Video game tournament sells out Cobb Arena, awards $2.6 million in prize money

ATLANTA, Ga. — Take the top players in the world, throw in a sold-out arena, millions of dollars on the line and you've got the making of a video game tournament.

A sold-out Cobb Energy Center played host to the SMITE World Championship this weekend. The tournament brought together eight teams from North America, Europe, Brazil, the rest of Latin America and China to battle over the $2.6 million prize pool.

And even though the Super Bowl might be a few more weeks away, the SMITE Championship match had all the makings of the big game. There were four analysts, two play-by-play commentators, a roaring crowd, a massive video screen, smoke and lights.

Gaming is what some of these participants do full-time, for a living. Others have to deal with school. Competitors in the championships ranged in age from 15 to 26.

In SMITE, five players team up as mythological gods to battle another team.

The championship came down to Cognitive Prime and Titan. And while both teams were assured a great payout for the weekend of gaming, the difference between first and second place totaled nearly $800,000.

The finals were a best-of-five series, and when the dust settled it was North America's Cognitive Prime, including Cartersville's John Salter, screen name "Barracuda," who took home the top prize.

Take an inside look at Salter's gaming lifestyle.

SMITE is the creation of Hi-Rez Studios in Alpharetta. Come back to wsbtv.com later this week as we delve inside Hi-Rez and pull back the curtain on what it takes to create the game and a career in the gaming industry.

WSBTV