WCG 2008 Grand Final Referee Registration Begins! An announcement from the WCG committee to announce signups for tournament referees at the WCG 2008 Grand Final, to be held from Nov 5th to Nov 9th (5 days) at Kolnmesse 8 Hall, Cologne, Germany. We are accepting signups for the 14 WCG 2008 official game titles, and the registration will close on August 13, 2008. (Selected referees will be contacted by the tournament administrator.)  You must have good working knowledge of the game and speak English fluently to apply. Referees that are selected for the Grand Final will be provided with daily expenses, hotel stay, and meal. You can read further details on the referee sign up page at the link below. Any costs arising from travelling from your location to the Grand Final venue is your responsibility. If you would like to sign up to be a WCG Grand Final referee, please click here. Benefits - Title of WCG referee at WCG preliminary or grand final - Receive referee certification of WCG official games - Opportunity to referee future WCG tournaments - Provide accommodations and meals during the grand final period - Provide daily expenses during the grand final period Requirements - Someone who has experience as a referee or a player in pertinent game - Someone who has extensive knowledge in pertinent game - Someone who has healthy body and mind as WCG referee - Someone who has ability to judge - Someone who can communicate in foreign language (English is a must.) Registration Period  ~ August 13th, 2008     NZ World Cyber Games a success AUCKLAND 13 July 2008 - Nearly 800 competitors battled around the clock for a place on the New Zealand team for the 2008 World Cyber Games. Held over three days at the TelstraClear Pacific Events Centre, the New Zealand World Cyber Games Qualifiers provided Kiwi gamers the chance to represent New Zealand at the e-sports equivalent of the Olympic Games.  xLAN Limited World Cyber Games New Zealand Strategic Partner Managing Director Susan Baikie, says the standard was extremely high, showing the growth in popularity of e-sport in New Zealand.  “The World Cyber Games Qualifier this weekend was hugely successful, and we have the strongest team ever ready to compete internationally. “A team of 19 winning gamers from the New Zealand World Cyber Games will compete against 12 other Asia Pacific countries in Singapore this August, and Cologne, Germany in November for the Grand Final of the 2008 World Cyber Games.”  New Zealand World Cyber Games 2008 team: Feroz ‘evolution’ Brouwer (Team Sidewinder) Bruce ‘infidel’ Lodge (Team Sidewinder) Nick ‘ninjanick’ Shaw (Team Sidewinder) Byron ‘simcore’ McLean (Team Sidewinder) Ryan ‘toonz’ Campion (Team Sidewinder) Hamish ‘kowi’ Parker Connagh ‘IZeRo” Heath (Team Sidewinder Flowen) Kurtis ‘KurtiZ’ Papple (Team Sidewinder Flowen) Ozz ‘Proddd’ Buitendyk (Team Sidewinder Flowen) Ben ‘Zeth’ Price (Team Sidewinder Flowen) Pejmon ‘Pablo’ Barzandeh Lorance ‘Escobar’ Taylor (MidCity Procision) Jeremy ‘jerm_nz’ Macdonald (MidCity Procision) Slava ‘slavOuchka’ Sheynin (MidCity Procision) Nick ‘Veteran-in-Love’ Catley (MidCity Procision) David ‘Wytaliba’ Ashwell (MidCity Procision) Patrick ‘ssj2vegrick’ Cullinan Mason ‘massi4h’ Maddox Austin ‘wugga’ Sedgwick New Zealand World Cyber Games Grand Final Qualifiers results:  Counter Strike 1.6 (PC) Winner: Team Sidewinder (Members: Feroz ‘evolution’ Brouwer; Bruce ‘infidel’ Lodge; Nick ‘ninjanick’ Shaw; Byron ‘simcore’ McLean and Ryan ‘toonz’ Campion) 2nd place: diving Gaming 3rd place: etu  Warcraft III: The Frozen Throne (PC) Winner: Hamish ‘kowi’ Parker 2nd place: Chase ‘FiZiX’ Barnes 3rd place: Jason ‘Snoop’ McCartney  Halo 3 (Xbox 360 - 4v4) Winner: Team Sidewinder Flowen (Members: Connagh ‘IZeRo” Heath; Kurtis ‘KurtiZ’ Papple; Ozz ‘Proddd’ Buitendyk; Ben ‘Zeth’ Price) 2nd place: DM 3rd place: Warbound   Guitar Hero III (Xbox 360) Winner: Mason ‘massi4h’ Maddox 2nd place: Thomas ‘DarkJyn’ Clarke 3rd place: Owain ‘Welshman’ Metcalfe  Virtua Fighter 5 (Xbox 360) Winner: Austin ‘wugga’ Sedgwick 2nd place: Mark ‘Markuchi’ Payne 3rd place: Paul ‘DogcowNZ’ Dickinson  New Zealand World Cyber Games Asian Qualifiers results:  FIFA 2008 (PC) Winner: Pejmon ‘Pablo’ Barzandeh 2nd place: Shahn ‘Fobski’ Harris 3rd place: Alex ‘Daman88’ Lam  DOTA All-Stars (PC) Winner: MidCity Procision (Members: Lorance ‘Escobar’ Taylor; Jeremy ‘jerm_nz’ Macdonald; Slava ‘slavOuchka’ Sheynin; Nick ‘Veteran-in-Love’ Catley; David ‘Wytaliba’ Ashwell) 2nd place: MidCity Passion for Fashion 3rd place: MidCity Mmm I Dunno…  Need for Speed Pro-Street (PC) Winner: Patrick ‘ssj2vegrick’ Cullinan 2nd place: Carl ‘EVO_X’ Sulzberger 3rd place: Jason ‘Dingardo’ Biddick  Guitar Hero III (Xbox 360) Winner: Mason ‘massi4h’ Maddox 2nd place: Thomas ‘DarkJyn’ Clarke 3rd place: Owain ‘Welshman’ Metcalfe  Virtua Fighter 5 (Xbox 360) Winner: Austin ‘wugga’ Sedgwick 2nd place: Mark ‘Markuchi’ Payne 3rd place: Paul ‘DogcowNZ’ Dickinson   More than $100,000 worth of prizes provided by Worldwide sponsor Samsung Electronics and New Zealand major sponsor TelstraClear, Worldwide Premier Sponsor Xbox 360, ASUS and Demon Energy are up for grabs.  