Not too long ago, kids dreaming of making computer gaming a possible profession were heavily discouraged and even laughed at by their parents and friends. Today cyber-gaming has become a mainstream activity and is one of the fastest growing sectors of the IT market. Participants are enjoying more attractive prizes ranging from significant cash amounts to the latest IT hardware and accessories.

Corporations are now identifying and helping gaming talents to hone their skills to higher levels. Advanced Micro Devices Inc (NYSE: AMD) and HP today announced its first sponsorship from the Compaq AMD Pro-gaming League (CAPL), Singapore’s first year-long pro-gaming league.

Led by Raffles Junior College student, Samuel Tan, Team Zenith, a diverse team of gamers of different ages and experiences, emerged as the unbeaten champions in Defense of the Ancients (DOTA) All-Stars games from more than 400 gamers through the 2006 Spring, Summer and Autumn CAPL seasons. This stellar showing convinced AMD and HP to assist Team Zenith in their training and participation for future competitions in Singapore and possibly around the South East Asia region.

Each team member will receive a high-end customized gaming platform featuring a HP Compaq Presario Desktop PC powered by AMD’s Athlon™ 64 X2 Dual Core microprocessor along with personalized gaming apparels. And in a recent DOTA gaming tournament in Kuala Lumpur, Team Zenith came in first in one of the AMD sponsored overseas gaming trips to Malaysia. In total, the sponsorship has a cash value of S$ 25,000 to aid Team Zenith in their championship title quest and to become professional gamers.

“Following two successful seasons of the Compaq AMD Pro-gaming League, HP is proud to sponsor our very first gaming team, affirming our commitment to cultivate the local gaming community,” said Robin Seow, General Manager, Personal Systems Group, HP Singapore. “As a leader in PC technology, we hope to not only offer gamers a true gaming experience with our range of Compaq Presario Desktop PCs, but to also play a part in bringing the local gaming scene to the next level by encouraging more gaming enthusiasts to compete in professional leagues such as the CAPL so as to advance their skills for the international scene.”

“We are pleased to present this sponsorship to a well-deserved team in the gaming community here in Singapore. It demonstrates our belief in supporting Singapore gamers to develop and excel further in their gaming skills,” said Ryan Sim, Country Manager, Singapore, AMD Far East Ltd. “AMD is proud to be their sponsor and hopes that this encourages other gamers to train and excel.”

DOTA, a game evolved from Warcraft III: Frozen Throne, is all about defending one’s Ancient and trying to destroy the opponents with superior strategies. The pace is frenetic and any small mistake can determine a team winning or losing, even simple decisions like choosing the wrong items or hero combinations.