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Monday, April 17, 2000

Computer gaming contest nets winner $40,000

Cyberathlete tournament in Dallas, projected live for spectators, drew 300 professional gamers

By Matt Slagle
Associated Press

DALLAS - Competition between the world's elite computer gamers came to a head Sunday, when players brandished cyber guns and other virtual weapons in a three-dimensional arena.
   It wasn't just for fun and games, either.
   Just ask Jonathan Wendel, who won $40,000 Sunday in a head-to-head match against "Makaveli," whose name is Victor Cuadra in the real world.
   "It's a lot of money," said Wendel, who uses the name "Fatality" while gaming.
   He finished first out of more than 300 professional gamers who came from South Korea, Sweden and elsewhere to compete in the Razer/Cyberathlete Professional League $100,000 Tournament.
   The rules of the game are simple: In 15 minutes, kill your opponent as many times as possible. Hand-eye coordination and fast reflexes are key, and the person with the most kills when time runs out is the victor.
   Wendel used accurate shots from a rocket launcher to sweep Cuadra 13 kills to none in a finals round before several hundred cheering spectators. The action was projected on two overhead movie screens in a large convention room of a Dallas hotel.
   Wendel said the reason for his victory was simple: "I just did what I had to do."
  
  

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