SkillGround
Encyclopedia
SkillGround is an online gaming platform created by Groove Media Inc.
Players are able to compete for free, or wager for cash.
Free games are supported by advertising
before and during gameplay; cash games are supported by collecting a rake on prizes, with no advertising displayed before the game begins.
This service got off to a rocky start, with limited availability in its first week. This led to VH1 Game Break declaring it "idiot of the week".
Service has since been improved, and has gained wide traction for its UTour Golf offering.
The SkillGround website and service is shut down and has been shut down for some time.
Despite this, thirteen states have still outlawed skill-based gaming. The service is not available for cash play in:
SkillGround also forbids cheating. Players who violate this policy are banned from the site and their winnings are confiscated and awarded to those who would have otherwise won. Cheat detection is based on a proprietary, in-house technology.
Groove Games
Groove Games was a Canadian developer and publisher of computer and video games. Established in 2001, Groove Games had published more than 20 retail game titles on the PC, Xbox, and PlayStation 2 platforms....
Players are able to compete for free, or wager for cash.
Free games are supported by advertising
Advertising
Advertising is a form of communication used to persuade an audience to take some action with respect to products, ideas, or services. Most commonly, the desired result is to drive consumer behavior with respect to a commercial offering, although political and ideological advertising is also common...
before and during gameplay; cash games are supported by collecting a rake on prizes, with no advertising displayed before the game begins.
Games
Six games are currently offered through the service:- WarPathWarpath (video game)Warpath is a budget-priced first-person shooter video game developed by Digital Extremes, who previously developed Pariah. The game was originally being developed as a sequel to Pariah, but since Pariah was a commercial flop, Warpath continued development as a whole new game...
– A futuristic first-person shooter - Close Quarters Conflict (CQC) – A military first-person shooter
- L.A. Street Racer (LASR) – A modern racing game
- Kung Fu: Deadly Arts – A traditional side-scrolling martial arts fighter
- UTour GolfUTour GolfUTour Golf was an online golf game developed by Gusto Games and published by Groove Media Inc. The game was released through SkillGround: an online, skill-gaming platform owned by Groove but closed its doors in 2009 and the domains are now dormant....
– An online golf simulator - TOCA Race Driver 3TOCA Race Driver 3TOCA Race Driver 3 is the third title of TOCA racing video game series, developed and published by Codemasters. TOCA Race Driver 3 was released in Europe and North America on February 24, 2006...
– A racing game distributed by CodemastersCodemastersThe Codemasters Software Company Limited, or Codemasters is a British video game developer founded by Richard and David Darling in 1986...
History
The SkillGround service was launched in December 2006. Four games were included at this time, and golf, their most popular title, was added nearly a year later in August 2007.This service got off to a rocky start, with limited availability in its first week. This led to VH1 Game Break declaring it "idiot of the week".
Service has since been improved, and has gained wide traction for its UTour Golf offering.
The SkillGround website and service is shut down and has been shut down for some time.
Rules
SkillGround is not a gambling site. All wins are based on skill. As a result, this service is legal in the majority of the United States; whereas traditional gambling sites have been banned since 2006.Despite this, thirteen states have still outlawed skill-based gaming. The service is not available for cash play in:
- ArkansasArkansasArkansas is a state located in the southern region of the United States. Its name is an Algonquian name of the Quapaw Indians. Arkansas shares borders with six states , and its eastern border is largely defined by the Mississippi River...
- ArizonaArizonaArizona ; is a state located in the southwestern region of the United States. It is also part of the western United States and the mountain west. The capital and largest city is Phoenix...
- ConnecticutConnecticutConnecticut is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States. It is bordered by Rhode Island to the east, Massachusetts to the north, and the state of New York to the west and the south .Connecticut is named for the Connecticut River, the major U.S. river that approximately...
- DelawareDelawareDelaware is a U.S. state located on the Atlantic Coast in the Mid-Atlantic region of the United States. It is bordered to the south and west by Maryland, and to the north by Pennsylvania...
- FloridaFloridaFlorida is a state in the southeastern United States, located on the nation's Atlantic and Gulf coasts. It is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the north by Alabama and Georgia and to the east by the Atlantic Ocean. With a population of 18,801,310 as measured by the 2010 census, it...
- IowaIowaIowa is a state located in the Midwestern United States, an area often referred to as the "American Heartland". It derives its name from the Ioway people, one of the many American Indian tribes that occupied the state at the time of European exploration. Iowa was a part of the French colony of New...
- IllinoisIllinoisIllinois is the fifth-most populous state of the United States of America, and is often noted for being a microcosm of the entire country. With Chicago in the northeast, small industrial cities and great agricultural productivity in central and northern Illinois, and natural resources like coal,...
- LouisianaLouisianaLouisiana is a state located in the southern region of the United States of America. Its capital is Baton Rouge and largest city is New Orleans. Louisiana is the only state in the U.S. with political subdivisions termed parishes, which are local governments equivalent to counties...
- MarylandMarylandMaryland is a U.S. state located in the Mid Atlantic region of the United States, bordering Virginia, West Virginia, and the District of Columbia to its south and west; Pennsylvania to its north; and Delaware to its east...
- South CarolinaSouth CarolinaSouth Carolina is a state in the Deep South of the United States that borders Georgia to the south, North Carolina to the north, and the Atlantic Ocean to the east. Originally part of the Province of Carolina, the Province of South Carolina was one of the 13 colonies that declared independence...
- South DakotaSouth DakotaSouth Dakota is a state located in the Midwestern region of the United States. It is named after the Lakota and Dakota Sioux American Indian tribes. Once a part of Dakota Territory, South Dakota became a state on November 2, 1889. The state has an area of and an estimated population of just over...
- TennesseeTennesseeTennessee is a U.S. state located in the Southeastern United States. It has a population of 6,346,105, making it the nation's 17th-largest state by population, and covers , making it the 36th-largest by total land area...
- VermontVermontVermont is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States of America. The state ranks 43rd in land area, , and 45th in total area. Its population according to the 2010 census, 630,337, is the second smallest in the country, larger only than Wyoming. It is the only New England...
SkillGround also forbids cheating. Players who violate this policy are banned from the site and their winnings are confiscated and awarded to those who would have otherwise won. Cheat detection is based on a proprietary, in-house technology.
See also
- SkillGround.com (No Longer Available)
- SkillGround Forums (No Longer Available)