Online Gamers from around the world are in Atlanta this week to compete in the SMITE World Championships at the Hi-Rez Expo. 
 
The tournament began on Thursday at the Cobb Energy Performing Arts Centre and there's over a million dollars in prizes at stake.

SMITE is a growing online game played by millions worldwide. Atlanta will host the world championship tournament this weekend.

Smite is an online game developed by Atlanta-based Hi-Rez Studios.  Chief Operating Officer Todd Harris says his game is rooted in history.

“(It's) a game about mythological gods,” Harris said.  “It’s an action, multiplayer game where you play a god and fight with and against other people.”

“The event here is basically the best players of SMITE all around the world, competing for over a million dollars in prizes.”   

SMITE has more than twenty million registered players worldwide. Many of those players are ardent fans of competitive SMITE, which they watch on the live-streaming service Twitch.

Professional teams from the United States, Brazil, China, and many more countries will square off in the championship tournament.  

College student Jeremy Davis traveled from North Carolina to watch the finals. And besides hanging out with his friends, he’s excited about watching the pros at work.

"We already stream all the matches on Twitch,” Davis said. “I watch the professionals play on YouTube … so I can get better at it. And now, I can actually see them play.”

Thousands of fans like Jeremy are expected to pack out the Cobb Energy Performing Arts Centre. The four day event is sold out.

On Twitter, Hi-Rez says they’re keeping an eye on the winter weather headed to the metro area and will alert fans who plan to attend of any changes in the schedule.

Snow or not, fans will be able to catch all the action on Twitch.tv, an official partner of the event.

Harris expects around three million people to stream the championships matches over the weekend. 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qQM5X_8-ZBs

SMITE game-play consists of 5 v 5 match ups with players taking the role of mythical figures throughout history.

SMITE game-play consists of 5 v 5 match ups with players taking the role of mythical figures throughout history.

Tags: video games  SMITE  streaming  Atlanta  Georgia