Gaming Tournament Underway in Cobb

COBB COUNTY, GA -- One of the world’s most prestigious competitive video game tournaments is underway in Cobb County, with ten teams competing for a $500,000 grand prize.

The SMITE World Championship, taking place at the Cobb Energy Performing Arts Centre, features teams across the planet playing a video game called SMITE, which pits figures from mythology against one another in a knock-down, drag-out fight to the finish.

The tournament has a double elimination placement stage and a single elimination knockout stage. The placement stage has wrapped up, and one match of the knockout stage has been completed with the team from Europe defeating the team from China.

Cloud 9, the North American champions, boast a local player on their roster. 25-year-old Cartersville native John Salter, better known in the e-sports circle as “BaRRaCCuDDa,” is Cloud 9’s hunter. He was on Cloud 9 last year when they took home the grand prize.

Salter and Cloud 9 are scheduled to take on the Chinese runners-up Qiao Gu Reapers in a best-of-3 match at 5:15. You can watch the match here.