Dive goes to Raleigh's Major League Gaming Competition -

It’s that time of year again: freshmen are stepping wide eyed onto campus for the first time, friends are reunited after a summer apart, and the leaves begin to change to a yellowish hue. More importantly though, it’s that time of year where the most ferocious competitive gamers make their annual stop in Raleigh to compete in arguably the most prestigious gaming tournament in North America, Major League Gaming.

Referred to as ‘e-sports’, the professional gaming scene has exploded in terms of popularity within the past few months. Previously a niche event where even a dozen spectators was considered substantial, e-sports has become a venue where the top tier gamers are treated like rock stars and the prize pools reach into the six figures.

No other tournament is a better representation of the current e-sports scene than MLG. From August 26-28, we’ll be on the ground floor at Raleigh brining you live Twitter updates, taking photos, writing daily blog posts, and keeping you up to date on all of the action. The mainstays will all be here and commentated live: Call of Duty: Black Ops (PS3), Halo Reach (360), and StarCraft II (PC). For the first time ever, MLG Raleigh will be introducing Mortal Kombat and League of Legends into their roster of games.

With StarCraft II taking the main stage, a lot of attention will be focused on these players as they compete for the top prize of $5,000. The defending champion of MLG Anaheim “IMMVP” will not be in attendance, so the proverbial crown will be passed on at Raleigh. The real story here is whether or not a non-Korean will be able to take 1st place at the event. With StarCraft literally being considered a national pastime, the Koreans have had the long-established reputations as being far and away the best StarCraft players in the world and they have the results to back up this claim. Ever since they have started competing in MLG events, the Koreans have won every tournament. At the last MLG stop, the top six finishers were occupied by Koreans. Respected for their precise control and decision making, the Koreans once again look to be the favorites coming into Raleigh.

However, a few players stand in their way and hope to take the title back to North America. Greg “EGIdrA” Fields has traveled to Korea in the past to train with a professional StarCraft team. Known as one of the best non-Korean players in the world, IdrA is famous for his mechanical prowess. On the same token, he is infamous for being bad mannered to his opponents and letting his mental status negatively impact his game. Despite this, IdrA remains a huge fan favorite and a serious contender. The newly acquired Chris “EGHuk” Loranger will also be looking to prove himself after his controversial departure from the community favorite Team Liquid in favor of the team Evil Geniuses. Other notable players include MLG Dallas winner Johan “NaNiWa” Lucchesi, the two most recent North American Blizzcon Qualifiers Ryoo “SeleCT” Kyung Hyun and Shawn “LiquidSheth” Simon, and winner of the European Blizzcon Qualifier Joseph “LiquidRet” de Kroon. Amongst a plethora of professional gamers, many Chapel Hill locals will be competing through the Open Bracket. Below is a brief rundown of some fellow Tar Heels who wish to pit their skills against the best in the world.

Name: Jerred Miklowcic
Year: Junior
Major: Computer Science
Race: Protoss
League: Masters
Least Favorite Player: “Hmm… this might seem weird, but probably Naniwa based on what I’ve seen of him, either him or Liquid Tyler. They both seem super serious to me and not that cool as people…. why so serious? T.T”
Tournament Expectations: “I’m hoping to at least go 1-2 in matches, but preferably make it out of the open bracket and get to play against some really high level players in group play. We’ll see what happens :D”

Name: Chris Allen
Year: Junior
Major: Computer Science/Engineering
Race: Terran
League: Diamond
Least Favorite Unit: Colossus
The Future of E-Sports: “I imagine E-Sports will continue to grow for a few years. Lots of new games are looking to get some of the market, and viewer counts keep growing. I’m not sure how large local scenes will grow, but we have a pretty large community in the triangle area!”

Name: Zhe Zang
Year: Senior
Major: Computer Science
Race: Protoss
League: Masters
Prediction of Winner: STBomber
Favorite Player: “HuK. A year ago he stated that he wanted to become the Lim Yo Hwan of Starcraft 2, and he’s put in a tremendous amount of work towards that goal. Where other people stayed in the west to win easier money, he moved to Korea in order to get better practice, and he’s had tremendous success after half a year of practicing. Great respect for him.”

Whether you’re a League of Legends fan that croons over HotShotGG or a diehard Halo Reach diehard wanting to see an Instinct repeat, you will want to be there on location to cheer on all your favorite players. For $25 you can still purchase a spectator pass that will grant you access to the event for 3 days. If for some reason you can’t make it out, there’s still a way to watch the games unfold live. Throughout the weekend MLG will be offering free streaming of the entire event through their main website (www.majorleaguegaming.com). If you want the complete online experience, for a small fee you can unlock ad-free, HD streaming. From seasoned veterans to ambitious newcomers, the competition this weekend will be of the highest caliber and is not something that should be missed.