Other partners include PC World (Official Media), The Edge Radio Station (official Radio Station) and PlayTech (Official Game PC Supplier).   Official Debrief for 2008 2008 New Zealand Team  Another event has finished and things are starting to settle after the large amount of work to deliver the event completes. This year’s event was a major success and seen improvements across the board with many feeling it was the best event we have ever delivered. We would like to congratulate our entire list of prize winners, many of these will be heading to the Asian Championships in Singapore in August and many more in November to the Grand Final in Germany. We are working on providing up to date coverage and live results for our team overseas this year, this combined with the blog from PCWorld should give the best coverage of our overseas teams than ever before! Also check out the new eblacks.co.nz site which is a site dedicated to the teams we send overseas, this site is sponsor free and is a sign of respect and honor for our top e-sports players. Today we will start the large task of sorting and uploading to the xLAN photo gallery photographs from the event, the TV articles and time-slip are already available on our youtube page with the team interviews being uploaded to it over the next fortnight.  The general event video will be available in just under two months and will post when this is available. A big thank you to the team from Gamestah who worked very hard all weekend on a very tight timetable, they worked with our dedicated stage team to make one some of the best esports coverage seen in New Zealand. We hope to have more stages next year to even include some non gaming action so expect to see even further improvements in this area. This leads to a big thanks to all of xLAN crew who worked hard for the event duration and without them the event would not happen, we can only hope to have many of them help with next year to make it an even bigger and better success. Lastly a big thanks our sponsors Samsung, TelstraClear, Xbox 306, ASUS and Demon Energy for their fantastic support his year and our partners PC World, The Edge and Playtech. Remember to support them as they make this event a possibility and without them we would not be able to send New Zealand’s best gamers to compete against the world. Cheers, Susan and Anthony Event Organisers      New Zealand's top gamers in action       Come see New Zealand's top gamers in action fighting for the chance to represent New Zealand at the World Cyber Games and visit the Gaming and Electronics Expo.   Spectator Cost: Free   Location: TelstraClear Pacific Events Centre   Hours: Friday 11th July - 2pm till 8pm Saturday 12th July - 9am till 8pm Sunday 13th July - 8am till after prize giving      PlayTech Striker 700i WCG2008 Limited Edition PC The WCG PC supplied by Playtech specifications are as follows:   Intel Core 2 Duo E8200 2.66GHz 1333MHz FSB 6MB Cache PlayTech Stage 2 supreme Air Cooling using Arctic Cooling Freezer Pro 7 ASUS P5N-D Nvidia 750i SLI Ready Motherboard ASUS EN9600GT 512MB GDDR3 Graphics Card Kingston HyperX 2GB kit DDR2-800 CL4-4-4-12 SLI ready memory Western Digital WD6400AAKS 640GB 16MB Cache SATA2 HDD ASUS DRW-2014SI 20x Dual Layer DVD-RW Silverstone PS01 Gaming Case with blue led 12cm fan Silverstone ST50EF 500W Gaming PSU 3D Mark06 Vista 1024x768 score 9796 at stock CPU 3D Mark06 Vista 1024x768 score 11026 at 3.2GHz CPU Overclock The Xlan Special Pricing is $1199 incl GST for the Box Or including an OS (Vista Home Prem or XP Home) $1345 incl GST   If you preorder the PC's you can purchase it for $1169 incl GST instead of $1199 incl GST. SAMSUNG 2253LW High-gloss Black 21.6 " 5ms (2ms GTG) Widescreen LCD Monitor 300 cd/m2 DC 8000:1 xLAN Attendee Pricing is $370 incl GST, or; Bundle the monitor with an xLAN WCG PC and get it for $350 incl GST    Finally - Preorder any of the following items, and receive them for these discounted prices :     PlayTech Stiker 700i PC                $1169 incl GST PlayTech PC + Software               $1315 incl GST Samsung 2253LW LCD                  $350 incl GST PlayTech PC + Monitor                 $1519 incl GST PlayTech PC + Monitor + OS        $1665 incl GST     Discuss here  or email : xlan@playtech.co.nz        Official NZ WCG LCD We are proud to announce as part of the sponsorship deal from Samsung New Zealand they will be providing us with Samsung 21.6” 2253LW Widescreen LCDs for Stage and Cyberspace #1 matches. These LCD's will be available for purchase as ex-demo units after the event via Playtech at a special price.       