The HiNet 2003 Online Games Tournament started yesterday at Taipei's Shin Kong Mitsukoshi Department Store, and a total of 820 contestants out of 30,000 participants -- including a 70-year-old man -- will compete to place in the two-day final event to become members of the national team and claim the top prize.
President Chen Shui-bian (
Although video games and online games have often been criticized as distractions from academic pursuits, Chen explained to parents, "Becoming an online games expert is, like baseball, a way of representing Taiwan and gaining respect for our country."
PHOTO: CNA
Chen said that competing was not the only way to gain acclaim, for gamers can also design their own online games. Chen said that a keen interest and a willingness to learn always leads to opportunity.
Organized by Chunghwa Telecom, the Third Annual Online Games Championship Tournament, which attracted over 500,000 visits to the HiNet Web site, has been the focus of much attention because the winner goes on to represent Taiwan in the upcoming World Cyber Games (WCG), an international online games tournament. In the past two years, gamers such as Chen Ming-chu (陳明助) and Tseng Jeng-cheng (曾政承) have successfully represented Taiwan in the WCG, bringing home gold and silver medals in both the singles and group categories of the competition. This year, the online games of choice include Counter Strike, Age of Mythology, Warcraft 3, and Halo.
The Chunghwa Telecom board chairman, Ho Chen-tan (賀陳旦), also found online gaming worthy of praise, stating that it was a means to understanding proper Internet usage as well as a channel for creating business opportunities. Ho emphasized that online games have benefits to offer people of all ages. He is considering organizing an online games tournament for Cabinet ministers.
The HiNet 2003 Online Games Championship Tournament provides opportunities for gamers of all ages, allowing students in the sixth grade and under to team up with their parents to battle other competitors on educational games. In another category, the ADSL group, contestants can choose to compete as a group or solo in various games.
Competitor Chen Chih-Chen (
The tournament will be concluded on Sunday at 5pm with a closing ceremony during which competitors will be awarded for their achievements.
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