![Three of Vincent Bain's friends play the Nintendo game "Super Smash Brothers" at the Mighty Chicken restaurant in Pensacola. Pictured, from bottom to top, are Dalton Wright, Daniel Gilmore and Patrick Jernigan. [Special to the Press Gazette]](http://127.0.0.1/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2022/01/ghows-DA-4d4b77d6-2715-2e35-e053-0100007fe439-7110cd18.jpeg)
MILTON — Vincent Bain wants to attract video game players everywhere to Milton for a tournament, but first he will need some help.
The 24-year-old Central School alumnus said his interest in video games developed in middle school when friends introduced him to “Maple Story,” an MMO, or massively multiplayer online, game. Someone plays MMO games with others through the internet.
At the time, Bain’s introduction to video games was something of a culture clash.
“I went to Central School, peanuts, cotton, and all that good stuff,” Bain said. “There was no internet for miles. I didn’t have a computer until I was 15.”
But he caught on fast.
After winning a 2006 tournament in Pensacola on a five-man team playing the game “Counter-Strike,” Bain was inspired to hold a tournament closer to home.
“Just the fact of winning something, being better than somebody proves that you’re good. That was amazing,” Bain said.
But dreaming is easy; making fantasy reality is the hard part.
Bain faces numerous challenges, such as the city’s size, to organize the tournament.
“I really want to do it in Milton, but Milton is kind of small,” Bain said. “I might have to go to Pensacola, but I really want to do it in Milton because it’s my hometown.”
Another challenge is funding the prize pool.
“I want a big prize pool to get people from everywhere to come to Milton (to see) we have good gamers in Milton.”
Bain plans to feature multiple games at the tournament. Among them are “League of Legends,” “Counter-Strike,” “Super Smash Brothers Melee” and “Super Smash Brothers Brawl.” But he wants to let others decide what they’ll play through a poll on his Facebook page, 850Gamerz.
In fact, gamers’ feedback is crucial to the plan.
“I want to get people on the Facebook page and have a poll,” he said.
“That’s my biggest concern.”
Anyone interested in supporting or taking part in a Milton-based video game tournament can contact Vincent Bain at 736-2524, vincentryanbain@gmail.com or visit the 850Gamerz Facebook page.
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This article originally appeared on Santa Rosa Press Gazette: 'I really want to do it in Milton'