Advice for gamers on how to host their own gaming tournament

Let's face it. Video gaming is better in groups, and with the invention of online gaming, this has never been more true. Let's take a step backwards and get back to the true roots of video gaming: live tournaments.

Sure, you can go online and play someone from Nothings-ville, Missouri and consider yourself the victor, but to truly feel the accomplishment, you have to be able to look your opponent in the face and tell him or her, "I'm better." Finding a tournament these days can be trying, so most people opt to start their own. It's no easy task, but with the tools provided, and a little know-how, you and your friends, and hopefully others, will be competing to be the best in no time.

First, for any gaming event, a venue must be found. This can be an apartment, a house, an arcade, a Dave & Buster's, you name it.

If you are going to have it in a public place, call ahead to make sure they can accommodate any equipment you're bringing and don't forget to keep an eye on it.

Next, figure out the game. While one set game doesn't have to be decided, it is best to try and stay within genres (fighting games, shooting games, etc.). Why not get everyone together to play the new Call of Duty: Black Ops? You'll have to be sure to have enough controllers, consoles, and televisions for what you are trying to plan.

A tournament can't happen without attendees, so be sure to let everyone know that it's about to go down. Make calls, send text messages, create a Facebook event, tweet it, put out flyers, anything you can do to get the word out. Tournaments generally have prizes for the winners, so you can try to get gift cards for places like GameStop, Best Buy or just a cash prize. Have everyone chip in a set amount of money when they sign up, and remember the best payoff is 70 percent of the pot for first place, 20 percent for second place, and 10 percent for third place.

When everything is set up, and everyone is at the designated place, it's time to set up the bracket. Just like in real sports, you'll need to figure out who is going to play who. Honestly, this can be a pain, so one suggestion is to use the website challonge.com, which is a free service that can create any type of bracket for your tournament. Try and keep it on a laptop or a smartphone near by so people can see who they will be going up against.

I encourage everyone to grab their friends, grab their games, and get to gaming and throwing tournaments. Online play might be fun if you are alone, but if you have the opportunity to invite your friends over and do something fun and easy, I highly suggest you do it. Oh, and don't forget the pizza.