Championship Gaming Series

The Championship Gaming Series (CGS) was a professional

The CGS initially targeted the core esports audience for support and embarked on a recruitment campaign to attract well-known figures. Exclusivity was crucial to maintain the value of CGS, requiring players to commit exclusively to the league. Initially, the CGS aimed for complete exclusivity, but some team owners voiced concerns privately, expressing that this approach could restrict their earnings and potential sponsorship deals. Some franchises desired participation in local events for market exposure, and while CGS had reservations, the CGS adjusted contractual agreements to incorporate "Limited Exclusivity," allowing teams to attend other events with express written permission. However, certain conditions applied, including wearing CGS jerseys, utilizing CGS players or approved substitutes (taxi players), and promoting CGS in media appearances.[1]

In July 2006, a

The inaugural CGS season showcased franchises from six major American cities, with teams from other global regions qualifying through tournaments rather than a structured league format as in the United States. The American teams were given names associated with major cities and regions: New York, Los Angeles, Dallas, Carolina, Chicago, and San Francisco. However, these designations primarily served to mimic the structure of traditional professional sports leagues, and none of the players physically relocate to those cities. Both CompLexity and Team 3D were sold to DirecTV, rebranding to Los Angeles CompLexity and New York 3D, respectively, and were run by their existing general managers. The four other teams, the Carolina Core, Chicago Chimera, Dallas Venom, San Francisco Optx, were run by general managers of other existing Counter-Strike teams.^[4][5]

The inaugural season's draft took place at the

The CGS expanded for its second season expansion by introducing teams in Kuala Lumpur and Dubai. The league had also aimed to bring established European teams like SK Gaming and Fnatic on board, but the high costs involved led these teams to maintain their independence.^[3] The league made two changes to the games that were played, which included FIFA 07 updating to FIFA 08 and Project Gotham Racing 3 changing to Forza Motorsport 2.^[7] The 2008 draft took place at South by Southwest in Austin, Texas, in March 2008. The same month, CNET reported that the CGS was building a 1,000-seat arena and training facility that would be used exclusively for matches in Wuhan, China.^[8] The CGS reported that 2 million viewers watched its second season on DirecTV.^[9] The World Final Championship was held in June 2008 and was won by the United Kingdom's Birmingham Salvos.^[10]

In August 2008, Andy Reif was replaced as commissioner with Dale Hopkins, the former chief operating officer of

The substantial growth of the league in its second season consumed a significant portion of DirecTV's initial $50 million commitment. Coinciding with a challenging economic climate as the global economy approached one of the worst recessions in decades, the CGS announced in November 2008 that it would be shutting down.^[3]

The presence of the CGS had significant consequences for the esports landscape, with games unprepared for professional tiers facing dissolution. In the case of Counter-Strike: Source, a number of players chose to stop competing in the game, contributing to a noticeable gap between professional and amateur players. Amateur organizations also felt pressured to provide salaries that were unsustainable, akin to those offered by CGS, in order to attract talent. This, especially in North America, led to a culture where players prioritized individual interests, forming teams for assured victories and attending events selectively based on profitability. Moreover, the CGS's impact extended to competing companies, particularly if their flagship game was part of CGS and represented a substantial competitive threat. Elite-level talent from these organizations couldn't participate, leaving second-tier teams outside CGS with less thrilling victories and reduced prize funds. Additionally, the challenges faced by CGS affected the perception of esports on television among potential outside investors. Despite the aspiration to showcase esports on television and garner mainstream attention, the struggles of CGS portrayed esports as unprepared and labeled it a risky venture that fell short of budgeted expectations.^[1]

Format

General structure

Before the start of the season, the CGS holds

• DOA 4: One point per each round won, regardless of result; this event is best five of nine rounds
• Forza Motorsport 2: Teams are awarded four points for the winning driver, two points for the second-place driver, and one point for third place.
• FIFA 08: Gamers participate in an eight-minute minigame. Each goal is scored one point for the team competition. If the game is tied, penalty kicks determine the winner, and each goal also counts as a point in the team totals.
• Counter-Strike Source: This event consists of 18 rounds. All games count toward the team total, one point per winning round. If the teams tie after 18 rounds, a sudden death round is played. There is also a tie-breaking round if the teams are tied in the overall points.

No bonus points are awarded to any team for winning an event.

Broadcast

The first season of the CGS was originally planned to be pre-taped, as was done in the previous pilot events. However, that plan was changed, and the entire season was filmed live. The first season was broadcast on DirecTV beginning on July 9, 2007, with two-hour episodes running twice weekly.

Regions and teams

Region	Team	Location	First season
North America	Carolina Core	Charlotte, North Carolina	2007
	Chicago Chimera	Chicago, Illinois
	Dallas Venom	Dallas, Texas
	Los Angeles Complexity	Los Angeles, California
	New York 3D	New York City, New York
	San Francisco Optx	San Francisco, California
Latin America	Mexico City Furia	Mexico City, Mexico
	Rio Sinistro	Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
Europe/UK	Berlin Allianz	Berlin, Germany
	Birmingham Salvo	Birmingham, United Kingdom
	London Mint	London, United Kingdom
	Stockholm Magnetik	Stockholm, Sweden
Pan-Asia	Seoul Jinhwa	Seoul, South Korea
	Wuhan Dragon	Wuhan, China
	Singapore Sword	Singapore
	Sydney Underground	Sydney, Australia
	Dubai Mirage	Dubai, United Arab Emirates	2008
	Kuala Lumpur Taufan	Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

Source:[16]

References