CPL Sheffield – Intel Dual Coring the Gamers
CPL Sheffield – Intel Dual Coring the Gamers
Nick Knupfer, Public Relations Manager, Intel
The CPL UK leg of the world tour at Sheffield has top be one of the most impressive and professional events I’ve seen so far and it’s obvious that the main sponsors, of which Intel is one, have invested a huge amount of time, thought and money into making this event a success.
To start with, the player areas are nicely dimly lit, keeping glare and reflection to a minimum, and the PCs the guys are competing on are some of the most ‘uber’ machines on the market keeping those all important frame rates up as high as possible. Central to the blisteringly fast performance of these competition rigs are the Intel Dual Core CPUs, pumping the power out that these pro-gamers demand.
It has to be said that Intel have set a benchmark for these competition LAN’s… The venue, the massive Magna Centre between Sheffield and Rotheram is awe inspiring. An old steel works, Magna has been sonverted into a science centre come museum with relics of the building’ past a testimony to the huge industry that flourished here. Huge forty ton cranes hang overhead, massive crucibles the size of busses that used to hold thousands of gallons of molten steel line the walls… You can’t fail to be impressed by the venue, it certainly has that ‘wow’ factor.
But it’s not just the venue that impresses, the presentation of the event of the games itself has had some serious thought put into it. For a start, the combatant tone of the event is highlighted by the main stage’s center piece, the tank from the James Bond movie, ‘Goldeneye’. Above that is a massiv screen showing snippets from games in progress while on a gantry above the event the TSN crew are shoutcasting key matches over the net.
For the finals the TSN crew move down to the main stage where ten huge plasma screens, five to each side of the stage, show each individual player’s view as they battle it out on Counter Strike. This is the way it should be, e-sports presented and showcased as a spectator sport, with experienced commentators talking through each match. The TSN guys’ enthusiasm is infectious and their commentary is pitched at just the right level to keep seasoned pros interested without baffling complete newcomers. Could it be that CPL’s spnsors, Intel included, have finally found the right formula to bring e-sports to the general public?
