Gaming Champions Hit Paris

Over the next few days, Paris will resound to the sights and sounds of the Electronic Sports World Cup grand final.   The event has over 750 gamers competing for $200,000 in prize money.   The competitors will have the chance to show their prowess in four different games – CounterStrike, Quake 4, Warcraft 3 and Pro Evolution Soccer 4 – with a separate CounterStrike championship for women.   The competition is also proving to be a spectator sport, with crowds over around 5,000 attending, and proving delightfully noisy.   “This is a real sport and we think this year it will be going mainstream,” said David Heuze, the event’s communication manager. “There are TV channels in the US and Korea showing live video game matches, a new channel in the UK and growing interest all the time.”   The Paris finalists have come from qualifying competitions held in 50 countries. Beyond being world champion, the rewards can be quite significant. There are estimated to be around 50 pro gamers in the West, and they earn around $200,000 a year each.   One of the most important facets of the championship is the introduction of the women’s event, since gaming has long been seen as male-dominated. In the female tournament, two teams of five players each will play CounterStrike to a last-man standing battle.