Win Ticket To The Event! Did you miss on a ticket? You should listen to The Edge radio station starting today (30th June) till Friday (4th July) between 2pm and 7pm as Fletch and Vaughan will be giving away 2 tickets to the event each day. Anyone from around New Zealand can win these, you have to provide your own transport and accommodation but the ticket is on us! If you missed out and want to come to the event for some casual gaming or you would like to try your hand at Guitar Heroes 3 and try and win a trip to Singapore in August and also Germany in November to represent New Zealand. Anyone can try and win a ticket you could be a PC or console player, the ticket you win is a full ticket for the whole weekend only thing is you must be a NZ Citizen to compete in the Guitar Heroes 3 Tournament and be 16 or over to win a ticket. Listen to win! You get to bring in your console or pc and join in all the fun. If you don’t win a ticket you can still come and spectate for FREE, visit the Gaming and Electronics Expo and watch live commentated stage matches on the huge stage, Cyberspace 1 and Cyber Space 2 games like Team fortress 2, Call of Duty 4, Counter Strike 1.6, Halo 3, Guitar Heroes plus many more Spectator Hours:  Friday 11th July - 2pm till 8pm Saturday 12th July - 9am till 8pm Sunday 13th July - 9am till after prize giving For more detail on the event please visit www.xlan.co.nz   Official Radio Partner We are pleased to announce that The Edge Radio station has come on board as the Official Radio Partner for 2008. Listen to Fletch & Vaughan during the Xbox 360 hour @ 3pm weekdays to win your tickets to xLAN 2008 - they'll be giving away 10 tickets the week before the event! (30th June - 4th July) Join us in welcoming them to the best gaming and largest tournament ever held in NZ. Please note you will NOT be able to enter any official tournaments other than the Guitar Heroes 3 tournament and you will be seated with the Xbox atteendees – we have put these tickets in the tournament so they will be including in the upcoming tournament draws. http://www.theedge.co.nz   WCG NZ Gaming PC partner    xLAN Limited is pleased to announce that Playtech is the official Gaming PC partner for the 2008 World Cyber Games New Zealand Qualifier, they will be providing the gaming systems utilised by New Zealand’s best gamers as they battle it out from the 11th till the 13th July at the Telstraclear Pacific Events Centre for the chance to represent New Zealand at the World Cyber Games grand final in Germany and the Asian Championship in Singapore later this year. Playtech is New Zealand’s premier gaming and computer specialist retailer, their dedication to provide the customer the most detailed pre-sale product information and extensive product knowledge, sets them apart from the competitors in the market. Be sure to check out the pre event specials in our forums or visit their fantastic new store inside of homezone, 60 constellation drive in the North Shore. If you’re not located in Auckland  visit their web site at http://www.playtech.co.nz      Tickets Are All Sold Out    xLAN 2008 and the New Zealand World Cyber Games has sold out, demand for tickets was high this year with many people missing out who left purchasing a ticket till the last moment. Preparations for the event are continuing and we will be leaking information to everyone over the coming weeks. Please remember to keep checking our main page and forums leading up to the event as we will be posting important information for all attendees. Thank you The Event Organisers   [WCGNZ] Prize Pool Announcement    We are proud to announce that the xLAN and the New Zealand World Cyber Games total prize pool is worth over NZ$120,000 we have listed below the value of each prize, please note for the team based tournaments this is the total for your whole team. This is NOT cash: Prizes are either sponsors products or value of overseas trips. Tournament Name 1st Prize 2nd Prize 3rd Prize CounterStrike: 1.6 (PC) (WCG) (5v5) $30,000 $1,250 $500 WarCraft III Frozen Throne (PC) (WCG) (1v1) $6,000 $250 $100 Halo 3 (XBOX360) (WCG) (4v4) $24,000 $1,000 $400 Guitar Hero III (XBOX360) (WCG & AC) (1v1) $8,500 $250 $100 Virtua Fighter 5 (XBOX360) (WCG & AC) (1v1) $8,500 $250 $100 DOTA - All Stars (PC) (AC) (5v5) $10,000 $1,250 $500 FIFA 2008 (PC) (AC) (1v1) $2,500 $250 $100 Need for Speed Pro-Street (PC) (AC) (1v1) $2,500 $250 $100 Act & Dress Like a Rockstar Guitar Hero 3 (XBOX360) (2v2) $1,000 $500 $200 Call Of Duty 4 (PC) (5v5) $2,500 $1,250 $500 Team Fortress 2 (PC) (6v6) $3,000 $1,500 $600 SpamTin Memorial CounterStrike: Source (PC) (5v5) $2,500 $1,250 $500 Command and Conquer3 - Kanes Wrath (1v1) $500 $250 $100 Project Gotham Racing 4 (XBOX360) (1v1) $500 $250 $100 PC Freeware Gaming Marathon (PC) $500 $250 $100 Xbox360 Gaming Marathon $500 $250 $100 Food Eating $500 $250 $100 The PC World Modding Competition $500 $250 $100 To discuss this please click here   WCG's deepest condolences A massive earthquake struck near Chengdu on Monday. World Cyber Games would like