Major League Online

Major League Online (abbreviated as MLO) is an online computer gaming league. The league was created by gamers for gamers and allows players to test their skills against others in team-based multiplayer games. All the games MLO offers are part of the first-person shooter genre. Major League Online is a U.S.-based organization, with staff members from both the USA and Canada. Most teams that compete in MLO are from North America but a few are from Europe.

History

Major League Online was originally the Team Fortress Classic Hunter League developed by Erick Weinstetter. Before a single TFC Hunted match was played, he added a new webmaster and they formed Major League Online, to allow the company to expand into other TFC and Counter-Strike competitions. Those competitions began in 2003 as Major League Fortress (MLF) and Major League Counter-Strike (MLCS). That year MLO became the first North American online professional league, offering a purse of over $1,000. Webmaster Huy Tran was then added as a partner. A second season of MLCS in 2004 saw the league split into two separate conferences with a larger payout. In 2005 Huy Tran parted ways with the organization and Cody Austin was added as a partner. In 2006 Major League Online created its biggest event yet, the summer tournament with cash and prizes totaling over $3,000. Major League Online has expanded beyond "Half-Life" and now includes Battlefield 2 and Call of Duty 2.

Competition

Anyone who owns the games Battlefield 2, Call of Duty 2 and Half-Life can play in Major League Online. The new format for MLO is online tournament play. Each game has a ladder system where teams compete for seeding placement in the single elimination brackets. A tournament is run for BF2, CS, CoD2, and HL teams. After a two-month open ladder competition, the ladder is closed and MLO sets the bracket play, using the final ladder standings. Teams then compete for cash and prizes from MLO and its sponsors. Entry for competitors is free, and some games are shoutcasted by Ecliptic Gaming Radio (ecQ). All winners are added to the MLO hall of champions.

Matches are played in two halves, with teams changing sides after the first half. The scores from both halves are added and a winner is declared. In case of a tie, overtime rounds are played until a winner is determined. Each half usually lasts about 20-30 minutes. The game play in first person shooter competition is typically intense and fast-paced.

External links

* [http://www.themlo.com Major League Online]