History Main / TournamentPlay

* Fictional example: ''Film/TheWizard'' had a UsefulNotes/{{NES}} tournament in the film's climax. It later experienced {{Defictionalization}}, albeit in a much simpler form, through the 1990 Nintendo World Championship and its successors, the 1991 Nintendo Campus Challenge and the [[Platform/SuperNintendoEntertainmentSystem Nintendo PowerFest '94]].

Game play at the highest level. This is beyond the arcade, way beyond UsefulNotes/{{Xbox Live|Arcade}}, way, way beyond just sitting on the couch with your buddies. This is the best players in the state/country/world getting together to slug it out, the winner is usually awarded prize money, from mere hundreds up to several millions. [[note]]The 2015 VideoGame/Dota2 International first place prize was over 6 million US dollars.[[/note]]

* UsefulNotes/FightingGameCommunity examples: A-Cho Cup, Super Battle Opera and Evolution.

* Fictional example: ''Film/TheWizard'' had a UsefulNotes/{{NES}} tournament in the film's climax. It later experienced {{Defictionalization}}, albeit in a much simpler form, through the 1990 Nintendo World Championship and its successors, the 1991 Nintendo Campus Challenge and the [[UsefulNotes/SuperNintendoEntertainmentSystem Nintendo PowerFest '94]].

Long before the advent of computer games, tournament play was the highest level of traditional board-games, such as TabletopGame/{{Chess}}, {{Go}} and so on. Regardless of the game played, expect to see only the best tactics and strategies. Knowledge of the {{Metagame}} is crucial. {{Hardcore}} gamers are welcomed. {{Scrub}}s are not.

* There are regular competitions for ''Franchise/{{Splatoon}}'', with Creator/{{Nintendo}} themselves regularly sponsoring and broadcasting tournaments from the [[VideoGame/Splatoon2 second game onward]]. There also annual qualifiers open to any group of four people who can work together. The development staff is very serious about CompetitiveBalance as well, though you can usually tell that they've begun work on the next installment when the semimonthly balance patches start slowing to a crawl.

Common games at tournaments are ''VideoGame/CounterStrike'', ''VideoGame/WarcraftIII'', ''VideoGame/{{Quake}}'', ''Franchise/StreetFighter'', ''VideoGame/StarCraft'', and ''VideoGame/{{Halo}}''. Nintendo has sponsored ''Franchise/{{Pokemon}}'' and ''VideoGame/SuperSmashBros'' tournaments.

* There have been a handful of competitions for ''VideoGame/{{Splatoon}}'' and ''VideoGame/{{Splatoon 2}}'', with the latter having annual qualifiers open to any group of four people who can work together. The development staff is very serious about CompetitiveBalance and, at least until they begin work on [[VideoGame/{{Splatoon 3}} the following project]], issue balance patches semimonthly.

Common games at tournaments are ''VideoGame/CounterStrike'', ''VideoGame/WarcraftIII'', ''VideoGame/{{Quake}}'', ''VideoGame/StreetFighter'', ''VideoGame/StarCraft'', and ''VideoGame/{{Halo}}''. Nintendo has sponsored ''Franchise/{{Pokemon}}'' and ''VideoGame/SuperSmashBros'' tournaments.

* The VideoGame/{{Pokemon}} Company International has run the [[http://bulbapedia.bulbagarden.net/wiki/World_Championships Pokémon World Championships]] since 2004, containing tournaments for both the [[TabletopGame/{{Pokemon}} TCG]] and, after 2008, the video games. Even long before that, back in the days of the first generation, there had been a number of official tournaments for the games. Much as you'd expect, players from Website/{{Smogon}} regularly dominate the elder divisions of the video game tournaments, having a particularly impressive showing in 2011.

* Many modern {{Pinball}} machines support various forms of Tournament play, whether it is by choosing "Tournament Rules" when starting a game to reduce random elements, or by networking machines from other locations to exchange high scores.

[[quoteright:349:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/tournament_play2.png]]

[[quoteright:350:[[VideoGame/StarCraft https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/daum-osl-07-5.jpg]]]]

* ''VideoGame/PumpItUp'' tries to have a World Pump Festival every year, challenging players to either come up with the best freestyle routines or step the most accurately to a specific set of songs. Unlike the previously mentioned example, most of the accuracy players have had to play without using the support bar.

** Some people can make a living playing ''MagicTheGathering''. Pro Tours award hundreds of thousands of dollars, four times a year.

* The VideoGame/{{Pokemon}} Company International has run the [[http://bulbapedia.bulbagarden.net/wiki/World_Championships Pokémon World Championships]] since 2004, containing tournaments for both the [[TabletopGame/{{Pokemon}} TCG]] and, after 2008, the video games. Even before that, there had been a number of official and unofficial tournaments for the games. Much as you'd expect, players from Website/{{Smogon}} regularly dominate the elder divisions of the video game tournaments, having a particularly impressive showing in 2011.

* The VideoGame/{{Pokemon}} Company International has run the [[http://bulbapedia.bulbagarden.net/wiki/World_Championships Pokémon World Championships]] since 2004, containing tournaments for both the [[TabletopGame/{{Pokemon}} TCG]] and, after 2008, the video games. Much as you'd expect, players from Website/{{Smogon}} regularly dominate the elder divisions of the video game tournaments, having a particularly impressive showing in 2011.

* ''Tabletopgame/IronKingdoms''(Warmachine and Hordes) is built from the ground up to be competitively balanced. Whilst there are minor fluctuations, especially as the Meta is continually evolving, you have what is almost unarguably the tightest, most cast iron set of rules in the tabletop world. Major tournaments are held internationally on almost a monthly basis, with lists, pairings and results studiously examined for their impact on the world wide meta.

