waiting for this for a long time," said Dennis Fong, a k a Thresh, who is the current champion of Quake -- one of two games that will be played in the first season (the other game, in the "strategy" category, is Command and Conquer: Red Alert). Thresh became a cult icon among Quake players when he took the championship and possession of a red Ferrari at the Electronic Entertainment Expo this year.
The PGL is the brainchild of TEN, the online multiplayer gaming service. Monday's kickoff at 3Com Park included a meet-the-players session and a presentation on how the new league will work.
Play will consist of three-month seasons -- a month-long open competition and then playoffs between the top 128 finishers in each category. The final eight competitors will then duke it out at a cybercafe or similar venue, with the winners getting prizes and, more importantly, cold cash.
"The PGL will create a central competitive arena for gamers," said Nolan Bushnell, the PGL's newly installed commissioner. "We expect this to establish celebrity and career gamers." Bushnell is the creator of Pong - which many consider the first multiplayer game -- and founded the video-game company Atari.
The players say the same, in less words. "Online gaming is really taking off," said Patrick Li, a k a B2, another Quake thoroughbred. "This whole concept is too cool." B2 also welcomes the opportunity to get to know the other players, saying he and Thresh have squared off quite often and have become good friends as a result.
Computer gaming as a career? With first prize bringing in $7,500, second prize $4,000, and third $2,500, players consistently ranking in the top three could indeed go pro. In addition, with the specter of sponsorships hovering in the wings, buying space on the avatar of the top player could add up to big bucks.
Quake champ Thresh says there's likely a Michael Jordan of the online world out there. Skills that are used in one category should translate between the games, he said.
"It's not just aim," stressed Thresh. "You are always trying to anticipate your opponents. Good strategy means doing things like dropping a grenade to force opponents to move, or knowing the maps to head him off." He thinks the ability to go beyond point-and-fire gaming will separate the great gamers from the crowd.
But don't assume this will be a male-only club. After the successful All-Female Tournament in Quake, there are women players out there just itching to turn men into wimps. "The guys tend to take it more seriously," said Bridget Fitzgerald, a k a TONkA and a finalist in the All-Female tourney. The freshman at the Juilliard School of Music in New York played four hours a day during her summer break, but has much less time now.
"This is just fun for me," she said. "But I wouldn't mind the money." Either reason would suffice for the PGL -- as long as the players get on.