Sport meets Technology: The World Cyber Games
In our technology driven world, it was bound to happen that sports would be played in a virtual world. Ten years ago, the first World Cyber Games were inaugurated (with the first festival being held in 2001), and they have since become a worldwide phenomenon. Cyber games are any sort of competitive multiplayer games that are played online between players from many different countries. The World Cyber Games have become so popular that today, more than one million players from 90 countries take part in this mammoth competition. In the future, that number is all set to grow with gamers from all over the planet vying to be the best in the world.
In the year 2000, the World Cyber Games were set up (with the motto being ‘Beyond the Game’). The concept behind the games was very similar to many other large scale tournaments that take place around the sporting world. In a cyber environment, everyone becomes equal and only their skills can set them apart. Cultural and racial boundaries are nonexistent and everyone competes on a level playing field. The impact that e-sports or cyber sports have on the youth is profound. Young people naturally flock to the newest technology out there and they are at ease with many different types of modern gadgetry. The ideology behind cyber sports is very similar to actual sports; the levels of competition are intense, fair-play is stressed upon, a level playing field is sought and the youth of society are given a healthy outlet for their creativity. Even though the games do not promote a healthy lifestyle with youngsters sitting in front of their computers all day long, it nurtures a sense of healthy competition and a sporting spirit in each one of them.
The World Cyber Games, or WCG as they are known as, took an interesting turn this year with the return of the WCG Ultimate Gamer, a reality television show (which debuted in 2009) featuring the best gamers in America. These young cyber athletes have to live together in a house and practise their gaming skills while also taking part in real life stunts and activities. Last year, a slam dunk contest was organised and watched over by NBA legend Spud Webb. The winner of the reality show had a chance to win some very lucrative prizes such as $100,000 in cash, a Samsung prize hamper and the chance to become the face of WCG for the year. This show was so popular that it attracted a record amount of hopefuls this year but only a select handful got a chance to participate and live in the house.
The WCG has seen a massive boost over the years because of the popularity of videogame consoles on the market and the fact that kids spend more time online now than they ever did in the past. By combining the features of a massive sporting contest, the cyber games took on the potential to become the biggest online sporting event on the planet. It slowly achieved this distinction and is now so large that it is called the Olympics of gaming. The way it is set up is that over the course of the year, tournaments are held in every participating country and the winners of these tournaments advance to the next round and slowly the field is narrowed until only a handful of the world’s best gamers are left. These talented individuals battle it out at a Grand Final that takes place in a different host city every year again on the same lines as a major sporting competition like the Olympics or the football World Cup.
As the years have gone by, this worldwide and massive event has taken on epic proportions. It attracts the best and brightest gamers from all over the world and has started to really resemble a major sporting contest. This phenomenon is all set to grow, and as new games are added to the roster every year, we will see the tournament catering to the needs of many different gamers out there. Look out for this unique sporting competition coming to a city near you very soon.
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