Video gamers from around the south converged on Baton Rouge this weekend for the “1st Quarterly Southern Showdown” — a match of wits, strategy, and concentration in the popular X-Box futuristic combat game, “Halo.”
Halo, a game that has gained overwhelming popularity since its release in 2001, pits the gamer against a massive army of ferocious aliens in a battle to save the human race from total annihilation.
Along with the first person quest, Halo also offers a multi-player option, in which up to four players can battle against each other in a variety of different competitions.
The focus of this weekend’s competition was a series of matches, where teams participated in death match and “capture the flag”-style competition. Over 26 teams participated in Saturday’s two person competition, and over 20 teams were on hand for Sunday’s four person matches. The teams competed for a $2000 cash prize.
Joel Tubre, a University student and hardcore Halo fan, was at the helm for the inaugural competition. He said the idea of the event came from his own love for the game.
“Me and my roommate were pretty into it,” Tubre said. “We went to look for tournaments in Louisiana, but aside from a few small ones, there were really none.”
After advertising in the The Advocate, posting flyers from University of Louisiana at Lafayette to the University of New Orleans, and spreading the word on the popular X-Box multiplayer Web site www.xbconnect.com, Tubre said that it has turned out better than he expected.
“This is the biggest [Halo] tournament Louisiana has ever seen,” Tubre said.
Kevin Berry and Branden Mickan, who call themselves the “Deadly Viper Assassin Squad,” traveled from Houston, Texas to be in the tournament after having heard about it from xbconnect.com.
They also say that after all is said and done, the best part of Halo is its competitiveness.
“There’s always someone out there that’s better,” Mickan said. “We play online, and there’s a lot of good competition there.”
Halo has achieved an enormous fan base since 2001, and with the highly anticipated sequel just around the corner, Tubre said that its release will take the movement even further.
“As soon as the sequel comes out, people usually stick with that,” Tubre said. “It might also level the playing field.”
Tubre also said that he plans on this tournament being the first of many.
“Even people who didn’t qualify said to me, ‘When are you putting on the next one?’,” Tubre said. “They want to go home and practice for next time.”