2008 Championship Gaming Series season
Encyclopedia
In 2008, the Championship Gaming Series
began its second season as a worldwide sports league for professional video gamers. A total of 18 teams representing cities in seven countries played in the league.
Once again, the CGS was broadcast throughout the world on DirecTV
in the United States
and Latin America
, British Sky Broadcasting
in the United Kingdom
and Europe
, and STAR TV
in Asia
. The World Final was to be shown live on DirecTV and rebroadcast on G4
.
The Birmingham Salvo were the 2008 World Champions after defeating the San Francisco Optx by 22 points to 15, in the final on July 28, 2008.
Semifinal results (July 2):
Final result (July 7):
Both Dallas and Carolina qualified automatically for the World Final.
in southern California
.
July 16:
NOTES: The Salvo won the second semifinal in overtime
when Messy defeated Offbeat Ninja in DOA 4 Male. This match was held on July 21, but not shown on DirecTV until July 23.
NOTE: The match was halted after four of nine rounds of the second half of CounterStrike: Source, as the Salvo had clinched the championship at that point. The most valuable players were Daveyskills and Picaso, the Forza Motorsports drivers for the Salvo.
players. Nihilum Arena won the 2008 tournament final on July 19, the event was webcast live on the CGS website.
Championship Gaming Series
The Championship Gaming Series was an international electronic sports league based in the United States of America, though it had expanded to every continent except Antarctica for Season Two before being abruptly discontinued....
began its second season as a worldwide sports league for professional video gamers. A total of 18 teams representing cities in seven countries played in the league.
Once again, the CGS was broadcast throughout the world on DirecTV
DirecTV
DirecTV is an American direct broadcast satellite service provider and broadcaster based in El Segundo, California. Its satellite service, launched on June 17, 1994, transmits digital satellite television and audio to households in the United States, Latin America, and the Anglophone Caribbean. ...
in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
and Latin America
Latin America
Latin America is a region of the Americas where Romance languages – particularly Spanish and Portuguese, and variably French – are primarily spoken. Latin America has an area of approximately 21,069,500 km² , almost 3.9% of the Earth's surface or 14.1% of its land surface area...
, British Sky Broadcasting
British Sky Broadcasting
British Sky Broadcasting Group plc is a satellite broadcasting, broadband and telephony services company headquartered in London, United Kingdom, with operations in the United Kingdom and the Ireland....
in the United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
and Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
, and STAR TV
STAR TV (Asia)
Satellite Television Asian Region is an Asian TV service owned by Rupert Murdoch's News Corporation.In 2009, News Corporation restructured STAR Asia into four units – STAR India, STAR Greater China, STAR Select and Fox International Channels....
in Asia
Asia
Asia is the world's largest and most populous continent, located primarily in the eastern and northern hemispheres. It covers 8.7% of the Earth's total surface area and with approximately 3.879 billion people, it hosts 60% of the world's current human population...
. The World Final was to be shown live on DirecTV and rebroadcast on G4
G4 (TV channel)
G4, also known as G4 TV, is an American cable- and satellite-television channel originally geared primarily toward young adult viewers, originally based on the world of video games...
.
The Birmingham Salvo were the 2008 World Champions after defeating the San Francisco Optx by 22 points to 15, in the final on July 28, 2008.
North America (Region 1)
The season in North America began on June 2, with the first televised game on DirecTV airing on June 16. The top four teams advanced to the playoffs: Carolina Core, Dallas Venom, New York 3D, and San Francisco Optx. The Chicago Chimera, winners of both World and North America titles in 2007, did not qualify for the '08 playoffs. The Los Angeles Complexity were also eliminated.Semifinal results (July 2):
- Carolina Core 26, New York 3D 13
- Dallas Venom 24, San Francisco Optx 22
Final result (July 7):
- Carolina Core 21, Dallas Venom 20
Both Dallas and Carolina qualified automatically for the World Final.
