The one thing that's always bugged me about Major League Gaming's events is that if there were more than three games featured, the events felt overcrowded. And even when they were, it felt like the game's crowds overlapped a bit, and that there was never enough seating to be found, regardless of what MLG did to fix it. Well, they appear to have listened to complaints like mine for once, and have released information on what appears to be a step in the right direction.
Check out this rendering of what the new MLG Championships will look like:
So what can we expect out of this new layout?
- Casters elevated where everyone can see them. This is a departure from tradition for MLG, perhaps a nod to IGN's Pro League.
- A much more defined viewing area for each game, including theater style seating for Black Ops II
- Much larger player cams, so players are very well defined, as opposed to the webcam style we've seen previously
Definitely an improvement over the extremely overcrowded MLG Fall Championships.
Also revealed were MLG's plans to have a VIP pass for each game. Let's take a look at the offerings below:
Pass Options and Details:
Passes available beginning Tuesday, February 5 at 5pm ET at http://store.majorleaguegaming.com/
Spectator Passes- General Admission
$35 Online
$50 at the door
VIP Pass – Call of Duty: Black Ops II – limited quantity*
$250
VIP Perks
· VIP credential
· Priority check in line
· Reserved front row seating at Call of Duty: Black Ops II competition area
· Early admission to the show – Friday, March 15 at 12:30pm
· Friday venue tour with Sundance DiGiovanni – Friday, March 15 at 12:45pm
· Friday pre doors open reception with players – Friday, March 15 at 1-2pm
· Limited edition MLG Nike hoodie
· Chance to win one of 10 iBUYPOWER gaming PCs used on the MLG 2012 Pro Circuit. – Raffle will be conducted on site at 1:30pm during the VIP reception. Winners will have the PC shipped to their house post event, however side panels of the PCs will be provided on-site for player autographs.
VIP Pass – League of Legends – limited quantity*
$250
VIP Perks
· VIP credential
· Priority check in line
· Reserved front row seating at League of Legends competition area
· Early admission to the show – Friday, March 15 at 12:30pm
· Friday venue tour with Sundance DiGiovanni – Friday, March 15 at 12:45pm
· Friday pre doors open reception with players – Friday, March 15 at 1-2pm
· Limited edition MLG Nike hoodie
· Chance to win one of 10 iBUYPOWER gaming PCs used on the MLG 2012 Pro Circuit. – Raffle will be conducted on site at 1:30pm during the VIP reception. Winners will have the PC shipped to their house post event, however side panels of the PCs will be provided on-site for player autographs.
VIP Pass – StarCraft II: Heart of the Swarm – limited quantity*
$250
VIP Perks
· VIP credential
· Priority check in line
· Reserved front row seating at StarCraft II: Heart of the Swarm competition area
· Early admission to the show – Friday, March 15 at 12:30pm
· Friday venue tour with Sundance DiGiovanni – Friday, March 15 at 12:45pm
· Friday pre doors open reception with players – Friday, March 15 at 1-2pm
· Limited edition MLG Nike hoodie
· Chance to win one of 10 iBUYPOWER gaming PCs used on the MLG 2012 Pro Circuit. – Raffle will be conducted on site at 1:30pm during the VIP reception. Winners will have the PC shipped to their house post event, however side panels of the PCs will be provided on-site for player autographs.
These VIP Passes aren't for the faint of wallet, it's true, but for die hard eSports enthusiasts who can afford it, it's worth every penny. Plus those ibuypower PCs are no joke. The Winter Championships are shaping up to look pretty awesome so far. I'm looking forward to seeing what else MLG has up their sleeve in the coming weeks.
Dustin Steiner is GameZone's eSports Editor! Follow him on Twitter @GZSteiner and check out his work at ESFI World as a contributor to the world leader in unbiased eSports coverage.