by Azman Khan | Apr 10, 2018 | News
Sri Lanka Telecom took its regional eSports challenge to Kandy and it was a resounding success with over 200 competitors participating in the single player titles which were FIFA 18, Injustice 2, Tekken 7, Project Cars, and Clash Royale (on mobile). The event was very well organized and setup with the PCs and SLT branded TV screens which stood out on the 4th floor of the Kandy City Center.
With the platform for gamers in Kandy to shine being set, the gamers rose to the challenge being up bright and early at the Kandy City Center by 10 a.m. and ready to battle their way to the top spot. Gamers had everything on the line as this was the golden ticket into the Main Event which would be held later this year in Colombo with the winner of the regional tournament automatically earning a place in the final bracket of their respective gaming title.
Kicking things off at the event was Project Cars, which saw participants of varying ages ranging from young contestants just starting out their eSports careers to veterans such as Angelo Tennakoon and Tharindu Rajapakse who have spent years on the game. It may seem like just a casual racing game until you get behind the controls and realize just how difficult it is to navigate the vehicles as well as all the hairpin turns in the map itself that can cause you to pretty easily lose control of your vehicle and make you end up in last place. The Finals as expected were between Angelo and his rival Tharindu. The initial race had to be restarted after Angelo took the lead against Tharindu due to a small issue which took place during the first match. Moving onto the second match the race started pretty evenly, Tharindu having won the toss took the lead position but not until the 2nd hairpin where he entered the turn a bit too fast and skid his vehicle onto the sand allowing Angelo to take the lead from where he never conceded it giving him the top spot for Project Cars.
Meanwhile, Injustice 2 had spectators lined up in the allocated spectator area where it seemed like things were heating up. With no second chance being given, challengers had to bring their A-game to be successful in this knockout bracket. The initial stages saw very comfortable gameplay having each player outmatching their opponent with ease. However, As the event progressed into the latter stages of the tournament, things changed entering the quarter finals seeing some struggles and great comebacks coming out from some experienced players even though their backs were against the wall.
In Tekken 7, the qualifying rounds saw extremely talented individuals with 2 standout players who were fated to meet in the finals and that they did.
Roshan Jurampathy and Isura Madusanka, two friends that had spent some time together training and getting better at the game, faced each other in the grand finals. Eventually,t Roshan having over 12 years of experience in Tekken was able to beat his opponent and claim the top spot for Tekken 7 in the tournament
FIFA 18 turned out to be the most intense and exciting title as the knockout bracket forced players to make sure that they play to their level best in each match they faced.. Mohamed Shaklin took the number one spot for FIFA 18 incidentally beating his oldest brother Fazik Fawzan in the grand finals in an exciting match which ended up with a 2-1 lead for Mohamed Shaklin who was ecstatic on his victory and showed a lot of confidence going into the Main Event to be held in Colombo.
Finally we saw the Clash Royale title taking to the stage with some experienced talent and new talent as well every single game seemed to be like a life or death situation as if players made 1 mistake that was it for them, The high level play and conduct of the players was a sight to behold giving it their utmost best till the final seconds in overtime. Malith Rajakaruna seemed to be in top form as he stood out from the rest of the pack taking the number one spot for Clash Royale beating his friend and longtime rival from the north sachintha Sahan with the secured upper bracket victory which gave him and additional 1 game advantage going into the finals.
The day was filled with a lot of excitement and competition, with every participant giving it their best to overcome the hurdles that they faced and secure their prize as well as the advantage they will gain moving into the main event held in Colombo. Kandy City Centre, a beautiful location set in the heart of Kandy produced an atmosphere that truly created the best setting for a competitive eSports tournament with scores of spectators cheering the gamers to victory.
