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Mobile phones are the most popular gaming devices in the world. Hundreds of millions of people now hold a world of games in the palm of their hand at every waking moment, eliminating the inconvenience of computers and consoles.Enter Vainglory, the worlds leading mobile esports title. Developed by Super Evil Megacorp, Vainglory is a multiplayer online battle arena (MOBA) title akin to League of Legends and Dota 2; unlike its PC counterparts, it is designed specifically for touchscreen play. Popular esports powerhouses like Team SoloMid and Team Secret have already developed franchises in its growing esports scene.On Sept. 11, the finale of the summer season, the top eight teams will duke it out for a prize pot worth over $100,000. Super Evil Megacorp has confirmed that the subsequent autumn season will feature a world championship starring the 12 most decorated teams.The Evil Eight system, a special title for the top eight teams at any given time, will debut during the summer season. North America and European teams will compete for inclusion in the Evil Eight all summer long as they try to accumulate points in the championship standings.The bottom three Evil Eight teams will face weekly challenger battles from the community-run challenger tier.Its important for us to keep the dream alive, for three friends to be able to get together and make a path to the championship, says Kristian Segerstale, COO and Executive Director at Super Evil Megacorp.With Amazons sponsorship of the league, Segerstrale says he is confident this will be the biggest and best season yet. Amazon has been invested in Vainglory since its first tournament: a community-driven event that inspired Super Evil Megacorp to invest more into Vainglory esports.Evan Denbaum, Senior Director of Content and Creative Director of Esports at SEMC, says its team initially wanted to create a game that would redefine the expectations of the mobile genre. He jumped aboard SEMC because he was impressed by the game engine they were working with and felt it could even build games for current gen consoles. Turning Vainglory into an esport wasnt even on his radar, but the community quickly gained his attention.At first, tournaments were 2v2 so the third player slot could be used to spectate the matches, he says. That forced SEMC to immediately bump spectator mode up in its development queue.The players, teams, and regions of Vainglory esportsSome people saw Vainglorys esports potential from the get-go. Team SoloMids team captain and roamer, Michael FlashX Valore, says hed been following it since it was featured at an Apple keynote event in 2014. He started playing when the game was released only to Southeast Asia, even though the latency to the U.S. was very high.FlashXs major breakthrough came when his first team, Ardent Alliance, rolled through the autumn season open qualifier last fall, winning the chance to compete in the Vainglory International Premier League (VIPL) for a shot at an $80,000 prize pool. The Korean esports media powerhouse OnGameNet (OGN) hosted the VIPL in Seoul.We actually had an issue at first, though, he says. One of our members was only 13 years old and he couldnt convince his parents to let him go to Korea.Despite needing to sub out their teammate, Ardent Alliance defeated the worlds strongest teams en route to winning the VIPL Season 2 Championship.After that sensational performance, AA was acquired by Team SoloMid, whose clout and presence in North American esports is unmatched.The incredible variety of mobile touchscreen devices can throw an interesting wrench into a Vainglory teams plans. At a recent invitational event, FlashX and Team SoloMid suffered an embarrassing defeat at the hands of Koreas Invincible Armada.While FlashX was quick to acknowledge his opponents strength, he also wanted to emphasize that the games werent an accurate gauge of his teams ability, as they were forced to play on Samsung phones instead of their usual iPads.FlashX says that, generally speaking, deciding which type of device to use comes down to preference. Some players prefer using their thumbs on a phone while FlashX opts for his index fingers on a larger screen. Some players use a stylus. Some players sit at a desk, and some lie down on their stomachs.In the future, a Vainglory stage might accommodate all these preferences for players. Mobile devices mean competitors can play in different positions and in many kinds of environments, unlike PC gaming. Of course, it probably wont get to the point of placing a bed on the stage for a particular player to use, but whos to really say?As Vainglory heads into the summer, regions all over the world have begun to take shape as distinct competitive arenas. Denbaum says one of the most intriguing things for him to watch as a developer is the vast differences between the metagame [strategies] of each region.North America, for example, is extremely aggressive in the early game, he says. Europe is more likely to play passively and scale into late game, and Korea will funnel all of their resources into their primary carry as the other two players focus on supportive roles.Super Evil Megacorp has watched its game evolve before its eyes as professional players redefine the notions and preconceptions behind champions. The SEMC team has watched heroes like Petal, previously thought of as useless and gimmicky, play a significant role in Koreas spring championship.He says flexibility is a key philosophy to the teams balancing ideology. In a 3v3 game, we feel every hero needs the potential to be played in any of the roles, he says. And differences are already spawning to fill each regions strategic needs.With the confirmation of a World Championship event, the regions will have a real opportunity to determine who stands supreme. Its a chance to define the entire game going forward. In League of Legends, for example, the now-standard Marksmen and Support duo-lane didnt come into its own until Europe dominated the inaugural LoL World Championship.The summer season and the future of esportsAs they head into the