Triumphs at Seattle WCG
The 2007 Seattle World Cyber Games is now at an end and the UK has won its first-ever gold medal! Making WCG history, Shaun ‘Apollo' Clark of Team Dignitas gave us a weekend of superb performances in Command and Conquer 3. Zaccubus, also of Team Dignitas, picked up the silver medal for Tony Hawks Project 8. And the Gears of War team secured a bronze! A most respectable medal haul and a sturdy platform to build on for the 2008 WCG, to be held in Cologne, Germany!
My own involvement was, as expected, brief! After demolishing the Bulgarian player in my Need for Speed Carbon group, I was brought down by the experienced Indian and Latvian – both from heavyweight e-sports nations, right! My knockout meant, by a scheduling quirk, I was out of the competition before the opening ceremony had even taken place!
So what does a dedicated gamer do when they have no event left to compete in? Find another one of course! I stumbled upon the standard mobile phone mini-tournament in the vicinity, The game was Rayman Kart ($6000 for top three), basically Mario Kart (random power-ups). Despite unrelenting practice, the racing gods once again decided not to smile on me (top eight finish).
Despite my weekend of frustration, the 2007 WCG was a great experience. Rooting for my team-mates and seeing them do so well was unmissable, and the WCG stands alone in its treatment of gamers. Meals, transport and accommodation are all impressively organised - a level of player support that far outstrips any other e-sports event.
A special mention should go to the UK team leader, Craig ‘Wizzo' Fletcher. He helped generate a real team spirit, aided by his inimitable personality, regularly getting us all together for food and drinks, and endearing himself to everyone by picking up the tab.
