Blackpool hotel gears up for computer war

With prizes totalling £10,000 the European Gaming League event at Norbreck Castle is set to attract 1,000 professional video games players and fans.

Organisers say Blackpool is fast becoming the e-sports capital of Europe with everything the console and computer gamers need for a great weekend starting October 24.

It will be the sixth time The EGL Open competition will be held in the resort and this time teams of four plus a coach and individuals will be playing the Call Of Duty Advanced Warfare and the Gears of War: Ultimate edition games.

One of the organisers Alex McBride said: “It is a very exciting event. We will have up to 1,000 people through there over the weekend.

“We have teams battling it out on the consoles watched by the audience with a big screen so everyone can see and professional commentators who really know all about the games.

“We get teams from all across the UK and from about 10 countries such as France Germany, Spain, Portugal and Scandinavia.

“The interest is huge, The YouTube community has exploded over recent years.

“Some of the better teams have sponsorship and professional players can earn six figure sums in a year. There is a£3m prize pool world wide annually. The pros train eight or 10 hours a day before a big tournament.”

He said around 150 teams are accredited for the competition with room for more.

“We love coming to Blackpool. The Norbreck has everything the gamers need. A huge auditorium and a bar hotel rooms on site. We missed last year and are very excited to be back.”