(a cacophony of voices and guns firing)
(crowds cheering and screaming)
(high octane music)
- [Sydnee] What's up guys. I'm Sydnee.
- And I'm Zach, and we're also here with Kelsey.
(excited gasp)
- And today, we're here at CWL NOLA, in New Orleans.
- [Zach] I'm super excited to be here.
I'm a huge gaming fan and a huge sports fan,
but I've never experienced any eSports before,
so I'm excited to see how like that mixes,
but I'm not sure if I'm actually going to like it.
- I'm going to show you a good time
because I love eSports. - Alright.
So since, we're in New Orleans,
we should have some fun; Call of Duty?
More like Call of Foodie; let's have some good eats.
- (laughter) I can't look at you. I seriously, just can't.
- It's a good joke. It's a good joke. Kelsey?
- Party. Party.
Games and food.
You'll like it Sydnee.
(hokey fun jazz)
- [Zach] Beignets.
More like ben-yay, cause I'm happy about it.
- Done.
(high intensity rock music)
- I'm like overwhelmed.
This is way like bigger than I thought it be.
- I'm stoked. This is nuts.
- [Zach] The event is giant,
and there are so many people there; it is a huge deal.
- I mean the energy in general...
(crowds cheering and chanting)
You just feel the competitive nature.
It's like going to a sporting event, as far as,
everybody's there because they want to win.
- My name is Jack Dunlop AKA CouRage.
I'm a Call of Duty commentator.
Across the season of the Call of Duty World League
this year, we have six major global open events;
this is the second of the six.
Here, amateur players can come here and compete,
try to fight for their chance to get into the pool play,
where the best pros are;
it's really where they can have a chance to make a name
for themselves, it's where, really, everyone started
was coming from through that grueling open bracket.
These major global events, players can earn pro points,
which those pro points, really kinda,
gauge where exactly they stand on the totem pole.
The most pro points for the teams,
help them qualify for the biggest league of all,
the Call of Duty World League Pro League.
- [Zach] The main event that we were going to was
Champion Sunday, and basically,
the teams that came out of pool play,
then continued to play in the tournament all day Sunday,
until they had the championship at the end of the day.
Right when I got to New Orleans,
I saw a guy wearing a shirt that said TK on it,
and I said, that's my team.
- [CouRage] Make some noise for Team Kaliber!
(crowds cheering and clapping)
- [Zach] Sydnee then informed that TK was actually,
the team who had won the last tournament.
So yeah, I seem like a bandwagon fan, I get that,
but I'm not, because no nothing about eSports.
- Back in like 2014, MLG Anaheim,
and Call of Duty was like one of many stages.
To go into this giant room,
multiple stages, these giant screens--
it's so cool to be a part of something
that has skyrocketed.
- These guys make crazy cash.
I went in, I was like it's a gaming tournament,
blah blah blah. They get paid!
- 4 million dollars across the season, yes, 4 million!
- They all wear Yeezys!
("Getting that Dough"
♪ For the greenbacks I scheme on it ♪
♪ Why you think the whole team on it ♪
♪ That money smell clean don't it ♪
- What are we doing?
What are we doing?
- [Sydnee] I am rooting for Optic, unfortunately,
they got knocked out, and Zach had a field day.
- We're about to watch TK take care of some business
after Optic lost. They lost.
But that championship game was insane.
So for the championship grand finals,
LG came from loser's bracket,
and because of the tournament is double elimination,
what that means is they had beat TK in two sets,
best of five, in order to take home the championship,
which is just like crazy.
Oh my gosh, some of these games, I swear,
came down to like seconds.
(crowds cheering)
- [Announcer] They don't check the right side!
They don't check the right side!
- So I'm thinking TK has got it;
they've been steamrolling the competition,
and I'm talking some trash,
and then they lose.
- [Announcer] It's TK, trying to get in...
(crowds cheering)
- [Sydnee] It's just like, ugh!
- Now it is just winner take all,
best of five, TK versus LG.
I found myself so invested in this game.
I just forgot everything that I wasn't even a fan
of this team or even knew what eSports was, really.
- It goes to five, and somehow TK edges LG.
- [Announcer] Oh, it's Slacked, he's been spotted,
he's been eliminated! - TK came out on top,
and everyone was losing their mind.
(crowds shouting and cheering)
They were like, they were holding up the trophy
like it was championship Sunday.
- Yay! - Yay!
- TK all day!
- [Kelsey] How did you do that?
- I won. I knew they'd win.
It was really something that I never experienced before,
and I am so happy that I was able to go there
and experience this sport that I never seen before.
- Go to an eSports event everyone. Just, just do it.
Do it for yourself. Please, please do it.