* ''Tabletopgames/IronKingdoms''(Warmachine and Hordes) is built from the ground up to be competitively balanced. Whilst there are minor fluctuations, especially as the Meta is continually evolving, you have what is almost unarguably the tightest, most cast iron set of rules in the tabletop world. Major tournaments are held internationally on almost a monthly basis, with lists, pairings and results studiously examined for their impact on the world wide meta.

* ''Tabletop/Warmachine'' is built from the ground up to be competitively balanced. Whilst there are minor fluctuations, especially as the Meta is continually evolving, you have what is almost unarguably the tightest, most cast iron set of rules in the tabletop world. Major tournaments are held internationally on almost a monthly basis, with lists, pairings and results studiously examined for their impact on the world wide meta.

* Fictional example: ''Film/TheWizard'' had a UsefulNotes/{{NES}} tournament in the film's climax. It later experienced {{Defictionalization}}, albeit in a much simpler form, through the 1990 Nintendo World Championship and its successors, the 1991 Nintendo Campus Challenge and the [[SuperNintendoEntertainmentSystem Nintendo PowerFest '94]].

** Evolution in particular has featured games you wouldn't believe were there, such as {{Clayfighter}} 63 1/3. It's also the source of the majority of tournament-related memes, such as "Let's go, Justin!" and parts of "It's mahvel, baby!"

* The [[http://www.fifa.com/interactiveworldcup/index.html FIFA Interactive World Cup]]. A FIFA-sanctioned ''FIFASoccer'' game tournament.

Common games at tournaments are ''VideoGame/{{Counter-Strike}}'', ''VideoGame/WarcraftIII'', ''VideoGame/{{Quake}}'', ''VideoGame/StreetFighter'', ''VideoGame/StarCraft'', and ''VideoGame/{{Halo}}''. Nintendo has sponsored ''Franchise/{{Pokemon}}'' and ''VideoGame/SuperSmashBros'' tournaments.

* Top ''{{Quake}}'' player Dennis "Thresh" Fong used his tournament winnings and celebrity to launch several websites.

* ''PumpItUp'' tries to have a World Pump Festival every year, challenging players to either come up with the best freestyle routines or step the most accurately to a specific set of songs. Unlike the previously mentioned example, most of the accuracy players have had to play without using the support bar.

* The {{Pokemon}} Company International has run the [[http://bulbapedia.bulbagarden.net/wiki/World_Championships Pokémon World Championships]] since 2004, containing tournaments for both the [[TabletopGame/{{Pokemon}} TCG]] and, after 2008, the video games. Much as you'd expect, players from Website/{{Smogon}} regularly dominate the elder divisions of the video game tournaments, having a particularly impressive showing in 2011.

* Fictional example: ''Film/TheWizard'' had a {{NES}} tournament in the film's climax. It later experienced {{Defictionalization}}, albeit in a much simpler form, through the 1990 Nintendo World Championship and its successors, the 1991 Nintendo Campus Challenge and the [[SuperNintendoEntertainmentSystem Nintendo PowerFest '94]].

Game play at the highest level. This is beyond the arcade, way beyond UsefulNotes/{{Xbox Live|Arcade}}, way, way beyond just sitting on the couch with your buddies. This is the best players in the state/country/world getting together to slug it out, the winner is usually awarded prize money, from mere hundreds up to several millions. [[note]]The 2015 Dota2 International first place prize was over 6 million US dollars.[[/note]]

Game play at the highest level. This is beyond the arcade, way beyond {{Xbox Live|Arcade}}, way, way beyond just sitting on the couch with your buddies. This is the best players in the state/country/world getting together to slug it out, the winner is usually awarded prize money, from mere hundreds up to several millions. [[note]]The 2015 Dota2 International first place prize was over 6 million US dollars.[[/note]]

[[quoteright:350:[[VideoGame/{{Starcraft}} http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/daum-osl-07-5.jpg]]]]

Common games at tournaments are ''VideoGame/{{Counter-Strike}}'', ''VideoGame/WarcraftIII'', ''VideoGame/{{Quake}}'', ''VideoGame/StreetFighter'', ''VideoGame/{{Starcraft}}'', and ''VideoGame/{{Halo}}''. Nintendo has sponsored ''Franchise/{{Pokemon}}'' and ''VideoGame/SuperSmashBros'' tournaments.

* The Mecca of Professional ''StarCraft'' is South Korea. There are two main individual tournaments, each held twice a year: the [=OnGameNet StarLeague=] and the [=MBC StarLeague=]. Additionally, 12 teams of players compete in the Proleague, where each match consists of a series of 1v1 games between players on opposing teams. 11 of the teams have corporate sponsors from major companies such as Samsung, MBC and STX. The twelfth team is the team of the '''Korean Air Force''' for pros who go because of mandatory conscription. A third individual tournament, the [=GOM TV Classic=] had begun to take off but was quickly stifled by ExecutiveMeddling.

** Now for "The International 2014", one could wonder how far the community will get... it is now ''10 million dollars''!! And still increasing.

* {{Multiplayer Online Battle Arena}} games are getting involved. In October 2012, Riot Games ran the second ''LeagueOfLegends'' World Championship, with a grand prize of ''$1 million''.

Game play at the highest level. This is beyond the arcade, way beyond {{Xbox Live|Arcade}}, way, way beyond just sitting on the couch with your buddies. This is the best players in the state/country/world getting together to slug it out, the winner is usually awarded prize money, from mere hundreds, to the hundreds of thousands. [[note]]NASL Season 3 total winnings are a whopping 200K[[/note]]