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No Candy Crush: $1 million pot in Cobb for video gamers worldwide

By Matt Kempner
Jan 8, 2016

This isn't Candy Crush, but it's in the same neck of the entertainment woods of that blockbuster game. The four-day world championship for SMITE, a video game made in Alpharetta, is underway in Cobb County with a $1 million prize pool.

That puts it among the biggest events for the wacky, growing world of pro gaming.

Gamers from around the globe play on stage at the 2,700-seat Cobb Energy Performing Arts Centre surrounded by cheering fans (mostly guys, but also more women than you might think), cool lighting effects, refs and play-by-play announcers. The event’s $100 multi-day tickets sold out long ago. Millions of people are expected to watch online.

Sound stunning? That's not the half of it. Find out what more is coming for "eSports," including on TV, in my latest Unofficial Business column on myAJC.com.

About the Author

Matt Kempner is an award-winning journalist who seeks out intriguing twists about people and subjects beyond what the AJC might typically cover. A former columnist and editor, his past assignments have included business investigations, energy, the economy, entrepreneurs, big business, consumer spending, politics, government and the environment.

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