Inside Video Games: Pro Gaming Gains Momentum

Pro gaming continues to gain momentum in the U.S. While countries like Korea and Germany have had dedicated networks to professional videogame players, the U.S. has lagged behind in even ackowledging the burgeoning sport. This year looks like the breakout year for pro gaming in the U.S., thanks to a number of TV deals that will put the cyber sport in the limelight. USA Network is the latest in a string of network deals that will bring pro gamers to TV sets.

Major League Gaming (MLG), fresh with $10 million in funding from Ritchie Capital, has inked a deal with USA Network to create seven one-hour televised events around its annual tour. The shows will air at 10 a.m. on Saturday mornings this fall, chronicling the pro circuit as it heads to Secaucus, NJ (April), Dallas, TX (May), Atlanta, GA (June), Los Angeles, CA (July) and Philadelphia, PA (August) before the Playoffs in Chicago this October and the Finals in Las Vegas in November.

In addition to the TV deal, MLGPro.com will feature highlights of the tour online. The MLG Pro Invasion Bus Tour will make 100 stops this summer as it searches for new pro gamers around the country. Along with the TV deal, MLG picked up a title sponsor in mobile phone company Boost Mobile and a presenting sponsor from car manufacturer Scion. The "most improved player" on the 2006 circuit will receive a limited-edition Scion xB Release Series 3.0 car.

This is the latest in a wave of T coverage for pro gaming. Electronic Arts worked with ESPN2 last year on a "Madden Nation" TV series. MTV worked with Cyberathlete Professional League last fall on televised and online coverage of its event. DirecTV entered the pro gaming space with its Massive Gaming League, which debuts at E3. The World Cyber Games, which just signed a title sponsorship deal with Microsoft, has TV plans in the works. That pro gaming league worked with HDNet last fall to cover its event. And TV will be a component for the World Series of Games.

A "60 Minutes" story on pro gaming earlier this year generated a lot of buzz on pro gaming. The more TV coverage that happens, the more exposure beyond the niche hardcore gamers this evolving sport will receive. With more exposure and more eyeballs comes more advertising and sponsorship opportunities. It's a positive vicious circle that's a win-win for all of the leagues involved.

As many of these pro gaming leagues evolve beyond hardcore PC games and incorporate current and next generation consoles, the window of opportunity for more gamers opens. Console games are where the money's at. Microsoft will push Xbox 360 and Xbox Live with World Cyber Games and with DirecTV's initiative. With Sony's PlayStation 3 online initiative, there's going to be more games to choose from and more eyeballs to capture. Consoles drive the gaming market with casual gamers. Just imagine what 100 million PlayStation 2s could do for pro gaming. Sony's likely to sell that many PS3s over the next life cycle. The jump from niche PC games to mainstream console games will only fuel this fire of growth for pro gaming.