CGS announces North American franchise players

Professional gaming buffs take note: the Championship Gaming Series (CGS) has just announced its list of North American franchise players. Franchise players are the cream of the proverbial crop in the CGS world – above the other tiers of players on CGS teams. The franchise players were selected to represent each team – from San Francisco Optx, Chicago Chimera, Los Angeles compLexity, Carolina Core, New York 3D, and Dallas Venom; before the rosters become filled with pros drafted in the March 7-9, 2008 CGS combine and draft.

Looking at the announced players, it looks like competition will be quite stiff in the 2008 season. Read on to check out player bios from the press release.

San Francisco Optx: Vanessa “Vanessa” Arteaga (Dead or Alive 4): Arteaga is widely regarded as the world�s top woman gamer. After making history as the #1 pick in the first round of the inaugural CGS Draft in 2007, Arteaga went on to lead San Francisco Optx as the only CGS player to go undefeated throughout the 2007 regular season and achieved the highest positive point differential of any CGS player worldwide (60 points for, 8 points against). At the 2007 CGS World Final, Arteaga blew away the competition to capture the Individual World Final Championship in DOA4 Women’s. Vanessa, 20, was born and raised in Modesto, California.

Chicago Chimera: Jeremy “BlackMamba” Florence (Dead or Alive 4 – Men’s): Florence is the world’s top-ranked Dead or Alive 4 player. He dominated the competition at the CGS 2007 World Final, leading Chicago Chimera to victory as the first-ever CGS World Champion team and recipients of the Dew Trophy and $500,000 in prize money. As a result, Florence was declared the 2007 World Final MVP. With his winnings from the 2007 playoffs and his bonus from helping lead Chicago to its 2007 regular-season first-place finish, Florence was easily the highest-paid professional gamer in North America in 2007. Florence, 20, is from Albuquerque, New Mexico.

Los Angeles compLexity: Danny “fRoD” Montaner (Counter-Strike: Source): Montaner is globally recognized as one of the best CS players in history. Among his many pro gaming accomplishments and honors, he led the legendary L.A. compLexity team to a first-place finish in the 2007 CGS Individual World Final. A key member of compLexity since 2004, Montaner provides key leadership for the team with his dedication, raw skill, and unparalleled statistical portfolio. Montaner, 21, hails from Miami, Florida and currently resides in Dallas, Texas.

Carolina Core: Ryan “Offbeat Ninja” Ward (Dead or Alive 4 -Men’s): During last year’s inaugural season of CGS in North America, Ward was the region’s top-performing DOA4 Men’s player, setting a blazing pace with 16 consecutive wins, finished second in the 2007 Individual World Finals, won Tecmo’s Itagaki Challenge, and played an integral role in Carolina Core’s $150,000 second-place finish at the CGS 2007 World Final. Ward, 20, hails from Edmonton, Alberta, Canada.

New York 3D: Matt “Wizakor” Wood (FIFA 08): Wood led the New York 3D team in the 2007 season with fierce dedication and passion for sports and EA’s FIFA 07 game. In 2007, Wood took home top honors as the first-place finisher in the North America regular season, then dominated the global competition at the 2007 World Final and captured the title of CGS Individual World Champion in FIFA 07. Wood, 22, currently lives in Windsor, Ontario, Canada.

Dallas Venom: Emmanuel “Master” Rodriguez (Dead or Alive 4): Rodriguez is one of the dominant players in the history of the DOA series. After winning twice in a row at the heralded Championship Gaming Invitational tournaments in 2006, Rodriguez was the first pick by Dallas Venom in the 2007 North American Draft and remains a hometown hero for the Dallas team. Rodriguez, 22, is a lifelong resident of Dallas, Texas.

Professional gaming is still coming into its own as a recognized sport, but its certainly come a long way from a bunch of kids in an arcade competing for bragging rights.

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