In early March, Team Pandemic's Counter-Strike:Source squad headed to Austin, Texas for the 2008 CGS Combine and Draft held alongside the famous South by Southwest Interactive Festival. Though the event marked the end of an era for Pandemic.CS (as the team was subsequently drafted into the league), in many ways it began a new chapter for the rest of the organization.

Team President Chris Lemley was on hand for the event and was fortunate enough to be selected as a speaker on a distinguished panel on 'Professional Video Gaming as the Sport of the Next Digital Age.' Lemley took his seat between American e-sports pioneers Craig Levine and Jason Lake while CEO of Xfire, Adam Boyden, led discussion and directed questions from the audience.

Lemley's answers referenced the changing face of gaming, what it's like inside of one of the last remaining independent organizations in the states, and the growing phenomenon that is World of Warcraft.


Pro Gamers Panel at SXSWi - Austin, Texas

The following excerpt from CNET's technology blog, Crave, summarizes the nature of the panel and introduces us to the range of personalities joining Mr. Boyden for the evening panel.

AUSTIN, Texas--Professional video gaming could be the next great sport--and the one that will be the choice of the digital generation. That was the prediction of a panel on the future of the sport at the South by Southwest Interactive (SXSWi) conference here Friday. Speaking with video game instant-messaging company Xfire's CEO, Adam Boyden, an impressive cross-section of the professional video game industry talked at length about why their chosen sport could join football, baseball, soccer, and basketball at the top of the athletics heap in the future. Joining Boyden on-stage were Jason Lake, a former property attorney, and now the manager and owner of the LA Complexity, a team in the year-old Championship Gaming Series; Chris Lemley, the owner of the independent Team Pandemic, a championship World of Warcraft squad; Craig Levine, formerly the owner of a pro gaming team and now the head of an organization called E-Sports Entertainment that has built a community around pro video gaming; and Matija Biljeskovic, a world champion player of the Electronic Arts soccer game, Fifa. Each panelist had his own take on where his sport is going and how far it could go in the next few years, but they all seemed to agree that professional video gaming could be a lucrative vocation for almost anyone willing to put in the time and energy to become a top player. And that, they said, separates and democratizes the sport and separates it from baseball or basketball, which are available professionally to only world-class athletes.

In addition, you can download the video free of charge to your consoles via Xbox LIVE Marketplace: simply go to the spotlight in Marketplace, scroll to the free stuff and then search for 'The Future Virtual World & Game Development: Rise of the Indies Video HD'. Interested in more hot topics in gaming and technology? Be sure to check out the other clips covering the festival's other interactive showcases available on Marketplace while you're there.

Sources:
CNET Crave - "SXSWi panel: Professional Gaming is the Sport of the Digital Age
GameSpot (Video)