Mobile phones are the most popular gaming devices in the world. Hundreds of millions of people now hold a world of games in the palm of their hand at every waking moment, eliminating the inconvenience of computers and consoles.Enter Vainglory, the worlds leading mobile esports title. Developed by Sup

Mobile phones are the most popular gaming devices in the world. Hundreds of millions of people now hold a world of games in the palm of their hand at every waking moment, eliminating the inconvenience of computers and consoles.Enter Vainglory, the worlds leading mobile esports title. Developed by Super Evil Megacorp, Vainglory is a multiplayer online battle arena (MOBA) title akin to League of Legends and Dota 2; unlike its PC counterparts, it is designed specifically for touchscreen play. Popular esports powerhouses like Team SoloMid and Team Secret have already developed franchises in its growing esports scene.On Sept. 11, the finale of the summer season, the top eight teams will duke it out for a prize pot worth over $100,000. Super Evil Megacorp has confirmed that the subsequent autumn season will feature a world championship starring the 12 most decorated teams.The Evil Eight system, a special title for the top eight teams at any given time, will debut during the summer season. North America and European teams will compete for inclusion in the Evil Eight all summer long as they try to accumulate points in the championship standings.The bottom three Evil Eight teams will face weekly challenger battles from the community-run challenger tier.Its important for us to keep the dream alive, for three friends to be able to get together and make a path to the championship, says Kristian Segerstale, COO and Executive Director at Super Evil Megacorp.With Amazons sponsorship of the league, Segerstrale says he is confident this will be the biggest and best season yet. Amazon has been invested in Vainglory since its first tournament: a community-driven event that inspired Super Evil Megacorp to invest more into Vainglory esports.Evan Denbaum, Senior Director of Content and Creative Director of Esports at SEMC, says its team initially wanted to create a game that would redefine the expectations of the mobile genre. He jumped aboard SEMC because he was impressed by the game engine they were working with and felt it could even build games for current gen consoles. Turning Vainglory into an esport wasnt even on his radar, but the community quickly gained his attention.At first, tournaments were 2v2 so the third player slot could be used to spectate the matches, he says. That forced SEMC to immediately bump spectator mode up in its development queue.The players, teams, and regions of Vainglory esportsSome people saw Vainglorys esports potential from the get-go. Team SoloMids team captain and roamer, Michael FlashX Valore, says hed been following it since it was featured at an Apple keynote event in 2014. He started playing when the game was released only to Southeast Asia, even though the latency to the U.S. was very high.FlashXs major breakthrough came when his first team, Ardent Alliance, rolled through the autumn season open qualifier last fall, winning the chance to compete in the Vainglory International Premier League (VIPL) for a shot at an $80,000 prize pool. The Korean esports media powerhouse OnGameNet (OGN) hosted the VIPL in Seoul.We actually had an issue at first, though, he says. One of our members was only 13 years old and he couldnt convince his parents to let him go to Korea.Despite needing to sub out their teammate, Ardent Alliance defeated the worlds strongest teams en route to winning the VIPL Season 2 Championship.After that sensational performance, AA was acquired by Team SoloMid, whose clout and presence in North American esports is unmatched.The incredible variety of mobile touchscreen devices can throw an interesting wrench into a Vainglory teams plans. At a recent invitational event, FlashX and Team SoloMid suffered an embarrassing defeat at the hands of Koreas Invincible Armada.While FlashX was quick to acknowledge his opponents strength, he also wanted to emphasize that the games werent an accurate gauge of his teams ability, as they were forced to play on Samsung phones instead of their usual iPads.FlashX says that, generally speaking, deciding which type of device to use comes down to preference. Some players prefer using their thumbs on a phone while FlashX opts for his index fingers on a larger screen. Some players use a stylus. Some players sit at a desk, and some lie down on their stomachs.In the future, a Vainglory stage might accommodate all these preferences for players. Mobile devices mean competitors can play in different positions and in many kinds of environments, unlike PC gaming. Of course, it probably wont get to the point of placing a bed on the stage for a particular player to use, but whos to really say?As Vainglory heads into the summer, regions all over the world have begun to take shape as distinct competitive arenas. Denbaum says one of the most intriguing things for him to watch as a developer is the vast differences between the metagame [strategies] of each region.North America, for example, is extremely aggressive in the early game, he says. Europe is more likely to play passively and scale into late game, and Korea will funnel all of their resources into their primary carry as the other two players focus on supportive roles.Super Evil Megacorp has watched its game evolve before its eyes as professional players redefine the notions and preconceptions behind champions. The SEMC team has watched heroes like Petal, previously thought of as useless and gimmicky, play a significant role in Koreas spring championship.He says flexibility is a key philosophy to the teams balancing ideology. In a 3v3 game, we feel every hero needs the potential to be played in any of the roles, he says. And differences are already spawning to fill each regions strategic needs.With the confirmation of a World Championship event, the regions will have a real opportunity to determine who stands supreme. Its a chance to define the entire game going forward. In League of Legends, for example, the now-standard Marksmen and Support duo-lane didnt come into its own until Europe dominated the inaugural LoL World Championship.The summer season and the future of esportsAs they head into the summer, SEMCs priority will be to expand the games reach and to provide stability and support to their professional scene. Denbaum