In a world where pro-gaming events seem to be shut down as fast as they come up, Major League Gaming is showing continuing growth earning them a very large investment.

Legion Enterprises have invested$10 million in Major League Gaming. Mostly they are interested in appealing to the 16-24 male demographic that attends MLG. There has been much discussion about the lack of women at MLG, but perhaps as the event grows with this investment, it will attract more than just males. MLG’s total funding is now at $52.5 million.

“At MLG we are dedicated to providing our community with the ultimate competitive video game experience both on and offline,” said Sundance DiGiovanni, CEO and co-founder, MLG. “Over the last eight years we have set out to build competitive gaming into a global, cross-platform business and thanks to investments from companies like Legion Enterprises and Oak Investment Partners, that vision is well on its way to becoming a reality.”

“Both professionally and as gaming enthusiasts ourselves, we have tremendous respect for MLG and its talented competitors,” said Darren Richardson, President and CEO of Mad Catz. “This new affiliation provides us the opportunity to work in close collaboration with the world’s best gamers and is a further example of Mad Catz’ commitment and capabilities to develop and globally distribute accessories which provide an unsurpassed gaming experience to professional competitors and hard-core gamers.”

“Our competitors demand the highest quality accessories available, and that’s why we chose to work with Mad Catz. Their commitment to excellence is unsurpassed, and we can’t wait for our competitors and fans to have a chance to play with the upcoming line of Mad Catz MLG Products,” adds Sundance DiGiovanni, co-founder and interim CEO of Major League Gaming.

Both Mad Catz and MLG have been collaborating with other companies to produce increasingly quality products, including Mad Catz/Sanwa Denshi’s popular Street Fighter IV FightStick and MLG/Astro’s headsets and gaming bags.

• Michael ‘Strongside’ Cavanaugh of Edgewood, Ky.; a member of the 2007 MLG Pro Circuit National Championship Team, Final Boss
• Justin ‘Pistola’ Deese of West Columbia, N.C.; a member of Triggers Down, the number one ranked team during the 2009 MLG Pro Circuit season
• Anthony ‘Totz’ Pennacchio of Bloomingdale, Ill.; the newest member of the storied MLG Pro Circuit team franchise, Final Boss
• Wes ‘Clutch’ Price of Memphis, Tenn.; a member of the 2009 MLG Pro Circuit National Championship Team, Believe the Hype

Over 1,200 individuals and 256 teams of four have registered to compete thus far. To get some good practice, and a taste of the competition, visit www.doritoscombine.com for information about where to practice. If you just want to participate in the Free For All event, you have until March 22 to register online, or just show up to register in person. (Spectators can attend free of charge.)

It’s also a learning experience: MLG pros will hold eight seminars to help you in your game, with topics to include “The Mental Game,” “Support Players,” and “Team Captains.”

The Pro-Gaming Combine brings amateurs together with MLG Pros and League officials around the country. If you really want to play Halo professionally, this will provide you with the testing ground to do so, as well as an outlet for exposure.

DORITOS MLG PRO-GAMING COMBINE DATES & LOCATIONS

March 26-28, 2010: Nashville, Tennessee

May 14-16, 2010: Chicago, Illinois

July 23-26, 2010: Denver, Colorado

October 15-17, 2010: Washington, DC

At each three-day Combine, more than 1,200 players will be graded in key areas including: slaying power, teamwork/communication, leadership, objective play and support play. Top scorers will be called out for more thorough evaluation by the MLG Scout Team. Throughout the weekend, players and spectators will have an opportunity to jump into a game with MLG’s Pros and Scouts to show off their skills.

A total of eight Combine winners will be chosen, which will consist of the top four-person team and four individual players. Each winner will receive:

* $500 cash prize
* Roundtrip airfare of up to $500 per trip to attend the MLG Pro Circuit Event and National Championship Competition (pending eligibility for Doritos Finals Event)
* 3-days lodging to attend the MLG Pro Circuit Event; team pass; ability to play on a Feature Station
* Free entry into the Halo 3 Pro Circuit Event; opportunity to purchase reserved team pass
* Profile page on Doritos MLG Pro-Gaming Combine Web site
* The ability to play on a Feature Station at the upcoming Pro Circuit Competition
* Gaming prize package, including Astro Gaming Headset, Flip Video™ Camera and more
* Combine winner jersey

The series of nationwide Combine events will culminate at the Finals Event, where four players will receive MLG pro status. You never know — one of them could be you!

Major League Gaming is coming to the Anaheim Convention Center this weekend from November 6-8. The world’s top pros, our GamerBeauties, and many spectators will be watching and playing over the busy three days.

Admission to the events is $20 for all three days and fans can interact with “Play-a-Pro” matches, watch matches and be there for live broadcasts. I highly recommend going and cheering on GamerBeauties as well!

We’ll be documenting their progress through the competition and would love to talk to other women competing. Let me know if your team will be there and we’ll schedule an interview.

Here is the full schedule for the competition which features Halo 3, Gears of War, Call of Duty 4, Rainbow 6 Vegas 2 and World of Warcraft.

