GGL’s Digital Games shakes hands with CIG, Website goes Live!

Global Gaming League (DG) and China Internet Gaming Organizing Committee (CIG) have signed a deal to jointly hold the Digital Games in Beijing China this year. This news comes to us in a press release on the GGL’s event website, that has gone live for registrations from all countries of the world.

In short the press release states that this would be an opportunity for all gamers from around the world to represent their countries, no matter what their skill level is. The qualifications would be held online. And as reported here earlier, the event will take place in Shanghai, in a football stadium. The incorporation of CIG as an official endorser of the tournament from the government of PR of China also brings to the table the Chinese council of committees that are organizing the Olympics, called “Our Olympics Organizing Committee,” or OOOC.

The officials also said,

GGL, the leading media company dedicated to expanding and delivering the culture of videogames to a worldwide audience, will host a series of official amateur online qualifying tournaments around the globe, across multiple gaming genres and platforms. GGL will also hold invitational competitions for professional and celebrity gamers – who will also face off at the welcome events hosted by the China Government leading into the Digital Games Shanghai finals.

“The China Internet Gaming Organizing Committee is proud to be the first in digital sports history to recognize videogames as a competitive sport, and we are pleased to be working with GGL to elevate videogames – the 99th Official Sport of China – to the world stage,” said Fong Hong, Honorary General Secretary of the China Internet Gaming Organizing Committee. “Because of GGL’s global reach, content and community, brand recognition, technical capabilities, tournament expertise, strong ties with the gamer community and a rapidly growing Chinese presence, it was a natural fit when deciding who would be the perfect partner for this event.”

“GGL is thrilled to partner with CIG and host a first-of-its-kind videogame tournament to elevate the culture of gaming to a world stage around the 2008 Summer Olympics in China,” said Ted Owen, Founder and Chairman, GGL Global Gaming. “The Golden Age of videogames is here, and the ‘2008 Digital Games’ are the galvanizing moment that will both celebrate and legitimize the culture. Not only are videogames the fastest growing mainstream form of entertainment in the world, they are quickly becoming a part of our culture and this is a natural way to embrace and celebrate this among this hard to reach younger demographic.”

And,

“Videogames have become an incredibly popular form of mainstream entertainment throughout the Asia-Pacific region and the rest of the world. They are an established and accepted part of the region’s culture, and in many cases the top players enjoy the same recognition and status as today’s top sports athletes,” said Fong Hong. “For this reason, it was appropriate that the 2008 Summer Olympic Games in Beijing embrace the idea of making videogames an official Welcome Event, with the hope that our vision will set the stage for similar events at future Olympic Games.”

[Via GGL.com]