Desie Heita
5 January 2009
Windhoek — The first ever electronic and computer games competition in the country was well received with nearly 60 gaming pundits taking part.
Jonathan Steinbach and his five-men team won the first place in the Defence of the Ancients (DotA) games as well as second place in the Call of Duty 5 games. Steinbach came second, in individual challenges, for both the Dawn of War: Soulstorm and Unreal Tournament games.
Organisers of the event, Louis van der Merwe Construction, said they were overwhelmed by the turnout of both participants and observers.
The national electronic games took place on December 20 and 21 at the Windhoek Show Ground in the Karakul Hall under the title "NamLAN - LAN of the brave is Namibia".
Telecom Namibia and First National Bank Namibia sponsored the event.
The purpose of the games was to test the market, after which organisers hope to register the games as a national sport for this year.
The event featured various prizes, worth N$20 000, that were won in hard cash, as well as other merchandized items.
Aspiring participants had to bring along their own personal computers and a registration of N$30 to join in the fun.
The 'NamLAN - LAN of the Brave' was a competitive tournament on a scale never before hosted in Namibia and required much cooperation and support, said the event organisers.
Worldwide, people participate in World Cyber Games where gaming pundits gather and play various games, one-on-one. The 2008's World Cyber Games took place in Cologne, Germany, from November 5 to 9. The popularity of gaming across the world is increasing at a staggering rate with gamers around the world buying up more than 6 million copies of the gritty, urban action title in its first week of sales.
There are two broad classes of electronic games, one being the video games, designed for specific video-game systems, handheld devices, and coin-operated arcade consoles.
The other is computer games played on personal computers.
Categories of electronic games include strategy games, sports games, adventure and exploration games, solitaire and multiplayer card games, puzzle games, fast-action arcade games, flying simulations, and versions of classic board games. Software programmes employ game-play elements to teach reading, writing, problem solving, and other basic skills commonly referred to as edutainment.
According to Louis van der Merwe, competitive gaming is acknowledged as a national and international sport by many countries, even by neighbouring South Africa. Korea, Germany and Austria are the founding members of the International e-sports Federation and members of the International Olympic Committee.
Gaming is a trendy sport and the ideal opportunity for Namibians to compete and flourish in the international arena.
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