World Series of Video Games

The pizza vendor was still overwhelmed with customers three hours after lunch. Children, teenagers and married men tapped their feet as they waited for a quick meal since the Pop-Tarts and Coca-Cola couldn't hold them off as planned. A few glimpsed at their wristwatch, paused and then counted the people ahead of them judging the wait. Others departed and gave up on a late lunch. They would rather starve than miss the next tournament.\nIt seemed to be the darkest event Louisville, Kentucky's Exposition Center would see this year. It was dreary and somber with minimal \nlighting inside the cerise colored doors, giving a cavernous feel to the event. There was a sea of computers littered with perspiring faces and High-Definition televisions. Visitors squatted by televisions and closely watched Unreal Tournament finalists duke it out as announcers explained the technique of each competitor. Other guests indulged in a quick round of Halo 2, Quake 4, and racing and sports games. A variety of other events were available to jaded gamers, such as Duct Tape Wars, tug-of-war, Computer Jeopardy, jousting and an Ubi Soft sponsored Rock, Paper, Scissors tournament. The winner of each event was awarded free gaming hardware provided by ATI, the official sponsor of the first-ever World Series of Video Games Tour.\nBrian Dougherty, 21, of North Huntington, PA made the trip to Kentucky in hopes of becoming a Quake 4 or Counter Strike finalist, but never a Rock, Paper, Scissors champion. "I came for the [Bring Your Own Computer] but when I was waiting in line for the sign-in," Dougherty explained, "my friend and I were playing Rock, Paper, Scissors and he told me they were having [a Rock, Paper, Scissors] event so I decided to join." \nFormerly known as the Million Man Land, and consisting only of Bring Your Own Computer (BYOC), the World Series of Video Games got its new name from the vast sponsorship presence. For returning gamers it is a surprise to see so many corporate vendors and such a large media presence. ATI, Intel, Fatal1ty and other sponsors brought the resources gamers needed, and consequentially grabbed the public's attention.\nDougherty is one of those gamers that noticed a change: "The entry fee was more expensive this year, but the network is as fast as it could be. I haven't had any problems."\nOnly the finest in video gaming technology was available to visitors and competitors at the first stop of the World Series of Video Games. Insomnia365 provided the ultra-fast internet Dougherty spoke of, and ATI supplied all the necessary graphic cards for non-BYOC tournament play. Microsoft also threw in a helping hand by providing enough Xbox 360s to have their own small niche called the Xbox 360 arcade area. Throughout the five-day event this small arcade area hosted several competitions, open to any and all who attended. Every hour the announcement would come: "A Dance Dance Revolution competition is about to start in the Xbox 360 arcade area. If you think you're the best dancer here then come on over to the Xbox 360 arcade area and show us what you got." \nChildren ran across the dancing pad, acting as if they knew how to play. A middle-aged couple got on stage and laughed at themselves attempt to understand the passing arrows, the flashing lights. One individual embarrassed them all, showing the crowd the degree of finesse and precision required for Dance Dance Revolution. He had it down to an art, but the crowd's attention was quickly diverted to a small three-wheeled companion that used to only exist on the big screen.\n"Touch this, right here. That is the case of an old Gateway 2000 desktop. All three of the wheel coverings are casings from old Gateways," Bruce Maley, 29, explained to any ear showing the least bit of interest. "The dome piece was salvaged and welded from scrap metal. It has all the same dimensions as the original in Star Wars."\nMaley has been working on his own personal R2-D2 for more then two years. He has brought case-mods to past events, but was never pleased with them. It would take three or four of his friends to unload his original version from a truck bed. So he decided to make a lighter, more durable replication. To get the dimensions of the real R2, he went to Google groups and sure enough he came across R2 groupies. Since then he has put 200-400 hours into the little guy, which doubles as a 200 gigabyte computer on wheels, accessible to the internet through a wireless connection. When it's all said and done he hopes to have the flashing lights, the revolving dome and the bleeps of R2 speak. He also has aspirations of walking downtown as he plays online with friends.\n'Crazy Billy Bob' as his friends refer to Maley, came from Lansing, MI to attend his 3rd event in this venue. He came for the Battlefield 2 tournament and has nothing to complain about this year around. He is more than satisfied with the growing popularity, as well as the event's name change. "It has gained the attention of big corporations and the media, which is great because it brings more," Maley said. "The E3 presence is new and Blizzard has brought faster internet for the LAN portion."\nLANWAR was the designated name of the Louisville event hosted by the World Series of Video Games. It is a global tour that has planned stops in Texas, Brazil, China and England, each having a specific category of games. However, each venue's top two contenders of Halo 2, Counter Strike, Quake 4 and Project Gotham Racing 3 advance to the finals, which will be held at the tour's final stop, yet to be scheduled.\nAs the day slowly winds down, vendors begin to dismantle by closing their small tents. Yet one vendor remains up, and will stay until a majority of the gamers have left or succumbed to fatigue. With all the stress accumulating from the constant hassle of a gaming life, it's understandable that the masseuse will stay for 12-hour shifts. "This will be my third year here," Amy Guyton, 33, said. A student at the University of Louisville, Guyton originally got word of this event from a friend who builds hard drives. "He said this could be a good opportunity for you to make money, and sure enough, it was." Amy Guyton continues. "This is our biggest money making weekend of the year." She only wishes they could travel with the tour. \nIt is now past 8 p.m. A DJ sets up on stage in front of empty chairs and bleachers. A few worn-out parents and over-caffeinated gamers scatter themselves in the seats, warily watching the DJ warm-up. The once populated sea of Intel computers is now empty, yet announcers continue to comment on the day's events, as well as tomorrow's upcoming excitement. A few people halt and listen in on their analysis. Others scurry back to the BYOC area where hundreds of empty energy drinks rest atop monitors and hard drives. In the furthest, darkest, coldest corner of the exposition center there are bodies strewn across the floor in sleeping bags and blankets, dreaming of the pecuniary winnings that could be theirs. The loud speaker interrupts their tranquil sleep for just a moment: "Jerry Glassik you need to please call your mom. Jerry Glassik, please call your mom"