Tops in Internet Tank Game, Taylor, Teammates Win Cash, Trip to Poland

VILLAS – There’s a new sport in town and 17-year-old Ian Taylor hopes he can travel the world and make a living competing in the online game “World of Tanks.” He found it by clicking on an Internet ad about five years ago.
The Lower Cape May Regional High School junior returned home Feb. 29 from Las Vegas, Nev. where he and his team battled against three other teams to win first place in the Wargaming.net League North America tournament.
They were the youngest team competing and won $75,000 and a trip to Warsaw, Poland, next month to compete in the World of Tanks Grand Finals.
Taylor’s team is called eClipse and consists of young men from the U.S., Ukraine and Canada. They battled their way for three months against 13 other teams to win the fourth spot in the league and travel to Las Vegas.
“I got interested in the game because I like history,” Taylor said, “and unlike a lot of online games, this requires a lot of strategy and you learn about World War II history from the maps and cities where the game takes place. It’s fun and educational at the same time.”
World of Tanks is a multi-player online game developed by a Belarusian-Cypriot company. It features early to mid-20th Century era fighting vehicles.
The game is built upon a business model where the game is free to play, but participants also have the option of paying a fee for use of “premium” features. The focus is on player vs player game play with each player controlling an armored vehicle, which may be a light, medium or heavy tank, tank destroyer or self-propelled gun.
World of Tanks debuted as an eSports game at the World Cyber Games 2012.
Like any competitive athlete, Taylor and his team practice five days a week, about two to three hours a day. “I played football as a freshman and know how much time and effort goes into team practice,” Taylor said. “Well, we do the same thing.”
Taylor explained that when he first started, he was not part of a team. With lots of practice under his belt, his reputation grew in the virtual world. A friend was looking for additional players to join his team, which led to Taylor joining and competing in the pro-league.
A team is composed of seven players and three reserves; eight eClipse players went to Las Vegas for the competition.
“Just like a regular sports team, there are certain positions which people play, and a certain strategy you use for certain terrains,” Taylor said. The objective is to destroy the other players’ tanks or capture the base, “both hard to do.”
A game can last up to eight minutes, and success can depend on how well the team plays on the battlefield rather than how individuals perform.
Taylor plays on a computer he built with his uncle from money earned while working at the Fudge Kitchen.
“We split our winnings from Vegas between all 10 of us,” Taylor said. “I plan to wait and see how we make out in Poland; I’d like to buy a car and upgrade my computer.
“I love engineering and perhaps I’ll get involved in building and engineering these games,” he added, “but in the meantime, I plan to travel the world and do what I can competing.”
At the grand finals, Taylor said the prize pool is $320,000, with first place $150,000. “That’s what we are competing for,” he said.
“He’s been playing computer games since he could walk and talk,” his mother, Debra Skain, said. “When he became really interested in gaming a few years ago, I began to research it. In some countries, these gamers are considered athletes getting sponsors like they do in NASCAR or football. I was amazed when they won the trip to Vegas, and even more amazed at what the future potential is.”
To contact Karen Knight, email kknight@cmcherald.com.