Online gamers control characters in a virtual world

The tour, which takes in nine countries on four continents, is the first of its kind and demonstrates the desire amongst the pro-gaming community to be taken seriously as a professional sport.

For those who don’t know, online gamers compete against each other playing popular games such as Counter Strike, World of Warcraft, and Unreal Tournament. The games are played on PCs rather than games consoles.

Thousands of fans are expected to descend upon Sheffield, a city in the north of England, to watch their favourite pro-gamers battle it out in a $1million tournament. One competitor who is sure to cause a splash is 23-year-old American, Jonathan Wendel, better known by gaming alias, “Fatal1ty”.

Despite his youth, “Fatal1ty” is a gaming legend, having won three Cyberathlete Professional League championships and become the world’s first Doom 3 world champion, for which he won $25000 prize money. He has also signed lucrative sponsorship deals with companies which produce peripherals and accessories for gamers.

The UK is also fielding a strong team. Top UK player, David Treacy, a member of the British team Four-Kings, has already secured a place in the events grand final in the United States. The Four-Kings Counter Strike team have also made good progress taking second place overall in the first season of the tournament and winning $20000 in prize money.

The team have recently competed in the World E-Sports Games league in South Korea. The reception they received there demonstrates the growing status of pro-gamers. ‘They were mobbed for photographs and autographs before they played the season final’, says Four-Kings co-manager Phillip Wride.

Chinese gaming fanatics don’t have long to wait for their opportunity to witness the spectacle of world-class gaming. The CPL World Tour comes to Beijing on October 13th with a top prize of $50000. So keep your finger on the trigger – maybe you could be the next world champion.