Trackmania is one of the world’s biggest car games. All the cars are equally good, and it’s all about being the fastest from start to finish. Next weekend several gaming enthusiasts will come to Ørnes in Meløy to compete in the Arctic Gaming Experience. The prize pool of just over NOK 300,000 is one of the largest in the game’s recent history. The international participants, who have never been north of the Arctic Circle, will get to experience nature and visit the Svartisen glacier during their stay. Several of those who have arrived in Ørnes to compete are at the top of the list of the best in the world. As Carl-Antoni “Carl Jr.” Cloutier from Canada. E-Sportsman “Carl Jr.” Carl-Antoni Cloutier from Canada is looking forward to competing in Ørneshallen. Photo: private He is a five-time world champion in the game. – I am obviously looking forward to playing, and will do what I can to get a good result. But most of all I’m looking forward to going to Svartisen. It will also be fun to experience the place and the people who live here. This is Trackmania Photo: Nadeo Trackmania is a series of car games that have been released in several versions. The first version was launched in 2003. The games are developed by the French game producer Nadeo, which was established in 2000. The game involves driving a car on tracks designed by the game’s developers or other players. All the cars are the same, so the differences are how you drive on the track. It’s about staying in the right way, at the right speed, starting the turn at the right time and getting out of the turn at the right speed. When you compete against others, the opponents are transparent so that you cannot hit each other. It is often only a matter of hundredths of a second difference between the person who comes in first place and those who come after. – Completely crazy Fredrik Bergmann, also known as “Bergie”, became world champion in Trackmania in 2010. Today he is a manager in one of Norway’s largest e-sports organisations. He thinks the Arctic Gaming Experience sounds quite crazy. Nevertheless, he believes the Arctic Gaming Experience will be Norway’s biggest e-sports event. – It is really unheard of that such a big tournament is organized in a small village like Ørnes. The entire world elite comes to participate. It is fantastic what the organizer has achieved. The entire e-sports community has reason to be proud, because this shows what is possible to achieve, Bergmann believes. – The game is the Formula 1 of e-sports. It is extremely fast paced and very cool to play. You push the limits of what is possible, says Fredrik Bergmann, former world champion in Trackmania. Photo: Privat The players will sit on a stage in Ørneshallen and play against each other. Around them there is room for 500 spectators. At the same time, several of the players broadcast live on Twitch, which is the most popular gaming platform for broadcasting gameplay live. One of the players has over 300,000 followers on Twitch. Wants to bring more people to the village ØRNES CENTRUM: The settlement where around 1,500 people live. Photo: Kasper Holgersen / news The aim of the Arctic Gaming Experience is to create more awareness of Northern Norway. news has previously told how young people escape the region. And how young people escape from the rural areas into the big cities. Back in the village, the elderly sit. About 1,500 people live in Ørnes, which is Eirik Holdal’s hometown. – If I am to continue living in a small village like Ørnes, I am dependent on the influx of mainly young people. And where do we find young people? Within the gaming industry. – The hope is that those who want to establish themselves in working life will come up to Northern Norway where we are crying out for working people, he adds. Eirik Holdal works as a journalist in the local newspaper Kulingen. He has also worked as a journalist within e-sports for 4 years. Photo: Emilie Solbakken Holdal hopes the Arctic Gaming Experience will be Norway’s biggest e-sports event. – I’m going hard, so I’d rather come back and apologize if it’s not as big as I say it will be. Measuring the size of an e-sports event can be difficult. One can, among other things, measure it by the number of spectators or the prize pool. Eirik Holdal was awarded the Volunteer Award to Meløy municipality for his work for children, young people and the local community in March 2022. Photo: Thomas Hegge Moen Eirik has received good support from both the municipality, Nordland county municipality, Bodø 2024 and the local business community. – I must also praise the mayor and Meløy municipality for saying yes unanimously to supporting an e-sports project in their home village, even though they may not know exactly what will happen. The budget for the entire event is just under NOK 2 million. – 2 million may sound a lot to some and little to others, but within e-sports it is a relatively small budget. If this is successful, this will become an annual event, not necessarily just in Meløy, but the whole of northern Norway, says Holdal. One of the most intense e-sports games out there, says Rune Fjeld Olsen, who is a journalist at Level Up Norway and a game reviewer for news. – You get the atmosphere that you recognize from big football matches, it’s really fun to be part of. Rune Fjeld Olsen started playing Trackmania himself when it came out. Photo: Siri Vålberg Saugstad / Siri Vålberg Saugstad Trackmania is not among the biggest e-sports we have in the world, but it has a dedicated fan base that has followed this game for many years. Olsen compares the game to Formula 1. – These tournaments are incredibly exciting to watch. It’s so even, and it’s about hundredths. There have been previous tournaments in Norway where you bring in the best in the world in the game, including for Super Smash Bros. Olsen says that this does not happen often in Norway. – It is a great thing to see the absolute world elite come to Norway to compete. I think that’s fun for many people to get along with, he concludes. Fredrik Bergmann believes that the event at Ørnes will mean a lot for e-sports in Norway. – The trackmania environment is great. You will have to look for a long time to find an event of this caliber. Both in terms of financial structure and participation. It is a step in the right direction. If we look at our neighboring countries, we have a lot to gain. At the end of the season, Jkaem and the Apeks story gets a new chapter, Nyhrox decides on his future team and Hyper sets his sights on the WC.
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Trackmania at the Arctic Gaming Experience – Norway’s largest e-sports event – news Nordland