to offer its sincere condolences. We wish quick and healthy recovery for the city of Chengdu. A massive earthquake struck Western China on Monday, killing more than 8,500 people and trapping more than 900 students in a high school, according to press reports. The quake, which had a 7.9 magnitude, was centered in a mountainous region of the country in the Sichuan Province, according to The New York Times. The epicenter was about 55 miles northwest of Chengdu, the capital of Sichuan--one of the country's most populated provinces. According to the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), the earthquake struck at about 2:30 p.m. local time Monday in China--or 11:28 p.m. PDT Sunday. World Cyber Games is very dismayed and saddened by the news of the massive earthquake that struck China, and the tremendous loss of lives that resulted. We would like to offer its sincere and deepest condolences to all the friends and families of the earthquake victims. We wish Chengdu and all of China a quick and healthy recovery.   [WCGNZ] Console Tournament News Console attendees have a lot to look forward to at this years xLAN and WCG qualifiers with an impressive line-up of qualifiers for the World Cyber Games each with a first prize of travel to the grand final in Germany later this year representing New Zealand on the global gaming stage.  The winners of both Guitar Hero 3 and Virtua Fighter 5 also getting the chance to attend the WCG Asian Championship in august competing against the best players in the Asia-Pacific region. Both competitions will have tough competition with best players from around the nation attending to test their skills. Virtua fighter being an intense 1v1 competition and Guitar Hero being fought out on Expert difficulty with Hyperspeed at the players discretion. Halo 3 4v4 is also set up to provide some intense match ups with the winners representing New Zealand in Germany, this tournament is age restricted to comply with German law, as such players must be 18 at the time of the Grand Final in November, so that means even if you are 17 at the time of xLAN you can still compete. On top of that one 16 year old may compete in the qualifier as long as a sub is named for the Grand Final by the date of xLAN. Although only one WCG qualifier may be entered over the weekend others can be entered as well such as the PGR tournament, the same goes for the console gaming marathon featuring some of XBOX LIVE arcades classic hits and working on a high score system over the length of the weekend. The case modding competition and eating contest is also open to those who wish to pimp out their favorite console or prove their superiority at the masterful art of food consumption. On top of this any console attendee is welcome to bring their PC as well as their console, the one condition being only one device may be active at a time to help with network and power limits. The same goes for PC gamers any of whom are encouraged to bring along a console to join in over the weekend. Its shaping up to be the weekend event of the year, so get signed up and paid to make sure you don't miss out. You can discuss this further here     [WCGNZ] Press Release The hunt is on for NZ's Halo 3 Heroes New Zealand World Cyber Games Halo 3 qualifier tournament sorts the marines from the grunts AUCKLAND 05 May 2008 – Think you have what it takes to beat the world’s best Halo 3 players? The hunt is on for Kiwi Halo 3 fans to battle it out in the New Zealand World Cyber Games (WCG) qualifier with a chance to take on other Halo 3 champions worldwide. More than 1.5 million gamers from 74 countries are set to take part in the global WCG tournament; all vying for a slice of the NZ$3.6m prize money. To compete for a place on the NZ team, gamers need to register online (www.wcg.net.nz), attend the three-day New Zealand qualifier in Auckland, and prepare for battle. Following the qualifiers, a team of up to 15 people will be named to represent New Zealand at the WCG Grand Final in Cologne, Germany in November.  xLAN Limited World Cyber Games New Zealand strategic partner managing director Susan Baikie says the addition of a Halo 3 WCG qualifier is an added bonus to the impressive line-up of tournaments at this year’s event. “Halo 3 is such a popular title here in NZ and we are pleased to be able to offer Kiwis a chance to compete in the international stage.  We have a talented group of Halo 3 competitors and we look forward to the exciting tournament ahead.” The New Zealand World Cyber Games National Qualifier will be held non-stop, around the clock, from July 11-13 at the TelstraClear Pacific Events Centre in Auckland. The competition games are Counter Strike 1.6 (PC), Warcraft 3: The Frozen Throne (PC), FIFA 2008 (PC) DOTA All-Stars (PC), Guitar Hero 3 (Xbox 360), Virtua Fighter 5 (Xbox 360) and Halo 3* (Xbox 360).  