This Friday, Rhoulette and I will be in high heaven as we attend BlizzCon at the Anaheim Convention Center in Anaheim, CA, to cover the Championship Gaming Series tournament for World of Warcraft PvP.  The top 16 2v2 Arena teams from Europe and North America have won their seats and are being flown in to participate in the tournament and subsequent draft that will establish them as professional gamers, earning $30,000 - $100,000 or more annually in salaries and bonuses.

Professional sports teams are exactly what CGS is establishing and offering to the public via televised coverage available in 100 million homes worldwide.  CGS teams are paid professionals – the top athletes in the sport – competing in regular seasons and special events, hoping to one day win the title of ‘World Champion.’ Now that WoW has been included in the lineup for the 2008 season, only the top 8 teams from this tournament will win the coveted contracts and be immediately signed as professional CGS players. And it is just anyone’s game!

The Arenas of World of Warcraft give the most battle-hardened and cold-blooded fighters a place to compete against each other in gladiatorial battles for honor, glory, and power. These top 16 teams have fought hard and mercilessly to claim the honor of being the highest ranked Arena Team on their realms, and will continue that fight to be the best Arena team in the world (as well as for those elusive contracts).

Rhoulette and I will be covering this exciting moment in history for WoW players and gamers alike at the fabulous Dell Lounge, situated amidst all the action at BlizzCon. You can come check out the hottest Dell hardware and the latest XPS and Alienware gaming platforms, so bring your party hat and come give us a shout out while you’re roaming through all the events and action.  If you couldn’t be one of the lucky few to get your ticket in time, you can still tune in at the Dell Lounge and see our recorded and live coverage of what will surely be amazing and exciting Arena battles. Dell will host the streaming video from BlizzCon and a live video stream of the finals will be available the afternoon of August 4th.

Rhoulette and I will be blogging and posting from the Dell Lounge as well, at www.dellcommunity.com/gaming, on August 3rd (7:00 PM - 8:00 PM CDT) and August 4th (6:00 PM - 7:00 PM CDT), where we will recap action at QuakeCon, answer gaming questions, and provide updates on the Frag Dolls Casting Call status.

BlizzCon will also feature two days of gaming, contests, developer Q & A panels, tournaments and more, in addition to live entertainment by Jay Mohr, Video Games Live, and Level 70 Elite Tauren Chieftain. As WoW players, Rhoulette and I couldn’t be more excited to participate at such a great venue and be present to watch our fellow addicts battle it out in true competitive spirit. Don’t miss out - see you in Anaheim!