NZ’s Guitar Hero eblack the best in Asia

NZ’s Guitar Hero eblack the best in Asia

AUCKLAND 07 July 2009 – New Zealand’s eblack Mason Maddox has defended his title as the best in Asia.

Mason Maddox’s took out the gold medal at the World Cyber Games Asian Championship in Singapore this past weekend.

Mason "massi4h" Maddox won gold competing on the Xbox 360 game, Guitar Hero: World Tour, beating competitors from countries such as Korea and Singapore and winning SGD$1000 in prize money.

“To be named the best player in the tournament once again is fantastic – especially as we were competing in Asia where professional gaming leagues have operated for years. Mason has done New Zealand proud. This is New Zealand’s 2nd gold medal for video gaming, and bodes well for 2009,” says World Cyber Games New Zealand Strategic Partner, xLAN’s Susan Baikie.

The top 140 gamers from 14 countries in Asia Pacific competed at the World Cyber Games (WCG) Asian Championship on video game titles such as Guitar Hero World Tour (Xbox 360) and FIFA 2009 (PC).

The eblacks will go on to compete at the New Zealand World Cyber Games National Final in Auckland this weekend.

Susan Baikie says the popularity of gaming increases every year. More than NZ$51.5bn was spent on video games worldwide last year. In New Zealand last year more than NZ$100m was spent, up 20 per cent over the past five years.

For more details: http://www.eblacks.co.nz and http://www.xlan.co.nz

ENDS

About The World Cyber Games
The World Cyber Games (www.worldcybergames.com ) is the premier blue chip global video game tournament and culture festival First founded in 2000 to promote global harmony through e-sports, the WCG has grown steadily ever since. Behind the slogan "Beyond the Game" and with contestants from more than 70 countries expected to participate in this year's event, the World Cyber Games has developed into a true global phenomenon with arguably the largest prize amount at stake. The World Cyber Games prides itself on leading the "Digital Entertainment Culture."
Attendee demographics:

41% 16-24 years, single male, predominantly students.
36% 25-34 years old professionals with a high interest in IT.
23% 20-29 year old singles.

The WCG hosts invitational matches for star players on three continents - Europe, Asia and America, called World Cyber Games Pan Regional Championships. To encourage gamers to participate in marquee events throughout the year, the WCG Pan Regional Championships were launched to enhance WCG brand awareness among IT industry watchers and local Partners in each region.

After a very successful WCG 2005 Grand Final and the first WCG Asian Championship in 2006, Singapore hosted the 2008 WCG Asian Championships from August 2nd - 5th in Suntec City, Singapore. 120 players from 12 countries participated in 5 official titles. Each country held qualifying rounds for the WCG Asian Championships, with the best gamers getting tickets to Singapore where they competed for the title of Asian Champions. Over 45 thousands spectators visited WCG2008 Asian Championship.

About the 2009 eblacks team

The eblacks competed in a mix of console and PC games at the 2009 World Cyber Games Asian Championship in Singapore: Guitar Hero: World Tour (Xbox 360), DOTA All-Stars (PC), and FIFA 2009 (PC). The team comprises seven members:
• Mason "massi4h" Maddox Guitar Hero: World Tour (Xbox 360)
• Lorance "Escobar" Taylor DOTA - All Stars (PC)
• Samuel “sam.la” Wang DOTA - All Stars (PC)
• Sharon “shazZ” Yeow DOTA - All Stars (PC)
• Minhae “minhae” Kim DOTA - All Stars (PC)
• Simon “ShymoN” Chow DOTA - All Stars (PC)
• Shahn “Fobski” Harris FIFA 2009 (PC)

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