In movies and comic books, the hero will often take off into the remote wilderness before the final battle, on a journey to hone their skills without distraction and find a mental space that gives them the focus needed to win.
Real life heroes and competitors do the same, and for professional gamers this idea is gaining traction in a cool new way...
We look back to some of the moments in eSports that will be remembered for as long as people are playing competitive games
In the mainstream press, away from the heart of competitive gaming, you will often read about how eSports is about prize earnings, big business, and the most famed pro players.
But eSports is really about the matches, and the gameplay moments that make them so watchable. With that in mind, we've handpicked six of the most exciting, important and memorable moments from the entire history of eSports.
With more and more eSports teams employing the services of a sports psychologist, what can you do to up your brain game?
eSports is a lot like a physical sport.
Whatever your game is, whether it's played on a pitch or on a screen, the brain is the part of the body that really does the hard work.
The human brain is often referred to as a muscle. While it does contain some muscle tissue, anatomically it is typically not considered a muscle. But experts agree that it can be trained like a muscle, and ...
With Hearthstone, Blizzard Entertainment saw the card game spin-off of their iconic MMO turn into an eSports phenomenon. And that's just the tip of the iceberg for one of the most significant game studios ever.
Anybody gaming in the early 1990s is sure to remember Rock 'n' Roll Racing. The isometric driving game didn't just look like the airbrushed cover of a classic heavy metal album; its soundtrack was packed with hits by the likes of Black Sabbath and Steppenwolf.
It was distinct, aggressive, and absurdly...
If you play FIFA, there's a very high chance you don't need to be told how football is played well.
But with FIFA 19 – which WODuels now supports – several new features mean even the most seasoned players need to rethink their game. There's plenty to embrace, and some classic rules of thumb that even the best players can forget.
So we've brought you our guide to the most essential ways to improve your competitive FIFA 19 game.
Ghosts! Goblins! Plants! Zombies! October arrived, and with it, you could feel the holiday atmosphere of approaching Halloween. Most people will imagine children and adults running around in costumes and asking for sweets, and on the other hand, the gamers will see an opportunity to participate in the holiday!
In celebration of the Halloween spirit, we’ve coupled together some of the more memorable Halloween events in recent years, just for you!
The sports-ware giant keen to get more women competing in eSports, the $10,000,000 Fortnite BR tournament, and one hell of a LoL win.The world of eSports produces more news that almost any other form of gaming. Results come thick and fast from across the world. But it isn't all about the latest stats from the competition stage.
So to help you pick the most interesting, unusual stories, we've selected three from the latest headlines.
How the first 'footballer's football game' grew from an atypical soccer title into a eSports giant
As players across the world tuck into FIFA 19, it's worth remembering that FIFA certainly wasn't the first football video game.
Throughout the seventies – two decades before FIFA arrived – numerous companies offered re-arranged versions of Pong, insisting that they represented all kinds of sports, from volleyball to football. The gameplay, though, always came down to bouncing balls from moving monochrome rectangles
Your essential guide to the most important competitive gaming events for the summer's close
As eSports gets bigger by the month, so do the eSports events that are the backbone of the competitive gaming community.
Here at World of Duels we understand that means that even keeping track of which are worthwhile can eat into your all-important gaming and training time. To make your life a little easier, we've assembled a list of the essential inbound gatherings of eSports teams, companies and fans.
Whether you visit in person, watch online, or just keep your eyes peeled for news and announcements over social media, the selection we've picked below should absolutely be on any serious competitive gamer's radar, as well as those of more casual fans.
Here's our eSports events calendar for Fall 2018:
Want to turn your Rocket League matches from chaotic scrambles to coordinated assaults on your rival? Look no further than our essential strategy guide
When you take to the Rocket League pitch for the first time, things can feel rather chaotic…
Being a newcomer to the game is exciting, delightful and even rather silly, as balls ricochet, vehicles tumble and goals are scored through luck as much as skill. It's a fantastically fun state of affairs, and that brilliant, hectic, casual play is likely the reason Rocket League engages so many first-timers.
But if you want to win games consistently, play competitively and move beyond the game's own version of 'button mashing', you'll need to be a little more considerate not just in how you play…
But in how you think about Rocket League.
While most will think of shooters and MOBAs when they hear the word 'eSports', competitive gamers owe a great deal to the emergence of the arcade fighter.
Competitive gaming as we know it today arguably arrived with the fighting game.
Multiplayer gaming has existed as long as there have been video games. As far back as 1958, Tennis for Two offered competitive gaming via an oscilloscope and early computer.