Latin America (Region 2)
The Mexico City Furia defeated the Rio Sinistro, 22-16, on July 10 to gain the automatic qualifying spot for the World Final from this region.United Kingdom/Europe (Regions 3 and 4)
The Birmingham Salvo beat the Berlin Allianz, 24-22, on June 28 for the championship trophy. However, both teams earned spots into the World Final.Pan-Asia (Regions 5 and 6)
The Sydney Underground topped the Wuhan Dragon, 22-18, in the final game on July 10. Both teams were invited to the World Final.Wild Card playoffs
The remaining spot in the eight-team World Final (reduced from 12 in 2007) was decided in a three-team playoff among the Optx, the 3D, and the London Mint. The Optx defeated the 3D, 23-17, and then the Mint 25-21. Both games were played on July 3.World Final
The World Final tournament began on July 14. All matches were held at the Barker Hangar at Santa Monica AirportSanta Monica Airport
Santa Monica Airport , also known as Santa Monica Municipal Airport, is a general aviation airport located largely in Santa Monica, California, United States. The airport is located about from the Pacific Ocean and north of LAX...
in southern California
Southern California
Southern California is a megaregion, or megapolitan area, in the southern area of the U.S. state of California. Large urban areas include Greater Los Angeles and Greater San Diego. The urban area stretches along the coast from Ventura through the Southland and Inland Empire to San Diego...
.
Quarterfinals
July 14:- Berlin Allianz 26, Sydney Underground 14
- San Francisco Optx 23, Dallas Venom 19
July 16:
- Birmingham Salvo 22, Mexico City Furia 19
- Carolina Core 29, Wuhan Dragon 12
Semifinals
(both July 21)- San Francisco Optx 27, Berlin Allianz 14
- Birmingham Salvo 21, Carolina Core 20
NOTES: The Salvo won the second semifinal in overtime
Overtime (sports)
Overtime or extra time is an additional period of play specified under the rules of a sport to bring a game to a decision and avoid declaring the match a tie or draw. In most sports, this extra period is only played if the game is required to have a clear winner, as in single-elimination...
when Messy defeated Offbeat Ninja in DOA 4 Male. This match was held on July 21, but not shown on DirecTV until July 23.
Championship
July 28:- Birmingham Salvo 22, San Francisco Optx 15
NOTE: The match was halted after four of nine rounds of the second half of CounterStrike: Source, as the Salvo had clinched the championship at that point. The most valuable players were Daveyskills and Picaso, the Forza Motorsports drivers for the Salvo.
Individual finals
In addition to the team competition, the top players at each game competed for cash prizes. All events were held on July 12. The list of winners follows:- Dead or Alive 4Dead or Alive 4Dead or Alive 4 has received generally positive reviews. IGN gave the game 9.0/10, calling it "a move in the right direction for the series", and praised the fighting system as "deeper and more sophisticated". GameSpot awarded the game a score of 8.8/10, with one of its only negative comments going...
(female competitors): Vanessa "Vanessa" Arteaga, San Francisco Optx - FIFA 08FIFA 08FIFA 08 is the 2008 installment of EA Sports' series of football video games. Developed by EA Canada, it is published by Electronic Arts worldwide under the EA Sports label. It was released on all popular gaming formats in September 2007 in Europe, Australia, and Asia, and in October 2007 in North...
: Yfran "Eafra" Garcia, Chicago Chimera - Counter-Strike: SourceCounter-Strike: SourceCounter-Strike: Source is an FPS video game developed by Valve Corporation. It is a complete remake of Counter-Strike using the Source game engine. As in the original, Counter-Strike: Source pits a team of counter-terrorists against a team of terrorists in a series of rounds...
: Dallas Venom team - DOA 4 (male competitors): Emanuel "Master" Rodriguez, Dallas Venom
- Forza Motorsport 2Forza Motorsport 2Forza Motorsport 2 is a racing video game developed by Turn 10 Studios for the Xbox 360 console. It is the second title in the Forza Motorsport series, and is the sequel to the original Forza Motorsport and is followed by Forza Motorsport 3 .The box art features a tuned Nissan 350Z...
: "FinPro" and "YggdrasiL," Berlin Allianz
World of Warcraft
The CGS also organized a tournament for World of WarcraftWorld of Warcraft
World of Warcraft is a massively multiplayer online role-playing game by Blizzard Entertainment. It is the fourth released game set in the fantasy Warcraft universe, which was first introduced by Warcraft: Orcs & Humans in 1994...
players. Nihilum Arena won the 2008 tournament final on July 19, the event was webcast live on the CGS website.