PS3 League - Titles, Challenges And Lineups

Taking part in a video gaming league might be considered some people's dreams come true. It's a competition between some of the best players on the planet and features some of the hottest games around. With over half a dozen different leagues to choose from with prizes up to half a million dollars, the gaming league industry is a booming business that has grown massively over the past decade. From the PS3 league to the Xbox 360 league to every platform possible, there's something for everyone, provided they're willing to pay the entry fee and pass qualifying.

The Primary Video Gaming League

Major League Gaming has become one of the biggest leagues for console and personal computer gaming. It provides annual tournaments for up to half a dozen games with the lineup changing to accommodate the latest releases. It was founded in 2002 and has grown to be popular amongst many gamers, both with those who compete, but also with those who just wish to watch the live events and online shows. With both new and old competitors joining the fray regularly, the fans always have someone to root for. To provide some level of standardization for players, Major League Gaming focuses on the Playstation 3 as their console of choice. For games that are exclusive to other consoles, their native machines are used. For example Gears of War is only on the Xbox 360 and, hence, would be played on Xbox 360s. Live events see that the participants are provided with all the equipment the player needs.

Games

The Halo series made its debut back with Halo: Combat Evolved, which was used in the earliest MLG tournaments. Today, both Halo 3 and Halo: Reach have their own tournaments featuring four versus four team battles on varying maps. It provides high-intensity, twitch-based gameplay in a first-person shooter (FPS) format. Joining these two games comes the venerable Call of Duty series. Starting off with Modern Warfare, Modern Warfare 2 is the current Call of Duty game on show. It features similar gameplay to Halo, but in a more realistic setting and somewhat more depth.

Super Smash Bros. Brawl and Tekken 6 complete the fighting game section, utilizing one on one scenarios. The former game has been around, albeit in an earlier form, since the beginning tournaments and is a favorite of the veterans. Tekken 6 is brand new and hasn't been on show in any form in a MLG tournament before. Starcraft 2's release saw booming sales, especially in Korea, where it's become a favorite pastime of the nation. Its own debut in the MLG tournament makes it the first real-time strategy game and a solidly backed one at that. It provides excellent support for competitions and is updated regularly.

Major League Gaming has seen many of the earlier games as part of its original lineups. Halo: Combat Evolved and Halo 2 came before the latest iterations. As did Call of Duty Modern Warfare and Super Smash Bros. Melee. Games that have also had tournaments are Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six Vegas, Gears of War, World of Warcraft and Shadowrun. The following competitions should see even newer iterations, such as Call of Duty Black Ops.