 General Pro Circuit Tour Event Information
Schedules and Travel Information MLG provides as much scheduling information as possible on mlgcanada.com prior to every event. Our first event is the 2007 MLG Canadian Open, to be held in Toronto, November 2nd, 3rd and 4th. Once events are scheduled you will be able to get updates on our events page. In this area you can find current information on game and tournament schedules, rules and travel/lodging opportunities. This information will help you and your child to plan and organize the details of a trip to an MLG event. Please check the website for regularly for updates, as we will post news and updates as information becomes available. If your child is attending the event with friends or anyone other than yourself and you would like to keep up with his or her performance, our website can help you with that as well. The first step will be to learn your child’s mlgcanada.com username and the name of the team they are playing with. During an event, we give you two easy ways to keep up with the results. First, we post regular updates on the front page of the site to announce what rounds are being played and to give the latest results. To find these updates on event weekends, look at the “MLG News” and “Announcements” section on the main page of mlgcanada.com. Second, we keep updated tournament brackets online over the course of the weekend. To find the brackets, click on the event page you want to follow and look for the “Brackets” link. During an event you can also usually find the brackets under “MLG News” on the front page. Event Staff Players at MLG events are supervised by professional referees. These referees are more than 18 years old and are trained specifically to manage the responsibilities of their position. They are all held to a high standard of behavior and professionalism while monitoring the events and are given authority over the matches they referee. You can be sure your child will be competing in a setting where there is always adult supervision at the stations. Security At Major League Gaming events we provide a safe atmosphere for your child. Professional security services are on-hand at every event to ensure an environment of safety for our participants, spectators and staff. Our event referees are also under instruction to report and evict, at their discretion, anyone who becomes violent, aggressive or verbally abusive. While MLG takes reasonable steps to provide a safe environment within the venue doors, we cannot guarantee your child’s safety, and you and/or your child are ultimately responsible. If you cannot attend the event with your child and you are not comfortable with your child traveling and participating independently, please ensure they are attending with someone you trust. Release Forms MLG requires all participants and spectators to sign a release form before entering events. Minors must have their parents sign the release form before they can enter an event. These forms give MLG permission to film the event and use your child’s image/likeness if they happen to appear in a clip for television. They also function as a legal permission slip for your child to enter the event. If you require more information or want to read over the release form, please click here . Food Most of the MLG event venues provide concessions so that players and spectators can have easily accessible food. There are usually restaurants and grocery stores within walking distance, but these are occasionally across busy streets or highways. For a third food option, many of the hotels that MLG uses to host events will provide information at the concierge desk about local restaurants that deliver to the location. Souvenirs / Merchandise MLG sells official merchandise at the events, including shirts and “hoodie” style sweatshirts. These generally range in price from $20 - $40, but other merchandise may become available at other price points. Additionally, at many events MLG releases a special edition T-Shirt that is only available for that one event and features special artwork to highlight the event, host city or something special about the event. mlgcanada.com Video Content MLG Video is the free video content that all users at mlgcanada.com may access by visiting the site. These videos include highlight reels, special promotions, webcasts, interviews and gameplay footage. MLG Video can be accessed from the front page of the site, through the MLG Video link, or as one of our highlighted features on the website. Video content also includes live coverage of MLG tournaments, archived video footage of the top performers and important matches of past events, and special video promotions that are offered from time to time. This content is available only over the Internet through mlgcanada.com and can be accessed using computers with Windows XP (service pack 2 or greater); Internet Explorer 6, Broadband Internet Connection (512K at least, but 1MB or larger is highly recommended); and the latest version of Windows Media Player. MLG Video is a great asset for players that cannot make it out to events, as it helps them to keep up with everything that is happening in the league and at the tournaments. Video allows viewers to watch all of our professional gaming events in real time on event weekends, in addition to offering access to archived footage from important matches that may not have been included in the live broadcast. Video content means enthusiastic fans of the league won’t miss out on any of the action. Video Content Concerns It should be noted that some of our MLG Video includes footage of games rated M for Mature by the ESRB due to content with blood and violence. Also, the video live streams of MLG events contain unedited audio streams from players and participants at the events, and occasionally include adult or potentially offensive language. To sign up for a user account, mlgcanada.com users must be 13 years of age or older, or MLG would need the consent of the user’s parent/legal guardian. If you are concerned about particular aspects of the content, such as the in-game violence or language, you may wish to make your child aware of your concerns and your standards of acceptable behavior. MLG encourages you to get involved by watching the video content on the site with your children so you can be informed about their media choices and interest in our league. Ultimately, we want parents to be able to make informed decisions regarding their children’s exposure to this content. If your child is under 13 years old and you are concerned about video content and/or other services offered by mlgcanada.com, or you wish to cancel your child’s account for any reason, please contact us at This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it . Professional vs. Amateur Status All MLG events are broken down into two tournament groups. The events always begin with an Open Tournament. This is the portion of the tournament that is open to the public. If your child has never been to an MLG event before or has never placed in the Top 8 at one of our previous events, you can expect that he or she will start by entering the Open Tournament. If your child places high in the Open Tournament, he or she might win the chance to play in the Championship Tournament. Players must first prove themselves in the large, open field for a chance to play with the top players in the Championship event. This is where the players who are considered “Pro” compete, and where your child has the opportunity to win prize money. If your child performs well enough over the course of the season to be ranked in the top 16 overall, he or she will receive professional status and the perks that go along with it. Many parents ask MLG staff members what it takes for their child to be a signed Pro player. Simply, to become a Pro gamer, your child needs to perform well enough at events to be ranked in the Top 16 overall on the tour, be 14 years of age or older, and sign (or have their parent/ legal guardian sign if the child is a minor) the MLG Players Association Agreement. However, attaining the level of a Pro player does not come easily. Despite the image that many people have of gaming, being one of the top players on the MLG Pro Circuit requires a serious commitment to excellence and many hours of practice, as well as some uncommon levels of talent. If your child is determined to become a Pro player, don’t be surprised to find he or she wants to train for it in the same way as they would for any other professional sport or competitive activity. Parents may want to note that the vast majority of Pro players on the tour do not just sit at home and play games all the time. The best players on the tour are well-rounded individuals and positive role models who manage to balance their game training with a social life and other activities such as a sport or creative endeavor. For instance, in the United States, the famous Ogre twins from Halo 2’s Final Boss play soccer actively, and the SSBM Champion, Ken, studies art and animation at school. |