also wants to continue to acknowledge the communitys strength and passion for Vainglory as an esport.And beyond that, Segerstale says, Within the next decade, I expect a mobile game to be one of, if not the largest players in the esports industry. There are over three billion touchscreen devices compared to some seven hundred million gaming PCs.One of the limitations facing mobile games is the perception that they are time killers or less serious than games on other platforms. Additionally, Segerstale says a lot of mobile games have intrinsic timers that cause players to expect shorter playing sessions. These games rely on pay-to-win models that dont have the same type of magic the gaming generation experienced growing up.In contrast to casual mobile games, Vainglory matches can go anywhere from 7-8 minutes up to 20 minutes, and the average player plays for about two hours per day. Segerstale hopes more mobile games will ask and allow players to steep themselves in a richer, more strategical environment.During Vainglorys development, one of Super Evil Megacorps concerns was that theyd have to persuade a generation of PC gamers that touchscreen games were legitimate. However, what theyve instead come to realize is that Vainglory appeals to a whole bunch of people whose first language is mobile gaming, especially when limited to the MOBA genre.Mobile games like Candy Crush and Clash Royale are turning more and more people into gamers, although these gamers are different from the traditional stereotype. Segerstale shares a story about a 13-year-old kid from Europe, who is one of the top thousand Vainglory players there:When PC gaming came up, he said he didnt understand how people could just accept the abstract limitations of a mouse and keyboard. He couldnt just touch where he wanted to go or aim at multiple targets.So comes the next generation of esports. 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Nike China Jerseys .Y. - Free agent outfielder Jacoby Ellsbury, fresh off winning the World Series with Boston, reached agreement with the rival New York Yankees on a seven-year contract worth about $153 million, a person familiar with the negotiations said Tuesday night. NEW ORLEANS -- At least Cam Newton looks fine.Unfortunately for the star quarterback and the rest of the defending NFC champion Carolina Panthers, their 2016 season is unraveling as they head into their bye week at 1-5 and alone in last place in the NFC South.Its not like we wanted to start the season, but we have a bunch of guys that play hard, Panthers linebacker Luke Kuechly said. Were going to work our butts off this week and the rest of the season to try to get some wins.Three of Carolinas losses have come down to field goals in the final seconds. The Panthers missed a potential game-winner in Week 1 at Denver, and now division rivals have hit winning field goals against them in the final seconds the past two weeks.On Sunday, it was New Orleans Wil Lutz connecting from 52 yards with 11 seconds left in a 41-38 Saints victory. The previous Monday night, it was Buccaneers kicker Roberto Aguayo hitting from 38 yards as time expired.Perhaps less encouraging for Carolina is the fact that neither New Orleans (2-3) nor Tampa Bay (2-3) have winning records.Four of the Saints five games this season have come down to the last possession. And after an 0-3 start, New Orleans has won two straight -- although they might be in trouble without quarterback Drew Brees, whose 465 yards and four touchdowns were just enough to overcome a slew of defensive gaffes, not to mention a missed field goal.Still, Brees brimmed with optimism, as he tends to do.Were ascending, the Saints QB said. These are defining wins. These are wins you can draw from as the season goes along and really get a lot of strength from.Some things we learned from the Panthers-Saints shootout in the Big Easy:CAM CANNewton completed 27 of 47 passes for 322 yards and two TDs against New Orleans. He also ran around the right end for a crucial, late fourth-quarter score and added a pass for a 2-point conversion that tied it at 38 with 2:58 to go. One area in which he and the offense struggled was third down; they converted just three of 11. But that might have had something to do with Newtons apparent reluctance in running into too many hits coming off his concussion.I do what Im asked to do, Newton said when asked why he kept scrambles to an apparent minimum.ddddddddddddBREES BONANZAAfter becoming the only quarterback in NFL history to eclipse 400 yards passing in a regular-season game 15 times -- moving ahead of Peyton Mannings 14 -- Brees is averaging 346.8 yards passing this season to go with 14 TDs. Brees has said he still feels as if hes in his prime at age 37. His elite numbers back him up.He is one of the best that has ever played, said tight end Coby Fleener, who caught a 50-yard TD from Brees. Its not like its something you see every few weeks. Its every single week.DEFENSIVE DOLDRUMSThe Panthers and Saints defenses each managed one sack and one interception, but those were the few highlights of an otherwise tough day for both struggling units. The Saints were called for three pass interference penalties in or near the end zone, all leading to Panthers TDs. Saints defenders were concerned enough that they balked when coaches told them they could take Monday off.I want the whole defense to meet tomorrow with the coaches and were going to go through this whole tape, Saints safety Kenny Vaccaro said.We won the game but I dont have a good taste in my mouth. I think there are some things out there that I know we didnt do that we need to execute -- little things that are going to cost us in the future.KICKING CONFIDENCESaints coach Sean Payton has maintained faith in rookie kicker Wil Lutz even as he has missed a few field goals. He missed a 53-yarder against Carolina, but Payton banked on Lutz in the final seconds and it paid off.Hes got the moxie. Hes got all those things you look for in a good kicker, Payton said of the former Georgia State kicker. Aside from the physical traits -- leg strength -- hes got that mental toughness.GETTING COOKEDDefensive backs are having a hard time keeping up with Brandin Cooks, whose 87-yard touchdown catch and run against Carolina wasnt even his longest receptions this season. He had a 98-yard TD in Week 1. His seven catches for 173 yards Sunday gives him a team-leading 428 yards through five games.---AP NFL website: www.pro32.ap.org and www.twitter.com/AP-NFL ' ' '