Knowing your Cherry MX switches from your membrane buttons could give you the edge you need in competitive gaming. But what does it all mean?Think of a typical competitive gaming set-up, and the chances are you aren't imagining a console linked wirelessly to a generic gamepad.
You're much more likely to be thinking of a muscular custom PC tower, an angular mouse dripping with extra buttons, and, of course, a highly specialized gaming keyboard, perhaps glowing with lighting and offering an array of customizable buttons.
In this Gear Guide, we're going to look at that all-important final element; the gaming keyboard. So, what should you consider when picking the ideal keyboard for your gaming style and tastes?
eSports has grown so much that today many thousands of players bring impressive skills to the table, and walk away with hard-earned prize cash. Some, though, are in a league of their own, whether you're considering them based on talent, earnings or impact on competitive gaming's evolution.
As such, we've picked six of our favorites. There were many to choose from, of course, and it took some tough decision making to reach our final list. Each of the below is an icon of competitive gaming and demonstrates what is possible with dedication, hard work and perseverance.
Here at World of Duels, we want to give everyone a chance to be a competitive gamer, regardless of sponsorships, rankings and budgets for travelling to tournaments.
However, major events do provide a chance to watch and learn tricks and techniques from the world's most renowned players
So we've compiled this calendar of the eSports tournaments, contents and gatherings – as well as related events – coming up over the next few months. At this time of year Counter-Strike: Global Offensive in particular dominates; nevertheless, there's still plenty going on if you favor another eSports icon.
An expert guide to building your audience and seeing your gaming channel be a success.
In 2018, watching video games became even more popular than viewing traditional sports.
Meanwhile, Twitch streamers and gaming YouTubers are now more famous to young people than icons from the world of music and movies. At the same time studios increasingly rely on video as the most important way to get people excited about their creations. This means that gaming...
To be an FPS player that dominates competition play, there is much more to master than simply hitting your targets.
A deep understanding of team play, movement dynamics and battlefield flow is essential to join the most competitive and elite players. However, many gamers seem to forget to give enough time to develop that most fundamental of FPS skills; mouse control. And if you're just starting your FPS journey, it's certainly best to learn to walk before you run.
So we've gathered three quick tips to help you get your enemies in your crosshairs… and keep them there.
The story behind the Battle Royale studio; and our favorite winners' strategies
Epic Games has been getting it right for a very long time.
Established as Potomac Computer Systems in 1991 when founder Tim Sweeney ran the business out of his parents' house, the studio has made some of the most influential games of all time; Unreal, Gears of War, Jazz Jackrabbit and many others. The studio is also behind the Unreal Engine; one of the most prolific technologies used for making both triple-A and indie titles today. Even if you only play a handful of titles, chances are...
A look into the history of a company that created an eSports icon, and a glance towards its mystery-shrouded future.
Back in 2006, game developers Brandon Beck and Marc Merrill set up their own indie outfit in Los Angeles, with little idea that they were laying the foundation of a cultural and commercial phenomenon. Two years later, they announced League of Legends: Clash of Fates, at the same time securing themselves seven million dollars of investment. With that kind of backing in place, it became clear that Riot Games had the potential to grow into a games industry titan.
The following year – having dropped the affix 'Clash of Fates' – they debuted...
How Counter-Strike Got Started
Originally a mod of Valve's shooter masterpiece Half-Life, Counter-Strike would go on to define the conventions of competitive online gaming, and to this day remains an icon of eSports. That's part of the reason World of Duels has long-supported Counter-Strike: Global Offensive.
Way back in 1999, when Minh Le and Jess Cliffe were working on their mod to Half-Life, they could not have imagined where it would take them. They released their creation as a free beta that year, and by sharing it with the world, they caught the attention of Valve themselves. Soon after, the pair were employed to flesh out their mod into a full game 'Half-Life: Counter-Strike'.
We've picked the most interesting, unusual and important news stories from the hundreds of eSports updates this month, giving you an alternative view of the competitive gaming landscape. So let's dive in…
Despite all Fortnite’s popularity and success, the battle royale genre is yet to establish itself as a serious eSports contender. That could all change, however, after the conclusion of the recent Ninja Vegas 18 event in Las Vegas. Battle Royale games are tough to build meaningful, workable tournaments for, largely because of their high player numbers, random matchmaking and deliberately chaotic gameplay. Ninja Vegas 18 opted to work with those elements, rather than try to cram Fortnite into a conventional tournament structure. There were no teams, and...
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