Sri Lanka Telecom having brought the regional challenge to Kandy for the second time since 2016 had nothing but appreciation from the competitors as well as the spectators who turned up, who all felt that they have an event to look forward to in Kandy now and improve their gaming towards. Sri Lanka Telecom has continued to stay true to its commitment of taking eSports and the online gaming experience to the masses over the last few years and has played a major role in improving eSports in the country by continuing to organize top-tier gaming tournaments in the country. The months ahead promises to be exciting with more regional events to be held, with Galle being the next on the road map leading up to the Main Event in Colombo later in the year.
by Azman Khan | Apr 3, 2018 | News
Sri Lanka Telecom has yet again taken the initiative to take SLT eSports to other parts of the country and is organizing the SLT eSports Regional Challenge – Kandy 2018, which will take place at the Kandy City Center on Sunday the 8th of April. Featuring the most popular single player titles currently in the country – FIFA 18, Injustice 2, Tekken 7, Project Cars, and Clash Royale (on mobile), the event promises to bring back the hype and excitement of eSports to the hill capital.
Sri Lanka Telecom first stepped into the limelight back in 2015, when they introduced the SLT eSports Championship, which became an instant success as they offered the largest prize pool up for grabs with many competitors taking part in the game titles with crowd favourites such as Dota 2 and League of Legends taking center stage. The event which was recognized as a ranked tournament by the Sri Lanka eSports Association (SLeSA), was a smash hit as it created fresh rivalries and set a new standard for tournament formats in the country.
Staying true to its commitment of taking eSports and the online gaming experience to the masses, in 2016 the SLT eSports Championship was taken outside Colombo with three regional events in Kandy, Galle and Jaffna. Popular games like Overwatch were introduced whilst an international gaming event featuring a live Dota 2 match between foreign players also took place at the main event in Colombo.
The 2017 edition brought out the biggest crowd of cyber-athletes ever seen at an SLT eSports event with the inclusion of Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare – a community favorite title, in addition to the previously played titles as well. Year on year, the SLT eSports Championship has been a resounding success and a tournament that many in the local gaming scene look forward to annually.
Sri Lanka Telecom, featuring SLT Broadband, famous for its low latency, dedicated and reliable broadband connectivity which is compulsory for competitive gaming, has continued to organise top-tier gaming tournaments in the country, with intense and adrenaline filled excitement. The SLT eSports Championships challenges all hard-core gamers, both individuals and clans, to take part in their mega events and go head to head in a test of skill and strategy.
Continuing their vision of expanding into regions outside Colombo, the SLT eSports Regional Challenge series of events kicks off with the first being in Kandy, with much more exciting tournaments to come. Be a part of the action and find out more details at http://www.slt.lk/esports/.
by Azman Khan | Apr 2, 2018 | News
Micro Star International (MSI), one of the world’s leading gaming brands has partnered with Gamer.LK to strengthen their efforts in driving eSports and digital entertainment initiatives in the country. Over the past decade, Gamer.LK has continued to empower young cyber athletes in Sri Lanka through the introduction of various tournaments, both international as well as local and other events.
Starting out their campaign alongside Gamer.LK as sponsors for SLCG 2013, MSI took the first steps towards contributing to the growth of the eSports industry. Seeing the potential in Sri Lankan cyber athletes, MSI even took it on themselves to help support some of the local clans. Since their initial involvement, MSI has continued to play a major role in supporting the growth of local eSports by organizing their own events as well as working with Gamer.LK in their efforts to take eSports and digital entertainment to the masses.
Dedicated to gamer-driven innovation, MSI is the most trusted name in gaming and eSports. They have dedicated countless hours and committed numerous resources to the eSports community to support the world’s most aspiring and best gamers and use their knowledge and expertise in their products in return. MSI integrated all gamers’ aspirational functions in its gaming rigs, eliminating the tedious trial and error by themselves and pushing the performance beyond limits. The determination to surpass past achievements has made MSI a ‘True Gaming’ brand with gaming spirit throughout the industry!.
