NEWS - Wednesday, July 23, 2003
GGL partners with the Gravity Games
Professional Video Gamers Go for the Gold at the 2003 Gravity Games July 22, 2003--The Global Gaming League(TM), in partnership with the Gravity Games LLC, announced today that it will provide the extreme sports event with an unprecedented live professional video gaming competition -- V-Sports(TM) -- at this year's event September 10-14, 2003. Gravity Games, the world's premier action sports competition, music and lifestyle festival series returns to Cleveland's North Coast Harbor, located behind the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum. The GGL is an unbiased league for professional competitive video gaming (V-Sports), providing global rankings and tournaments at its website www.GGLeague.com, as well as live events around the country. The GGL is committed to making V-Sports into a professional sport through its live productions, innovative partnerships and management of its own professional gamers. Through the public recognition of its stars, the GGL plans to turn V-Sports into a true spectator sport and lifestyle. "Just as action sports organizations have done, the Global Gaming League will provide the video gaming industry an unbiased organization that can bring the real stars into the public limelight, showcasing their skills and giving them a true platform for their talent," said Eric Rollman, CEO of the Global Gaming League. He added, "The Gravity Games is a perfect fit for our 2003 launch, as we look for the nation's top talent to showcase on stage at this year's highly anticipated games." In order to discover and sign the country's most talented gamers, the GGL is embarking on a nationwide audition tour this summer, in conjunction with the SoBe Gravity Games Amateur Skate park series, currently underway at 32 locations across the USA. Gamers can sign up to become GGL members at each stop, as well as begin the auditioning process, which includes submitting a 3-minute videotape. The GGL will host daily competitions on site at the Gravity Games, and three evenings of special events on the main stage -- all of which will be seen by the Gravity Games' live audience of over 160,000. Players participating in this year's Gravity Games/GGL(TM) events will be vying for the first official Gold, Silver and Bronze medals for video gaming competition. Spectators will also have opportunities to become members of the GGL at the Festival Village, compete at the GGL pavilion and win prizes. "We are thrilled to welcome the Global Gaming League to the Gravity Games," said Gravity Games President Don Meek. "Having the GGL involved on-site at this year's event in Cleveland will allow us to showcase another lifestyle element that our core fan base use in their everyday lives, and for fans of video gaming, the opportunity to compete against the best players in the country and join a professional video gaming league is an exciting opportunity." The 2003 Gravity Games feature more than 200 of the world's best professional action sports athletes competing in skateboarding, freestyle motocross, BMX freestyle, aggressive in-line skating and wakeboarding events. Top names like Andy MacDonald, Simon Tabron, Jamie Bestwick, Ryan Nyquist, Leslie Kent, Travis Pastrana, Mike Metzger and Tara Hamilton will compete for nearly $750,000 in prizes against a backdrop of music, culture and lifestyle. Already television's highest rated action sports program (16 of the top 20 broadcasts), NBC will carry 11 hours of coverage this year, beginning with a live, two-hour Freestyle Motocross final on Sept. 14 (4:00pm to 6:00pm EST). Subsequent specials will air on consecutive Sundays through October 26, 2003, the majority of which follow the coveted NASCAR lead. Produced by NBC's top Olympics team, the Gravity Games have been nominated for eight Sports Emmys in their first four years. About the Global Gaming League Launched earlier this year, the Global Gaming League was formed to build the nucleus for the sport of professional video gaming through the organization and management of video gaming competitions and active promotion of its best players. More information on the GGL, including an original press announcement, executive bios and details on the national audition campaign, can be found at www.GGLeague.com. About the Gravity Games The Gravity Games is the world's premier series of action sports competitions. The Gravity Games is a joint venture between Primedia (NYSE:PRM), the leading targeted media company; Octagon, the global sports marketing arm of The Interpublic Group (NYSE:IPG); and NBC Sports, the most respected name in sports television. Broadcast quality video and color art are available upon request. For more information on the Gravity Games, log on to www.gravitygames.com.Source: http://www.xboxaddict.com/
