Int'l Game Tourney Takes Off

The start of the World Cyber Games 2004 Grand Final in San Francisco shows the continuing growth of online gaming around the globe, according to American Technologies Research analyst P.J. McNealy.

"We believe that investors, by and large, view online gaming and the gaming market in general to primarily be for hard-core enthusiasts only," McNealy said. "The counter to that point is the WCG has seen rapid growth in the past few years, with 600,000 gamers participating in the preliminaries a year ago and 1,000,000 this year."

The finals pit 700 players from 61 countries against each other as they compete for the top spot in a variety of head-to-head games. Those numbers were culled down from nearly one million participants who competed in local tournaments around the world, each hoping to earn the right to make the trip to California.

"Gamers can expect to have their skills and strategic thinking challenged to even higher levels by competing against some of the best players in the world," Hank Jeong, CEO of the World Cyber Games, said in a written release.

However, the event isn't just for the best-of-the-best. Like all successful tournaments, the WCG opens up a section for players who are merely interested in finding a good game.

The BYOC event will feature seats available for those who purchase the One-day Pass ($15.00) and some dedicated seats for gamers who purchase the Five-day Pass ($60.00). All players will receive admission tickets and t-shirts, with Five-day Pass holders also taking home a Razor mouse and mouse pad.