Last week the first World Series of Video Games 2007 event was held in Wuhan China, so i'm sure most of our readers were there... ah... oh... China... China?  Seriously?  China... hmmm. Okay then... The kick-off was in China, and about 80,000 fans showed up to watch! I guess with 80 thousand people to watch, it makes sense.  The cash prizes totaled $50,000.

The next event is in Louisville, Kentucy starting on June 21st. Be there or be square.

The World Series of Video Games (WSVG), Presented by Intel, the world circuit of video game tournaments, announced today the winners of the season’s first event of the year at Wuhan, China. $50,000 in cash prizes were distributed to the event champions. The top four winners in the “World of Warcraft” competition received travel support bonuses in addition to their cash prizes so that they may follow the tournament along to its next stop in Louisville, KY, from June 21-24.

Over the course of the fast-paced four-day competition, all-star teams and players from all over the world were mobbed by throngs of local Chinese fans seeking photos and autographs. The Wuhan event, the first of six events planned for the WSVG’s second season this year, occurred during China’s “Golden Week” holiday and was one of the official welcome events for the Sixth Intercity Games of the People's Republic of China, the last major sporting event in China leading up to the 2008 Chinese Olympic Games.

"We were amazed to see such a turnout to watch a video game competition—there were 2,000 people in line outside who we could not let in,” said Matthew Ringel, president of the World Series of Video Games. “Last year’s event in China was the biggest stop on the 2006 tour with 17,000, and this year’s attendance of 80,000 is an incredibly promising beginning for our second season. Next year, we may have to find a stadium!”

Ultimately the top four competitors in “Counter-Strike 1.6” and “Warcraft III: The Frozen Throne” were awarded cash prizes, along with the top seven competitors in the “World of Warcraft: The Burning Crusade” competition.

Counter-Strike 1.6 Winners
[TOTAL: $20,000]
• 1st. wNv.cn - $10,000
• 2nd. Fnatic - $7,000
• 3rd. TR - $2,000
• 4th. TR|united5 - $1,000

Warcraft III: The Frozen Throne
[TOTAL: $9,500]
• 1st. Jang “Moon” JaeHo - $5,000
• 2nd. Xiaofeng “Sky” Li- $2,500
• 3rd. Jung-Ki “Susiria” Oh - $1,000
• 4th. Manuel “Grubby” Schenkhuizen - $1,000

World of Warcraft: The Burning Crusade
[TOTAL: $20,500]
• 1st. Pandemic - $9,000 ($3,000 travel)
• 2nd. Fnatic - $4,500 ($3,000 travel)
• 3rd. MoB TurtlePower - $3,000 ($3,000 travel)
• 4th. Part of Shadow - $2,400 ($3,000 travel)
• 5th. Obsidian - $500
• 6th. Warden - $500
• 7th. Extra Order - $500
• 8th. * Not awarded due to a disqualification

Highlights and video clips from the WSVG China event can be viewed at www.thewsvg.com, with additional articles and coverage available at http://www.ampedesports.com/coverage/wsvg/

World Series Schedule of Events:

April 30 - May 3 Wuhan, China
June 21 - 24 Louisville, Kentucky
July 5 - 8 Dallas, Texas
Aug. 23 - 26 Orlando, Florida
October TBA Major European city
Nov. 29 - Dec. 2 Jönköping, Sweden