Four American gamers lost to non-Americans in the second annual Gillette EA Sports Champions of Gaming Tournament in New York City last night. But then, in a twist, two pro athletes beat two of the tournament-winning gamers.
In round-robin competitions of FIFA 10, Fight Night Round 4, Madden NFL 10 and NHL 10, a handful of American and Asian "regional champion" gamers lost to counterparts from Europe and the South Pacific. The U.K.'s Matthew Bushell was the FIFA champ. The U.K.'s David Wright conquered his fellow gamers in Fight Night. Viktor Ghamari, from Sweden, won the NHL competition and New Zealand's Steven Leonard was the master of Madden.
Then these guys took on the pros. Mixed results there. In a Fight Night battle, New York Yankees all-star Derek Jeter, fighting as an EA-made pugilistic version of himself, lost a decision to Wright. NHL legend Wayne Gretzky lost a hockey video game shoot-out to Ghamari.
But professional soccer player Landon Donovan of the Los Angeles Galaxy scored on penalty kicks to beat Bushell in FIFA. Atlanta Falcons quarterback Matt Ryan squeaked out a 6-0 win in Madden.
I would have picked the regular gamers to win all four, but I guess some of the pro athletes know their stuff. Or got lucky.
[PIC: AP]