Interview with The Cyberathlete Professional League

What is your role with The CPL???

My name is George Kaspiris and I am the Press Communications Director for the CPL.

I distribute press releases through out the gaming community and coordinate activities of the CPL Press Center.

First off could you tell us a little about The Cyberathlete Professional League???

The CPL was started in 1997 as a professional gaming sports league.

It was the first sports league in the world that was dedicated to video games.

It has grown tremendously over the last eight years with our first event just offering a few thousand dollars in merchandise prizes to where our last upcoming event of this year will be giving out half a million dollars just in cash prizes.

Why was The CPL formed???

The CPL was formed because the President and Founder of the company Angel Munoz had a vision that video game competitions could be elevated to the level of modern day professional sports.

Eight years ago many people called him crazy.

Today, if you look at the progression of the sport and where it stands worldwide, you would see that vision becoming a reality.

What Changed in the Gaming industry to aid the Formation of The CPL???

I think the one change that stands out the most is the willingness of game developers to work alongside the CPL to help reach our common goals.

Who makes up The CPL???

The CPL is made up of 25 staff members who all strongly believe and are dedicated to the idea that professional gaming is a viable sport.

For more details on who the staff are and what they do, simply visit this webpage:

Who are the members of The CPL & what teams are now part of the CPL???

The CPL does not have a membership program for players or teams at the moment.

We are currently using an open format allowing any player to register and compete amongst the world’s best players.

How would a player join the teams etc and become a professional gamer???

Just like in any sport, players need to make a name for themselves and become recognized.

This takes a lot of practice, dedication, and hard work.

At first, most players usually make a name for themselves online through playing in online leagues such as CAL (Cyberathlete Amateur League).

However, after their recognition as a great player online if they ever want to reach that status as a professional gamer they need to prove to the world they can compete on LAN against the best players and do reasonably well.

Do you host any CPL events in Canada???

We have not yet hosted any CPL events in Canada nor do we have any plans to do so at this time.

However, we have hosted qualifiers in Canada for various events in the United States.

Does the CPL sponsor teams itself or is it a governing body or group???

The CPL does not sponsor any teams or players under any circumstances.

The CPL is simply an event organizer that governs itself.

What role do game manufactures play in The CPL???

Game manufactures are not only producing the games the CPL uses in its competitions, but they are going beyond the call of duty to help the progression of our sport.

For example, Valve created HLTV (Half-Life Television), a software program that allows spectators to connect to the matches live at LAN events from their home computers.

Game manufactures also keep their games updated with new features, maps, or simply just fixing bugs and exploits that cater to the professional gamers.

What role do hardware makers play in The CPL (like Intel,AMD,Nvidia,ATI,etc)???

These hardware companies make up a majority of the sponsors that help make this all possible for organizations like the CPL.

They are basically putting back into the communities that buy their products and push the envelope for the demand of high performance equipment.

Where do you see The CPL and pro gaming going???

I see the CPL remaining in pro gaming for a very long time.

Pro gaming will reach a point where all of the top gamers will be making more than enough money to live on through gaming.

However, what will change though is a majority of the money they make will not be coming from cash prizes like it is today; it will come from sponsorship, advertising, and endorsements.

As of right now only a handful of gamers can be put into such a category.

What would you like to have happen in the gaming industry as a whole???

I like to see the gaming industry not be the scapegoat for malicious acts of violence that take place amongst troubled young adults.

This in hand puts an awkward spin on gaming in the eyes of the mainstream media.

Therefore it’s been somewhat difficult to present our product to the mainstream media in North America.

However, I can proudly say there have been some changes and the media is taking more note of what we are trying to accomplish.

I can’t wait until all these misconceptions of gaming and gamers are put to rest.

What features do you see coming in the games down the line that will blow users and pro gamers away???

The features that I see coming that will blow everyone away are more advanced spectator software programs.

Not only for the home computer user, but for television networks to use while broadcasting these games live.

This will then put professional gaming on the map not only as a viable spectator sport, but a more interactive one.

How do you think the industry responds to input from The CPL and pro gamers ???

The industry responds very well towards input from CPL and pro gamers.

On one hand you have the CPL.

A company with the most experience in the field of gaming competitions.

With this experience brings knowledge of the gaming community as a whole.

As a result the CPL is contacted daily for advice regarding many different sectors within gaming.

On the other hand you have professional gamers.

This small minority of professional gamers are respected by most within the industry based on their accomplishments and their ability to be leaders and role models amongst a very large community.

These professionals have worked very hard to get to where they are, so like in any sport, when they talk, people listen.