Exhibition matches will be played in Team Fortress 2 (PC), Call of Duty 4 (PC) SpamTin Memorial Trophy Counter Strike: Source (PC), and Act and Dress like a rock star on Guitar Hero 3 (Xbox 360), PC World Case Modding Competition and also the Legendry Food Eating Competition. The demand for competitive gaming is growing globally at a huge rate. Worldwide, more than NZ$51.5bn was spent on video games last year, with NZ$100m spent in New Zealand.  The New Zealand WCG Tier 1 sponsorship partners are TelstraClear, Samsung Electronics New Zealand and Microsoft New Zealand. For more information and to register for the 2008 New Zealand WCG visit www.wcg.net.nz.  Ticket price is $85 for the three-day event.  Gamers compete for a place to the World Cyber Games Grand Final and prizes from sponsors. *Halo 3 New Zealand World Cyber Games qualifier tournament is a ‘4 vs 4’ campaign.  Players must be 18 years and over to register.  For terms and conditions, please visit www.wcg.net.nz - ends - About Xbox 360Xbox 360 is a superior video game and entertainment system delivering the best games, unique entertainment features and a unified online gaming network that revolve around gamers. Xbox 360 has a portfolio of more than 300 games and is available in nearly 40 countries. More information can be found online at http://www.xbox.com/xbox360. About The World Cyber Games The World Cyber Games (www.worldcybergames.com <http://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. Internationally there are professional gamers who make a great living from prize money and sponsorships. In Korea, gaming is considered a national sport, with top gamers treated like sports stars, with fan clubs, groupies and requiring body guards.More than NZ$3.2m was awarded in prize money at the 2007 World Cyber Games, with a grand final prize of NZ$542,000.The World Cyber Games began in 2000. New Zealand World Cyber Games 760 spots are available at the New Zealand World Cyber Games Qualifier at xLAN 2008.  This has been sold out for the last three years.  More than 5,000 spectators are expected at the three day event.   [WCGNZ] xLAN and the New Zealand World Cyber Games 2008 Update xLAN and the New Zealand World Cyber Games 2008 is just over 2 months away and we are hard at work getting everything ready for the best gaming event ever held in New Zealand. This year includes an improved technology expo with more stands and many big names in the technology industry giving you even more to do during the duration of the event. Another improvement is the theatre at this year’s venue that will be transformed into a e-sports experience with its HUGE stage, event commentary, improved lighting and sound and spectator friendly seating that will showcase the professionalism and serious nature of the competitive play in many of our tournaments. Subsequent to our last email we have announced all of our tournaments, the following are Asian Championships and/or WCG Grand Finals qualifiers and the winners will represent New Zealand at the WCG Grand Final in Cologne, Germany on 5th-9th November or the Asian Championship in Singapore from 7th–10th August. * Counter Strike 1.6 (PC) * Warcraft 3: The Frozen Throne (PC) * FIFA 2008 (PC) * Need for Speed: Pro Street (PC) * DOTA All-Stars (PC) * Guitar Heroes 3 (Xbox360) * Halo3 (XBOX360) * Virtua Fighter 5 (Xbox360)  xLAN Tournaments are as follows: * Team Fortress 2 (PC) * Call of Duty 4 (PC) * SpamTin Memorial Trophy Counter Strike: Source (PC) * Act and Dress like a Rockstar (Xbox360) * Project Gotham Racing 4 (Xbox360) * Freeware Gaming Marathon (PC) * The PC World Case Modding Competition * Legendry Food Eating Competition Based on statistics of previous years it is looking like another sell out event, you need to ensure the members of your team; clan or fellow competitors in tournaments don’t miss out on a ticket as we will NOT be able to increase capacity this year as our published numbers are the maximum we can seat. Pre-payments close on 11th June, one month before the event. We now have a NZ Gaming Content section where you will start to find articles, Reviews on Hardware and Games, Gaming News, Interviews with Gamers (some video based). If you have any recommendations for any content please contact us. If you have any questions the xLAN team is only happy to help, you can contact us through the contact page or the xLAN forums.   [WCGNZ] Event Crew Perspective By Roxanne "e|usive" Bowden Thinking back it was a weekend to remember. Events, tournaments, sponsors, stage matches, gaming clans from around New Zealand; WCG qualifiers… wow! I remember waking up early Friday morning, grabbing a coffee and driving up to the event centre. If Friday was to be anything like the day before, I knew we’d be in for a crazy ride. I walked in through the main entry, entered the gaming hall. On my right, the stage, its equipment silent, sleeping, waiting. Directly ahead of me, a desk covered with name tags, and just beyond it, the dark hall awaiting its guests. Nothing but row upon row of tables and chairs, network cables, power adaptors. It really hit me at the moment just how much work was put into the setup. To think that just 2 days ago, this was nothing more than an empty hall. I dumped my bag in the crew area, and proceeded to the entry hall, where gamers were already lining up, joking, laughing, doing the Mexican wave (yes you heard right). We opened the doors, and the event began! Over the next 2 hours, all I could see were name tags, lanyards, and a sea of faces. While each crew member has their own part to play during the event, the first couple of hours are critical. Every last crew member is there, handing out name tags, answering questions, helping gamers with their gear, making sure everyone has found a seat, has power and a working network connection. During those first hours, it really still strikes me how much that empty hall transforms. The hard part finally over, on to the games! xLAN also hosts the New Zealand WCG qualifiers. Over the next couple of days, we’d be boasting tournaments not only for xLan, but for WCG and fun competitions as well! I turned on my pc, checked the roster for the Counter Strike 1.6 games, and proceeded to liaise with the rest of the game administrators. We picked up our walkie-talkies, worked out which teams we’d be refereeing for the first round, and the games began. From this point, for me, it was nothing but refereeing match after match, with a quick break for some lunch and dinner. But I didn’t care. Having come from a CS backround myself, there is nothing more exhilarating for me than to ref a game played by top NZ clans. Some of the rounds were intense! Some so close it was anybody’s guess who would win. I had no personal favourites though. When I wasn’t overseeing a WCG match I was helping admin the CS:Source scene. The rest of the event over those 2 days was a bit of a blur, there was just so much to do. The sponsors had their gear out for sale, the stage matches were drawing crowds. There was a even a Guitar Hero 2 match which drew much cheering and laughter. I know that behind the scenes, the crew were hard at work, each doing their own part. Fixing any issues, answering any questions, getting in the odd game themselves if they got a spare moment! It all went by so fast, the next thing I knew, it was late Sunday afternoon. Prizes were being given out, WCG winners and qualifiers were being announced, and the gamers were leaving. It wasn’t over yet though. Now came the nasty bit. The bit your mother would do for you if you were at home: clean up. This is where I tip my hat to those who volunteer for crew. Many people don’t know it, but crew aren’t paid. They are volunteers. They spend their nights in the months leading up to the event preparing for it, from handing out flyers, testing servers and equipment. Right down to sharing jokes in a lounge while crimping cables, surrounded by wires, cuttings and lots of coffee. They spend 2 days before the actual event setting up all those stages and rows of network cables you see. That previous empty hallway is transformed by many hands, working together for free. Sunday night saw those same hands diligently putting away equipment, throwing out garbage, packing up tv’s and banners. Why do we do it? For me, the answer is simple: gaming spirit. Crew are gamers. We want to see the event succeed, to see gamers having fun. This is what gaming events like this are all about. It’s never about the money. Anyone who’s ever spoken to the organisers, Susan and Anthony Baikie, know that they do not make a profit. It’s about the gamers. 2007 was the second year in a row I’d volunteered, and I’ll be doing it again this year, so see you all in 2008!   [WCGNZ] Online Competition Conclusion       Thank you to everyone who competed in the Torch Relay Online Competition and congratulations to everyone who won.  It was a huge success for us and hope you all have a better understand of what the World Cyber Games is.  Thank you to our sponsors, TelstraClear and Microsoft for providing the prizes.     Date Winner  Prize 7th April Matthew "Mog" O'Grady  TelstraClear Voucher 8th April Malcolm "Malks" Baron  XBOX360 Game 9th April William "William101" Slingsby  XBOX360 Game 10th April Robert "Luse" Tilley  TelstraClear Voucher 11th April Dean "Spigalau" Spittle  TelstraClear Voucher 12th April Julian "Tank" Moller  XBOX360 Game 13th April Allyn "Xtramalt" Creel  XBOX360 Game 14th April Ben "Zeth" Price  XBOX360 Game 15th April Anthony "ant" Mclauchlan  TelstraClear Voucher 16th April Darryl "Phoenix" Adams  TelstraClear Voucher 17th April Jason "drown" Riley  XBOX360 Game 18th April Paul "NZLCHEWY" Meendering  TelstraClear Voucher 19th April Svyatoslav "cRooootttt" Trufanov  TelstraClear Voucher 20th April Peter "Lyesalot" Lyes  Windows Vista Business       [WCGNZ] Media Partnership Announcement 2008-04-18 - xLAN Limited is proud to announced the partnership with PC