Through this partnership, MSI becomes the exclusive technology partner powering the three major events – Inter-University, Mercantile and Inter-School eSports Championships, as well as the online leagues organized by Gamer.LK. Furthermore MSI continues to support local clans, and the 2018 partnership comes with benefits for Maximum e-Sports, Noob Alliance and Wolfgang e-Sports. Gamer.LK has taken steps to empower clans by finding sponsors with a share of the funds going to SLeSA. MSI will also be a technology partner at Play Expo 2018 – Sri Lanka’s Digital Entertainment and Technology Exhibition, which features the Sri Lanka Cyber Games and Colombo Comic Expo.
Backed by MSI, the year ahead promises to be an exciting one with the first major event coming up in a few weeks – the Inter-University eSports Championship, on the 21st and 22nd of April 2018 happening at Trace-Expert City. Make sure to be a part of history as Gamer.LK and MSI take steps to break through the barrier and guide eSports to newer heights!.
by Azman Khan | Mar 31, 2018 | News
Competitive gaming has always had its ups and downs but the stress and emotional toll that it has on cyber athletes is immense. Ranging from new players learning the game to angry veterans ruining games with unwanted toxic behavior and “feeding”, this destroys the positive mindframe that players have and in turn induce them into taking part in turning on bad players as well as not focusing on the game in a positive way.
Identifying the need of the hour, Gamer.LK has come up with a solution to fight this issue and has decided to turn competitive gaming into a more calm and casual experience through games such as Fruit Ninja, Subway Surfer, Temple Run, etc. This will allow players to have a more flexible gaming approach, encouraging fair play on one’s individual skill and draws a blank on the toxic and otherwise harmful outcome competitive team-based games have become.
Through the 1st week of April, Gamer.LK will remove all competitive team-based games and introduce single player casual games. Over the coming weeks, these new titles will earn ranked status as eSports in the country. Shortly thereafrer, tournaments including large prize pools and high-speed gaming peripherals as gifts, will begin. Clans will be taking active charge in making the needed adjustments to their players and even being open to recruitment.
Gamer.LK hopes to thus usher in a new era with a diverse repertoire of games suitable for any age or gender. So make sure to download these up and coming eSports titles and ensure that you make the preparations ready to get that coveted number 1 spot!
Do you have what it takes to change and adapt to bring about the best individual talent that Sri Lanka has ever seen. Fewer team kills, lesser whining team mates and more exciting and fun games where you choose your own destiny are coming. Are you ready for it?
Leave a comment on what you think about this change as we step into a new era of eSports and gaming in Sri Lanka.
by Azman Khan | Mar 28, 2018 | News
“Ghost Warriors” is a clan with immense talent in their ranks with teams such as Team Insane” for Call of Duty, and Team Dark Knights” for League of Legends as well as Special Forces 2. Having talent such as Real Mojo who is one of the best supports in League of Legends in Sri Lanka right now and the likes of Himasha Shalini Perera who has been the two time champion in the women’s Need for Speed tournament as well as a dedicated member in team Dark Knights who also became the runners up for Special Forces 2 during Sri Lanka Cyber Games in 2017. “Ghost Warriors” have shown great potential in the eSports arena, bringing together talented individuals who work both as a team and as individuals each doing their own role to the best of their abilities.Ghost Warriors wanted to take their gameplay to the next level, and receiving an invite from Noob Alliance to join their clan was their way forward
In a smooth acquisition “Ghost Warriors” have now joined the ranks of Noob Alliance. The alliance will reap rewards as the talent that has been on display will have a chance to practice and compete with one another and bring about a sense of self improvement as being in an environment of high skilled cyber athletes always bring about the competitive side of any player, increasing the amount of time invested as well as the concentration levels as games become that much more intense.
We were able to catch up with both clans and get their opinion on what is instore for the alliance in the coming future and how they felt about the acquisition. We spoke to Lahiru “mi-_RA#” Perera about how he felt about joining Noob Alliance
“The truth is, when I started gaming, I was seeking for a great place to improve my skills, a great place to spend time with and a great place to have good friends. In this search of a great clan I found some but none of them lasted for long. Maybe it’s due to the experience of their admins, or maybe it’s due to the internal conflicts between the clan. It was then, I found ‘Ghost Warriors’, a small clan surrounded by all the huge clans which was out there, with the most friendly and caring people. So I decided to stay there, It was not the reputation of the clan which is important, it is always the people. Years passed we played every tournament, we played with all the great teams which was out there not always the victory but for the fun and experience. Times passed things changed and it was then we realized we have to bring forward our skills up to the professional level. We knew about nA, we had played against nA and we needed to improve. Yes, nA was out there among the clan giants who holds the experience and perfection, so we all agreed to go beyond our potential, improve our gameplay and most of all, as I said earlier, to have great friends.”