AMAZING PRO MATCHES START ON FRIDAY NIGHT AND GO ALL WEEKEND LONG!!
Highlights include:
* # 3 Ranked Team-Instinct-Friday 11/6 at 5:30 pm PT
* Dallas Champions-Triggers Down-Friday 11/6 at 6:45 pm
* The Dallas sweetheart story-Carbon-Friday 11/6at 10:30 pm
* 2008 National Champions-Str8 Rippin- Friday 11/6 at 10:30 pm
* Call of Duty and Rainbow 6 Vegas 2 Championships-Friday 11/6
* World of Warcraft Championship-all weekend long

EA SPORTS CHALLENGE SERIES
Highlights include:
* Madden Challenge-Saturday and Sunday 11/7 and 11/8
* NBA Live-first place finisher takes $1,000; 2nd place takes
$500-Saturday 11/7
* Fight Night Round 4- first place finisher takes $1,000; 2nd
place takes $500-Sunday 11/8

FOOD, SWAG, PLAY-A-PRO, AUTOGRAPH SIGNINGS AND MORE
* Ball Park Friday Morning Tailgate-Friday 11/6 10:30 am – 1:30 pm
* Str8 Rippin play-a-pros, autograph/photo sessions, and expo
scrims at the Dr Pepper booth Friday and Saturday
* Team Instinct autograph and photo session at the Old Spice booth
on Saturday 11/7 at 6:15 pm
* Customize your own t-shirts at the Stride booth
* Be an MLG Legend and hang with our broadcast personalities at
the BIC Comfort 3 Advance Booth
* Win Best Buy gift cards if you can prove your Madden skills on
Saturday and Sunday at the Best Buy booth

CHEER THE BEST AMATEURS IN THE WORLD AND PUT YOUR OWN SKILLS TO THE
TEST!
* See over 1600 of the best amateurs in the country try to make it
into the pro bracket and get noticed by the pros
* FFA and Wingman competitions at the GameBattles Arcade-

MLG LIVE BROADCASTS-WATCH HISTORY BEING MADE-LIVE!
* Pre-game show-Friday 11/6 at 4:30 pm PT
* Friday Night Kick Off-Friday 11/6 at 5:30 pm
* ESPN Saturday Night-Saturday 11/7 at 5:00 pm
* Call of Duty 4 Championship-Saturday 11/7 at 8 pm
* MLG Championship Sunday-Sunday 11/8 at 3 pm

You can be a legend with brand new eyewear from Gunnar Optiks. Their latest eyewear is called Legend and is being endorsed by Major League Gaming Pros.

“For avid and pro gamers alike, wearing performance eyewear gives a visual advantage and improves the overall gaming experience,” said GUNNAR co-founder Joe Croft. “The MLG-approved Legend takes it to the next level by combining GUNNAR’S extensive design experience and technology with the features most important to today’s top gamers.”

How does Legend help? Legend helps reduce eye fatigue and increase visual performance which is something both gamers and anyone in front of a PC needs.

“I love GUNNAR’s new Legend eyewear,” said pro gamer Mason ‘Neighbor’ Cobb. “I’ve been working with the GUNNAR team for more than a year and provided my input on the style, comfort and overall performance to make these great for gaming.”

We have not tried this line, but Cherith tried a pair during CES 2009 and enjoyed the experience. To purchase your own pair of Legends, it’s available at Gunnars.com for $79.00.

Halo 3 ODST

Gamers that attend MLG Dallas might be busy competing, but when they have some downtime they will be able to get hands-on with Halo 3: ODST.

The ODST station’s open on August 29, and you’ll have to register for a time slot in order to play. From the MLG site:

“Bungie is coming to MLG Dallas and will be offering the first ever opportunity for the public to play Halo 3: ODST! On Saturday, August 29th in Dallas, you can sit down with three other squadmates and put your skills to the test in Halo 3: ODST’s brand-new Firefight Mode. We’ll have two stations set up, both featuring slots for four players to work together in this exciting new cooperative game type!”

Here are the details on what you have to do in order to get some play time:
Get your spectator pass and come out to MLG Dallas. The Halo 3: ODST station will be active from 12 pm – 8 pm on Saturday, August 29th. In order to have a chance to play Firefight, you’ll need to register for a time slot to play on Saturday starting at 10 am. There is no additional fee for spectators! Spectator pass does not guarantee entry to play Halo 3: ODST. It’s first come first served, so be sure to show up early for registration!

Upon registering for your time slot, you’ll be given a wrist band. During your time slot, come back with your wristband on and play! Once you’ve played, you can register for another time slot if there are any additional available.

After you’ve played a bit, remember to go and cheer on GamerBeauties!

MLG EA Sports Challenge

EA and Major League Gaming have announced a collaboration to create the 2009 EA Sports Challenge Series. Starting this summer, MLG will be conducting qualifying competitions for multiple titles from the EA Sports line-up. The challenge series will be played on the Playstation 3. Sony Playstation is a sponsor as well.

Online and live competitors can compete for cash and prizes totaling $170,000.

“For nearly a decade, the EA SPORTS Challenge Series has represented what our brand is all about —competition and a passion for sports,” said Steven Chiang, senior vice president, EA SPORTS. “In partnering with MLG and Sony Computer Entertainment America Inc , we’re going to offer our consumers the chance at competition like they’ve never had before, at the highest levels of gaming, and with all the bragging rights on the line.”

The first event will be August 29-30 in Dallas, Texas. Online qualifiers begin August 17. The ad on the site shows Madden 10, NBA Live and Fight Night Round 4. For details visit http://www.easportschallengeseries.com/Now who wants to train with me for Fight Night Round 4?