GamePlay League offers $400,000 in prizes

GamePlayTV, Russia’s premier television station catering solely to gamers, has announced a new multistage event offering a wide variety of competitive platforms and $400,000 (€260,000) in cash prizes.

The goals and objectives laid out on the official web page appear to be quite progressive in nature. More than once the press release references the desire to support young adults in Russia by providing constructive actives, something competitive gaming is rarely associated with.

Other desired results include helping support Russian e-sport competitors and the Russian e-sports market in its entirety, being that international competition is difficult to get by on. A lack of local Russian tournaments is cited as being a cause for concern, which in theory would make it more difficult to practice and as a result more difficult to compete internationally.

The event will offer Counter-Strike, Counter-Strike: Source, Warcraft III, Need For Speed: Most Wanted and FIFA Soccer 2008 as competitive platforms with the bulk of the prize money being distributed between the two Counter-Strike competitions. Counter-Strike will offer $190,000 in prizes while Counter-Strike: Source will feature a figure just shy of $100,000, the other three competitions will offer $38,000 each.

The event will be divided into four stages the first of which is the registration period. A $40 per person entry fee has been implemented and although this may seem a little steep, all of the money collected from entry fee’s will apparently be divvied up and distributed after stage two.

Certain games will be broadcast via Russian television station(s) and internet services. The matches will be filmed from a television studio in Russia then broadcast, not unlike XLeague.TV.

Gamers not just from Russia, but from Eastern Europe are welcome to compete. You can register for the event and find additional information at the official website here.