COBB COUNTY, Ga. — Dozens of the best video game players on the planet gathered at the Cobb Energy Center this weekend to battle it out for a $500,000 top prize. It was the Hi-Rez studios Expo and "Smite" World Championship.
"You walk in, and it feels like a combination of a sporting event meets a rock concert," Todd Harris, from Hi-Rez Studios told WSBTV.com's Nelson Hicks. "So you've got 3,000 cheering fans with their Thundersticks. You've got five vs. five, and the competitors on stage are wearing jerseys. They're all equipped just like a team. They've got sponsor names like NASCAR (drivers do) on their chest. And they're playing this game at a really, really high skill level.
Three thousand super-fans, 80 of whom came from outside Georgia, packed the arena to watch professional video game players play. "Smite" was the game of choice for this competition. It's the most popular title from Alpharetta's Hi-Rez Studios. In it, teams of five players take control of mythological gods and square off.
"It blows people away, but if you're a fan of traditional sports, this is just like that, but video games played at the highest level," Harris said.
"I've never screamed so loud in my life," attendee Deon White said.
Hutchinson attended to cheer on Luminosity, one of the game's most popular teams. And much like famous players from other sports, these e-sports superstars met fans, posed for photos and signed autographs.
For Hutchinson, who was part of a contingent from the Hampton High School "Smite" team, meeting one of the team's players was a memorable moment.
The team features John Salter from Cartersville, too. Like his teammates, Salter makes a living gaming.
"You can actually earn a living playing video games," Harris said. "They are professional video game players. Between their prize take-home, between sponsorship and between streaming, which basically means they film their practice sessions and live-stream it over the internet, and they make additional money that way, they earn a living by playing video games."
And earning a good living is exactly what the members of the NRG e-sports "Smite" team are doing. They captured the 2017 "Smite" World Championship title, repeating the team's victory from the 2016 tournament.
Up next for Hi Rez-Studios come new games from the "Smite" theme, "Smite Tactics' and "Smite Rivals."