Source: http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/technology/7897503.stm; http://www.ukesa.com/
A new professional gaming association called the United Kingdom eSports Association (UKeSA) has now been set up. The Association caters for both amateur and professional gamers and players can compete using a variety of PC, Xbox 360, Wii, or PS3 games.
There are currently no English sports governing body for eSports, despite a number of events gaining in popularity worldwide. Indeed, the Asian Indoor Games hosts Electronic Sports Competitions.
While there is a history of professional electronic sports competitions and leagues around the world, it is not unilaterally positive. The msot recent casualty came on November 18th 2008, when the American based Championship Gaming Series (CGS) folded. Insiders suggest that many of the problems with CGS were connected with its live television broadcasts of the games, and that gamers wanted to play rather than simply watch other people play. The choice of games and formats was also quite limited.
Kris is a Senior Lecturer, and Co-Director of the Centre for International Sports Law (CISL) at Staffordshire University, UK. He originally trained and competed as an elite gymnast until a shoulder injury at university forced him to retire as an active competitor. He now spends his spare time coaching Trampolining, Gymnastics, DMT, Cheerleading, Parkour and anything that involves throwing yourself through the air with various degrees of twist and rotation!
Jon is an Associate Professor, and Co-Director of the Centre for International Sports Law (CISL) at Thompson Rivers University, British Columbia. Jon worked as a climbing guide, trained and coordinated search and rescue, managed risk and sales in the United States with a European-based manufacturer of outdoor equipment and advised recreation programmes on their exposure to legal risk. His extra-curricular background is just as diverse and includes stints playing semi-pro volleyball in Brazil, researching wolves in the Canadian Rockies, climbing and leading expeditions from Alaska to Argentina, Tajikistan to the Tetons, and many points in between. He has been married to Wendy for 15 years and together they have 2 wonderful kids – Tegan (10) and Brock (8) – whom he continues to emotionally scar as their football coach!
March 11, 2009 at 20:26
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March 18, 2009 at 09:55
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