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.
online gamers 网络游戏手
on red alert 处于紧急危险状态
Cyberathlete 电脑/网络运动员
pro-gaming 职业游戏
PCs 个人电脑
games consoles 游戏机
battle it out 奋力争夺
cause a splash 引人注目；引起轰动
gaming alias 游戏化名
lucrative sponsorship deals 利润丰厚的赞助交易
peripherals 辅助设备
mobbed 被包围、簇拥
secured a place 进入比赛；获得比赛资格
fielding a strong team 培养一个强大的队伍
autographs 亲笔签名
witness the spectacle 目睹盛况
trigger 扳机