Finally finding a piece of the puzzle how will this affect the two clans? Will it lead to better growth of talent? Will it create an electrifying atmosphere that shocks the community with upsets in tournament to even tournament championships? Your guess is as good as ours – it is uncertain but also very possible.
Receiving a statement in regards to the acquisition from Noob Alliance,
“Noob Alliance’s main Target with the acquiring is getting a spot at women’s league and help them to develop the games they are currently playing. In return developing their skills Noob Alliance gets to secure some places at these games. They are mainly taking part in Special Forces 2 and Call of Duty 4 as well as League of Legends”
Noob Alliance currently placed third in the national rankings. With Ghost Warriors onboard, will they be able to reach the coveted number one spot on the Sri Lankan eSports clan ranking? Especially when it comes to getting a top spot at Women’s league with Special Forces 2 and Call of Duty having potential to rise to the top as well. Prior to their joining Noob Alliance, Ghost Warriors had been in high demand, having been approached by Phoenix Gaming to join their ranks.
This is the latest in a series of recruitments and acquisitions by Noob Alliance over the past 6 months. With the stepping down of their senior team last year, the younger leadership has commenced an aggressive recruitment strategy to slingshot them to the number 1 spot in 2018. We watch eagerly to see the results of these decisions play out against the other clans vying for the top position.
by Vikum | Mar 24, 2018 | News
It has been 11 years since Gamer.LK launched in 2007. It’s been an amazing decade of eSports and digital entertainment, and we’ve had a so much fun bringing you all these activities and tournaments that have grown into their own mega-events over the years.
Gamer.LK has functioned as a hobby for a majority of its existence, with dedicated and passionate volunteers putting in hours and hours of hard work to bring you events like SLCG. With the scene growing bigger every year, Gamer.LK started a new chapter in our history when we brought on some full-time talent. These guys have been the most hard working, dedicated and passionate members of the community who have been there from the start. Ramesh “RL” Liyanage and Vikum “Scooby” Jayasekera have provided leadership to a new age of hyper-growth for eSports in Sri Lanka, and the future of eSports has never looked better.
Last year we celebrated 10 years of Gamer.LK with the introduction of Play Expo – Sri Lanka’s largest digital entertainment exhibition The event features SLCG and Comic Expo as the main two highlights of the event. Play Expo has been one of Gamer.LK’s biggest accomplishments to date, settings records with the highest number of participation for eSports and Cosplay in Sri Lanka.
Gamer.LK continues to take Sri Lankan eSports talent to the international scene with new partnerships. The Sri Lanka eSports Association is a member of the International eSports Federation as well as new members of the Asian eSports Federation. We are discussing new partnerships with international brands to showcase local talent internationally. We also gave plans to take our events global.
With eSports increasingly being recognised as a legitimate sport in international events (e.g. by the Olympic Committee of Asia etc), Gamer.LK is laying the foundation to ready Sri Lanka for the eSports boom that will be happening in the coming years. Together, we can put Sri Lanka on the map for eSports!
We would like to thank each and every staff member, past and present, who has contributed and shaped Gamer.LK into what it is today. The attitude and culture of GLK has been shaped by the passion that you’ll have shown – at LAN events, online leagues or just promoting eSports in general. We would also like to thank the community who keeps us on our toes – constantly giving us feedback and guiding us on our journey forward. You’ll are the reason we do what we do, with the intensity that we show. Keep being awesome, and keep the feedback coming.
Here’s to another decade of Gamer.LK!
