Major League Gaming Major League Gaming (MLG) is arguably the first professional
esports organization. Headquartered in
New York City, MLG holds official video game tournaments throughout the United States and Canada. MLG's aim from its founding was to bring computer and console game competitions to the level of spectator sports in terms of competition and production value. Early on, MLG was kept afloat exclusively through financing from its founders. In 2006,
Oak Investment Partners, a local venture capital firm, invested in MLG and by 2012 it had invested nearly $60 million in the league. In 2006, MLG broadcast their
Halo 2 Pro Series on
USA Network as the TV program
Boost Mobile MLG Pro Circuit. With the broadcast, MLG became the first televised
video game console gaming league in the United States. The Boost Mobile MLG Pro Circuit ran until 2007, and was also featured on
ESPN.com, and other sites. In 2013, MLG.tv, MLG's website, launched video streaming. The online-only platform was one of the first for streaming esports, closely following the spinoff from
Justin.tv into
Twitch.tv in the summer of 2011. Sepso said of MLG.tv, which would later be a driving factor in Activision Blizzad's acquisition of the company: "The past two or three years started to explode because of
online video. While we early on did bring MLG to television, the reality is our audience lives online." In October of 2014, MLG opened the MLG.tv Arena in
Columbus, Ohio. The 14,000 square feet arena is located near
Easton Town Center and the campus of
Ohio State University. MLG.tv arena's first live event was the MLG Pro League Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare Season 3 Playoffs. == References ==