Pro video gamers coming to find Winnipeg’s best
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Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 09/07/2008 (6536 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.
The godfather of Halo will be here Thursday and he wants to see who’s got game in Winnipeg.
Canada’s top video gamer, Nelson Triana, arrives in the city this week with his Major League Gaming team North of 49. If you make the grade, you might get to join their elite video gaming squad.
He and teammates Leo Vitelli and Bo Kovacevic bring their cross-country tour — dubbed Amp Your Game — to The Forks. They’re auditioning gamers in person and online across Canada with intense competition on Halo 3, hoping to add another of Canada’s best gamers to their ranks.
Ottawa-born Triana, 28, was heavily involved in high school sports and competed provincially in track and field, freestyle wrestling and badminton. In 2004, he was in police college when he first got into gaming.
“I got into it pretty late,” Triana said. “Something just to, you know, vent off or relax when I was at school. But I had immediate success and I’ve been doing it ever since. I ended up just going to the Canadian nationals and taking first place in Canada and then second in the worlds. It just picked up from there after that.”
After his second-place finish at the 2004 and 2005 World Cyber Games, Triana got a lucky break: a phone call offering him a six-month sponsorship including travel, accommodation and food costs. It allowed him to focus on gaming and travel around North America to compete in video game tournaments. Near the end of 2006, U.S.-based Major League Gaming contacted Triana with an eye to expansion in Canada.
“Because I was the top Canadian gamer, I’ve been part of the league since 2004. They wanted me to, I guess, be their spokesperson for MLG Canada,” Triana said.
Triana has a full endorsement deal which includes a salary and travel and living expenses; it’s a package he says is worth close to six figures. “With everything it’s still a good chunk of change to play video games on a full-time basis,” Triana said.
His advice to aspiring gamers is to work hard not only at the game but at the personal skills vital for teamwork. But keep it fun.
The Winnipeg tour stop will give local gamers a chance to lock and load with the North of 49 team on 80 gaming stations set up near the Scotiabank stage at The Forks. Gamers can mix it up from noon to 11 p.m. Thursday through Saturday and noon to 6 p.m. Sunday. To audition, register online at http://www.ampenergy.ca.
Four finalists will be chosen in Winnipeg, and North of 49 will announce their new team member after the tour ends in August.
will.tremain@freepress.mb.ca