The DMW Interview with Ted Owen, CEO of GGL

Authored by Jay Baage on July 31, 2007 - 7:09am.

He wanted to be the number one tennis player in the world, but instead he ended up founding the Global Gaming League. In an interview with DMW, Ted Owen explains the thinking behind GGL, what is going on as far as gaming goes in China and how and why brands like Coca Cola are getting more and more involved with games.

How does GGL differ from other gaming leagues such as MLG (Major League Gaming)?
GGL is not an organizing league for competitive professional video gaming. We are like ESPN to the NHL or NBA, or NFL. There are bunch of these leagues out there, we will provide the best coverage of them all, and provide community and social networking to the much broader audience of online video gamers. This does mean that we run and organize competitions and tournaments. But we are not only for professionals.

What is the strategy behind the global focus of GGL?
Video Gaming is fundamentally global. The market for serious online gaming in Asia and Europe is more developed than in the US. Because of the internet all of these gamers can communicate with each other. This is a new culture that is for the first time, being truly built in a global fashion. We would be crazy to ignore all of that. We knew we needed and must be global from day one.

Gaming is China’s 99th official sport, how is gaming in China differ from gaming in the U.S.?
The Chinese are very open and really get the connection of Video Gaming to Technology excellence as a country, and that competitive video gaming truly is an athletic endeavor. The gamer in China is extraordinarily passionate and dedicated. But many don’t own PC’s that is why the culture in China centers around the Cybercafés, which make for hotbeds of social connection. To know Chinese Video gaming, you have to have presence in the Cybercafes. Which is why we are so focused on this with Coca Cola.

How did the marketing agreement with iCoke come about and how do GGL intend to work with brands like Coca Cola in the future?
Our Chinese operation has been running successfully for some time now, we have been involved in very large competitive events in China. There really is no other partner that could deliver this program for Coke in the global marketplace. We are thrilled to work with brands like coca cola who understand that online video gaming is much more than college boys, that this is MTV for this generation. This is a huge target that is both skeptical and hard to reach. They are passionate about video gaming, and if you work inside their culture and create connections, it will pay off. That means a lot more than a banner on a game info site. It means digging into the culture and participating in the community. That’s what we do for brands.

How do you see gaming tournaments develop in the next few years and what are the cross-benefits for other parts of media such as music and television?
Competitive gaming both online and off are going to be covered better, they will become cultural icons, and you will see the world of entertainment embrace this, it will all get mashed up. We have been doing this for some time now with our Hip Hop Gaming League, our PBGL, and others. Also you are going to see activity across all spectrums of professionalism, from even better run pro tournaments, to really exciting competition among the general online gaming audience. This is a unique sport, everyone can play.

Joakim Baage