summer, SEMCs priority will be to expand the games reach and to provide stability and support to their professional scene. Denbaum also wants to continue to acknowledge the communitys strength and passion for Vainglory as an esport.And beyond that, Segerstale says, Within the next decade, I expect a mobile game to be one of, if not the largest players in the esports industry. There are over three billion touchscreen devices compared to some seven hundred million gaming PCs.One of the limitations facing mobile games is the perception that they are time killers or less serious than games on other platforms. Additionally, Segerstale says a lot of mobile games have intrinsic timers that cause players to expect shorter playing sessions. These games rely on pay-to-win models that dont have the same type of magic the gaming generation experienced growing up.In contrast to casual mobile games, Vainglory matches can go anywhere from 7-8 minutes up to 20 minutes, and the average player plays for about two hours per day. Segerstale hopes more mobile games will ask and allow players to steep themselves in a richer, more strategical environment.During Vainglorys development, one of Super Evil Megacorps concerns was that theyd have to persuade a generation of PC gamers that touchscreen games were legitimate. However, what theyve instead come to realize is that Vainglory appeals to a whole bunch of people whose first language is mobile gaming, especially when limited to the MOBA genre.Mobile games like Candy Crush and Clash Royale are turning more and more people into gamers, although these gamers are different from the traditional stereotype. Segerstale shares a story about a 13-year-old kid from Europe, who is one of the top thousand Vainglory players there:When PC gaming came up, he said he didnt understand how people could just accept the abstract limitations of a mouse and keyboard. He couldnt just touch where he wanted to go or aim at multiple targets.So comes the next generation of esports.Stitched Nike MLB Jerseys . -- Jimmy Walkers first PGA Tour trophy came with a special gift tucked inside. MLB Jerseys 2020 .J. -- Pitcher Carl Pavano is retiring after 14 major league seasons. https://www.mlbjerseys2020.com/ . -- Playing time has been limited for Maxim Tissot this season, so the Montreal Impact defender made the most of his first scoring opportunity on Saturday. Wholesale MLB Jerseys . Oaklands loss to Seattle clinched the ALs best record for the Red Sox with one day to spare in the regular season. "I think everybody was kind of watching," catcher David Ross said. "Demp (Ryan Dempster) came out before he went to the bullpen and was just yelling that they lost. Nike MLB Jerseys For Sale . Batiste, who briefly signed with the Eskimos in 2006, has spent time with several NFL teams including the Pittsburgh Steelers and Washington Redskins.MEMPHIS, Tenn. -- It took an extra five minutes for the Memphis Grizzlies and New Orleans Pelicans to finally figure out which team would finally play well enough to win.The Grizzlies outscored the Pelicans 14-8 in the overtime to eventually grab an 89-83 victory over the still-winless Pelicans on Wednesday night.Boy, that was ugly, but Ill take it, Memphis coach David Fizdale said.JaMychal Green scored 21 points and Mike Conley added 20 for the Grizzlies. James Ennis had 16 points and 10 rebounds, while Zach Randolph finished with 10 points and 11 rebounds, part of the Grizzlies outrebounding the Pelicans 52-43.Lance Stephenson led New Orleans with 21 points and six assists, while Langston Galloway and rookie Buddy Hield had 18 points each. Anthony Davis, the leagues second-leading scorer, was limited to 10 points, connecting on only 3 of 13 shots as New Orleans lost its fifth straight.I think Lance really found his shot, and he let the game come to him, Pelicans coach Alvin Gentry said of Stephenson, who carried New Orleans in the first half. I think he shot the ball well.The game was tied 75-75 at the end of regulation as Davis last-second 26-footer banked off the backboard and then hit the rim before bouncing harmlessly away as the horn sounded. Green had tied the game for Memphis at 75 with 1:35 left on a 3-pointer.The game was sloppy with New Orleans committing 22 turnovers, while Memphis had 20. The Pelicans shot 37 percent from the field, and Memphis managed a mere 35 percent.Davis wasnt the only one who struggled from the field. Marc Gasol was 3 of 18, scoring only eight points for Memphis, but he connected on a 3-pointer in overtime that extended the Grizzlies leadd to 84-76.ddddddddddddI think we gave them a run, but there were a couple of 50-50 balls that we just didnt come up with, Gentry said.TIP-INSPelicans: Stephenson, who played in 26 games for the Grizzlies last season, received a mixed reaction when he entered the game in the first quarter. ... Davis entered the game averaging 37 points. He was limited to six points in the first half, taking only five shots.Grizzlies: G Tony Allen, who missed the first three games of the season with a sore right knee, got his first start. That meant the fourth different starting lineup in Memphis first five games. ... With a hook shot inside late in the third quarter, Randolph passed Pau Gasol (3,324) as the all-time leader in Grizzlies field goals.HIELDS IMPROVEMENTHield, the sixth overall pick in last summers draft, recorded his second straight game in double figures. He had 10 points in Tuesdays loss to Milwaukee. There were blankets of what I think we are going to be able to see, Gentry said. As for Hield, he said: Just staying confident in who I am. I know its going to come around.BENCH BOOSTThe Pelicans starters managed only 19 points, 10 from Davis. Part of that was Gentry getting strong play from his reserves early. Stephenson played just short of 45 minutes, Omer Asik recorded 35 minutes in grabbing 11 rebounds, while Galloway and Hield each played 30-plus minutes.UP NEXTPelicans: Return home Friday looking for their first win of the season against the Phoenix Suns.Grizzlies: Continue a four-game home stand on Friday night against the Los Angeles Clippers. ' ' '