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Online Gaming: How to get into eSports this year

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Uncle Sam eSportsSo, you think you’re all that and a bag of Doritos eh? Want to test your gaming skills against competitive players, and what the hell is “competitive gaming” anyway? Let’s have a look-see.

What is competitive gaming? 

Here in the enchanting world of online gaming, where egos collide on a daily basis and the natural instinct of competitiveness takes over there are hundreds of gamers who love to see who’s the best at what they love. Internationally and locally, this is known as eSports. Gamers compete in genres such as Real-Time Strategy games, First-Person Shooters and Multiplayer Online Battle Arenas, most commonly known as RTS, FPS and MOBA games. The biggest and longest running league organisation in South Africa is the Do Gaming League. The Do Gaming League kicked off in 2005 as the AGASA leagues and has since then grown to be the most successful in the country. Hosting leagues for 11 titles this year, if you’re into online gaming, chances are your favourite game is on the list.

Leagues hosted for 2013:

Premier Games:

Titles expected to draw the most numbers (entries) and be the most competitive. These titles will see more coverage on the Do Gaming website, receive sponsors and will be played at the Do Gaming Championships.

• Counter-Strike: GO
• DotA 2
• League of Legends
• Call of Duty: Black Ops 2
• Battlefield 3

League Games:

Titles expected to draw less numbers and other titles to only be hosted depending on entries. Titles showing enough interest will be included in the Do Gaming Championships. 

• Call of Duty 4
• Starcraft II (1v1)
• Starcraft II (2v2)
• Quake Live (1v1)
• Quake Live (2v2)
• FIFA 13 – PC
• FIFA 13 – PS3
• FIFA 13 – Xbox 360 (Registrations extended to 13 January)
• Gran Turismo
• Forza 4

Titles such as Heroes of Newerth and Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 has fallen off the list because of a lack of interest from the community.

DGL 2013

What do I need to compete?

Internets! Leagues are hosted for titles which require online connection to play in the multiplayer mode. There are servers hosted, mostly locally which players connect to play their matches. Players typically have ADSL ranging from 1 Mbps to 10 Mbps, needless to say that the latter is best, although 384Mbps and 512Mbps could suffice. Can you play on 3G? You can, but that would not be wise as bad connections could be penalised should it disrupt matches. In other words, don’t do it!

Where do I sign up? 

First, create an account on the Do Gaming League website, here, and then you can decide which game you’d like to compete in by checking out the gameslist. Following the page links to each game, you can then checkout who’s entered and whether you are eligible. For titles which require teams, you’ll need to be part of a clan. The easiest way to see which clans have teams competing in the title you are interested in and what their line ups are, click on the clan/team names in the entries list. Their clan page should display details such as whether the clan is recruiting or not, details on who to contact will also be there.

Teams and players looking for players or teams, typically post on the Do Gaming League forums. This is a good place to start. There is also a helpdesk which you can contact in case you get stuck. You can also read the “How the Leagues work” article on their site, which will tell you exactly how, what and when.

NB: Registrations close on 13 January.

By now most of the teams will have full line ups, but might require some reserves. The beginning of the year is also not the only time players can get into a team. During the break between each leg of the league, teams have a chance to update or change their line ups, so keep on trying.

What’s in it for me?

You mean besides the bragging rights of being super awesome at games? There are prizes, and lots of them. And I’m not talking lucky packets. In 2012 Do Gaming raked in over R1 million in prizes for their leagues, other leagues or competition hosts like MainGaming often give away consoles, special edition game packages and lots more at their LANs. We’ll take a look at LAN gaming soon, so keep an eye on the site!

Like esports?
Check out esports central

Last Updated: January 7, 2013

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