Etisalat supports cyber gaming in Sri Lanka

Etisalat has come on board to show its support for e-sports in Sri Lanka by sponsoring the Sri Lanka Cyber Games (SLCG) 2011, slated to take place from 2 to 4 December at the BMICH. SLCG; the biggest event on the Sri Lankan competitive electronic gaming calendar, will be a part of INFOTEL; Sri Lanka’s largest information and telecommunication technology expo.  

Although the concept of e-sport is relatively new to mainstream media, it refers to the competitive playing of electronic games, a passion with a large following in Sri Lanka where the annual SLCG event, organised by Gamer.lk, is the biggest event in the calendar.

Judging by the attendance of SLCG 2010, the expected participation is 1,500 competitors strong, while the expected spectator count is estimated at around 50,000.

On the role Etisalat will be playing as Official Telecommunications Partner, Etisalat CEO Dumindra Ratnayaka said: “Etisalat has always been big supporters of the Sri Lankan electronic gaming community. We support Gamer.lk, the Gamer Magazine and this is the second year we are lending our support to SLCG. We see potential in e-sports becoming one of the most sought out sports activity in Sri Lanka, and we want to give the gamers our support to help them get there.”

This year’s SLCG will feature competitors playing eight different games; a mixture of first person shooters, racing games, role-playing games and fighting games. On the PC the games will be Counter Strike 1.6, Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare, Defense of the Ancients (DOTA), Need for Speed: Most Wanted, Trackmania Nations Forever and FIFA 2011. Xbox 360 gamers will be playing Halo 3 and Mortal Kombat 9.

Qualifying rounds were held in Kandy and Galle as well, with the winning players and teams making the trek down to Colombo to compete in the final stage. In addition to this the best player/team in each game will compete against the members of the respective delegation from the Maldives in a series of international show-matches.  

Those interested in taking part in the event can submit their application online at slcg.lk or in person at the Etisalat Hub on duplication road, Venus Cybersoft in Mount Lavinia, Street Level Gaming in Kotahena and DigitalXtreme in Colpetty.

Entrance fee is Rs. 300 but Etisalat subscribers get in free.