World New Zealand, they are now the Official Media Partner for the New Zealand World Cyber Games and xLAN 2008. They will be doing a live-blog during the event online at www.pcworld.co.nz and features of the New Zealand World Cyber Games and xLAN 2008 will show in the June, July, August, September, December and January issues of PC World Magazine. The xLAN case modding competition has been renamed to the PC World Case Modding Competition and the winners will be shown in the August issue of the PC World Magazine. “We are extremely happy to have such a prestigious magazine to partner with us as the official media partner and we look forward to working with them” said Susan Baikie – Managing Director xLAN Limited. Please be sure to check out their magazine for coverage of the upcoming event.    [WCG Global] WCG Announces Official 2008 Tournament Rules and Player Regulations NEW YORK, NY April 17, 2008 – The World Cyber Games (WCG, www.worldcybergames.com) the premier international video game competition, today announced the official rules and player regulations for the 2008 tournament. These policies and guidelines will be applied in all local preliminaries and national finals in WCG participating countries. The new policies were the result of feedback collected on the official WCG website from gamers around the world, as well as e-Sport professionals, including previous WCG finalists and various test groups. Official maps for individual games, tournament processes and basic settings were improved so that gamers, as well as spectators, can enjoy the atmosphere and pace of the worldwide WCG tournaments.“It is very important to the organizers of the World Cyber Games that we honor the opinions and thoughts of the eSports community to ensure that we have the most fair and exciting tournament possible,” said Hyoung-Seok Kim, CEO of International Cyber Marketing, the global organizer of the World Cyber Games. “After a month of receiving feedback from a number of people within the gaming community, we feel that we have established a set of tournament rules and regulations that will enhance the WCG experience for both players and fans.”The World Cyber Games 2008 official tournament rules and regulations are: WCG 2008 Rules Starcraft®: Brood War™: (1 v. 1 RTS) · Added Maps: The Korea’s Star-League - Python, Blue Storm, Tau Cross · Removed Maps: WCG Paranoid Android, WCG Azalea · Applied Bug rules used by Korea eSports Association · >> View more rules WarCraft® III: The Frozen Throne™ (1 v. 1 RTS) · Added Map: Secret Valley · >> View more rules  Half-Life®: Counter-Strike™ 1.6 (5 v. 5 Team FPS) · Added Rule: ‘Duck’ cannot be specified up with Mouse Wheel. · Added Rule: Only one coach will be permitted per team. Only during “Freezetime” coach and player interaction be allowed. · Deleted Rule: Duck Moving · >> View more rules FIFA Soccer 08 (1 v. 1 Sports) · Added Bug Rule: Limited long ball play · Added Bug Rule: Any goals using the Q+W key at midfield is not allowed · More rules will be announced soon · >> View more rules Age of Empires® III: The Asian Dynasties (1 vs 1 RTS) · Added Map: Painted Desert, Himalayas · >> View more rules Command and Conquers® : Kane’s Wrath ( 1 vs 1 RTS) · Added Map : Touranment Decision, Tournament Tower  · >> View more rules Project Gotham Racing® 4 (1 v. 1 Racing) · Course Change: New York – Park Row, London – Trafalgar Tour · >> View more rules Need For Speed™ ProStreet (1 v. 1 Racing) · Laps: 5 · NOS: On · Course Change: Willow Springs - Short Track B, Infineon - GP Track, Chicago Airfield - Airport Long, Autopolis - GP Track · Added Use Limitation Car: Player can change car setting with 'Blue Print' menu. · >> View more rules Halo® 3 (4 v. 4 Team FPS) · Game Type : 4 vs 4 Team Death match · Betrayal Booting: Off · Friendly Fire: On · Betrayal Penalty: 0sec. · Suicide Penalty: 5sec. · Time limitation: 15min. · Vehicles: No Vehicles · Map : Last resort, Narrows, Valhalla, The Pit · >> View more rules   Virtua Fighter® 5 (1 v. 1 Fighting) · Game type: Versus Mode· Max Health: 200 · Round: 3 · Round time: 60 seconds · Game Level: Random · >> View more rules Guitar Hero® III: Legends of Rock (1 v. 1 Music) · Game Type: Pro Face Off · Difficulty: Hard · Music: Random · Hyper speed mode: On2 (The change is available by 2players’ agreement) · >> View more rules  Red Stone (4 v. 4 Team MMO) · >> View more rules Asphalt3 (1 vs 1, Racing) · Developer Rules apply WCG 2008 Regulations Very similar to last year’s policy, player regulations for WCG 2008 consist of participant qualification, age restriction, auto-berth, and more. They are designed to provide clear guidelines for players competing in the WCG 2008 tournaments. Much like the standard for participation in the Olympics, all players competing in the WCG 2008 Grand Final must have proof of citizenship to their country. In addition, multiple citizenships are not allowed. For Halo3, German law regarding age restriction applies and prohibits any player born after Nov. 6th, 1990 from participating in the Grand Final. The final rules for each game will be announced in the near future, in cooperation with the German Game Grade Association. In addition, the maximum number of players allowed on each national team is three people (for single player games) and one team (for team play). Under the auto-berth rule, medalists in the WCG 2007 Grand Final are allowed to participate in National Finals, without competing in local preliminaries. Lastly, if national team players cannot attend the WCG 2008 Grand Final, due to sickness or any other unforeseen event, he or she may be replaced with the next-highest finisher in the national finals. As for Half Life®: Counter-Strike™ 1.6, the team whose substitution exceeds 2 players will be disqualified and replaced by the next highest finishing team. For more information about the World Cyber Gamers or to review the complete list of specific game-by-game WCG 2008 rules and player regulations, visit the official WCG website at: http://www.worldcybergames.com/.   [WCGNZ] New Zealand Torch Relay Ceremony For the first time the World Cyber Games has implemented the concept of the WCG Torch relay and New Zealand was selected as one of the countries to receive the torch.    On the 14th April the inaugural New Zealand Torch relay ceremony for the World Cyber Games 2008 was held at the Hilton Auckland.  It was an honour to have Mr Daniel Kim from International Cyber Marketing to pass the torch on to Hamish Parker New Zealand’s Torch bearer at this ceremony and we will gratefully hold the torch till the 20th of April when it heads to its next stop in Singapore.    The ceremony was attended by numerous VIP and Media with representatives from New Zealand's World Cyber Games main supporters, Samsung New Zealand,  TelstraClear and Microsoft New Zealand. The event was a eye opener for many of the VIPs’ and media as they gained an insight into the global reach and size of the World Cyber Games and it already has generated media coverage that is increasing the public profile of the World Cyber Games in New Zealand.                  [WCGNZ] Torch Relay Online Competition Starts World Cyber Games New Zealand is happy to announce an online competition open to celebrate the torch passing through New Zealand. Each night one question will be posted, by emailing the correct answer to competition@xlan.co.nz every correct answer will go in the draw for that day’s prize. To get the answers you need to click on the Torch Relay Module Date Question Winner 7th April What countries are participating in the WCG Torch Relay 2008? Matthew "Mog" O'Grady 8th April Who is the torch bearer from Bogota, Colombia? Malcolm "Malks" Baron 9th April What game does the Torch Bearer from Kiev, Ukraine play? William"William101"Slingsby 10th April Where did the Torch Relay Start and where does it Finish? Robert "Luse" Tilley 11th April What Torch Relay city was founded in 1137? Dean "Spigalau" Spittle 12th April What international clan is Daniel Schellhase part of? Julian "Tank" Moller 13th April What Torch Relay City lies between the Hauraki Gulf of the Pacific Ocean to the east? Allyn "Xtramalt" Creel 14th April What date does Rome get the Torch? Ben "Zeth" Price 15th April Which Torch Bearer said - The World Cyber Games has been and will keep on being a spectacular event. No doubt about it! The World Cyber Games are not just about videogame matches where you compete for some determined prize, it brings people from all over the world together”? Anthony "ant" Mclauchlan 16th April Finish this line - The Path to__________ Darryl "Phoenix" Adams 17th April What country is receiving the Torch after New Zealand? Jason "drown" Riley 18th April What countries do the 2 x Need For Speed Players come from? Paul"NZLCHEWY"Meendering 19th April Which Torch Bearer has had two 1st Place medals at the WCG Grand Finals? Svyatoslav "cRooootttt" Trufanov 20th April What venue was the New Zealand Torch Relay Ceremony held at? Peter"Lyesalot"Lyes Terms and Conditions 1. Entries Close at 11:59pm each day 2. Only one entry per person 3. You must have a New Zealand Address 4. Prizes are not transferable 5. You must email your answers to competition@xlan.co.nz with your Username, Full Name, Address and Telephone Number The next question and previous days winner will then appear at 12am the next day.   [Press Release] Kiwis Eye Up World Cyber Games     KIWIS EYE UP WORLD CYBER GAMES Nearly 800 competitors are set to battle around the clock for a place on the New Zealand team for the World Cyber Games 2008.  The reality of this huge event, where more than 1.5 million gamers from 74 countries compete for a place at the final for a chance to win approximately NZ$3.6m in prize money, was pressed upon the Kiwi hopefuls when the official torch for the World Cyber Games (WCG) arrived in New Zealand from Korea today.