Gaming Craze Spawns Biggest National Gaming Tour

GAMING CRAZE SPAWNS BIGGEST NATIONAL GAMING TOUR
Cross-Canada Search For A Gaming Pro…Yes, it’s true, you CAN get paid to game!

Mississauga, ON – June 3, 2008 – With almost half of Canadian households owning a video game console or handheld system, it’s no wonder the country’s biggest national video gaming tour is set to roll across Canada this summer – stopping at nine major cities from Halifax to Vancouver and looking for Canada’s best gamer to be the fourth member of the Amp Energy Pro Team along the way.

At 3,500 square feet, Amp Your Game features 80 gaming stations, all the latest titles and a variety of activities for both casual and serious gamers.

“If you like to game, no matter what your level of play, this is the can’t-miss event of the summer,” said Dale Hooper, Vice-President of Marketing, Pepsi-QTG Canada. “And, remember, we’re looking for a pro to complete the Amp Energy Pro Team, so head down to your local tour stop, grab an Amp Energy™ Energy Drink, and game your heart out – who knows, you may be the one to get paid to game.”

Amp Your Game, kicking off in Halifax on June 12, is designed to appeal to the growing number of gaming enthusiasts in Canada and features the most popular games for individual and group play for gamers of all skill levels. It also provides a one-of-a-kind platform to showcase Canada’s top gaming talent with a nationwide search for the next professional gamer.

In addition to a variety of the most popular video games for Playstation® 3, PSP™, and XBox 360™, the tour will be an entertainment mecca featuring a live DJ, celebrity appearances, lounge areas and organized group tournaments with prizes and giveaways.

The Amp Energy Pro Team’s Search for the next professional gamer
The Amp Energy Pro Team, quarterbacked by Canada’s top gamer, Nelson Triana, will audition gaming hopefuls in each city in a search for the team’s fourth member. The Amp Energy Pro Team, North of 49, is currently Canada’s top-ranked, professional gaming team and is the first ever to be sponsored in Canada.

The three-member team led by Triana (gamer tag: G-SpOt), also includes Leo Vitelli (gamer tag: Alpha XFactor) and Bo Kovacevic (gamer tag: The Bo).

“We know that Canada has lots of amazing gaming talent and Amp Your Game provides us with the perfect forum to choose the fourth member of the Amp Energy Pro Team,” said team captain, Nelson Triana. “With the growing popularity of gaming, there’s a great opportunity to make a career out of it. I know it’s hard for people to believe, but we actually get paid to play video games, and that’s incredible.”

Anyone can register for a chance to compete in the Search for the Pro tournaments to be held in each of the nine tour stops. Interested gamers enter online at www.AMPENERGY.ca where they will be asked a series of questions that will help the pro team choose competitors in each city. For Canadian gamers who are not able to compete in-person, Amp Your Game also provides an opportunity to compete against the Amp Energy Pro Team on XBox Live® for a position on the team. Four finalists will be chosen in each city and four from online play with the winner announced after the tour is over.

Amp Your Game Tour Schedule
The Amp Your Game National Gaming Tour will stop in nine cities this summer. The event will run for four days, from Thursday to Sunday, in each city between 12 noon and 11:00 p.m.* (6 p.m. on Sundays).
  • Halifax, June 12-15, Halifax Commons
  • Montreal, June 19-22, St-Laurent Boulevard
  • Ottawa, June 26-29, Kanata Centrum
  • Toronto, July 3-6, Harbourfront Centre
  • Winnipeg, July 10-13, The Forks
  • Edmonton, July 17-20, West Edmonton Mall
  • Calgary, July 24-27, Eau Claire Market
  • Vancouver, July 31-August 3, Richmond Centre
  • Saskatoon, August 7-10, Saskatoon Ex
Gaming Popularity in Canada
  • Almost half of Canadian households (43 per cent) own a video game console and/or a handheld system
  • 82 per cent of all Canadian adults have played a video game at least once, while nearly seven out of 10 (67 per cent) have played in the last year
  • The average age of gamers in Canada is 39
  • Almost half of all Canadian adults are recent gamers who have played a video game in the past four weeks (46 per cent)
  • 70 per cent of recent gamers play at least a few days a week
  • Nearly half of recent gamers (45 per cent) have been playing video games consistently for many years
Source: Entertainment Software Association of Canada, 2007

About Pepsi-QTG Canada
Pepsi-QTG Canada, a division of PepsiCo Canada ULC, is a leader in the Canadian beverages industry, and markets a variety of beverages under the following trademarks: PEPSI®, DIET PEPSI®, DIET PEPSI MAX™, 7UP®, MOUNTAIN DEW®, MUG®, AQUAFINA®, SOBE®, LIPTON®, and LIPTON® BRISK® ICED TEAS, STARBUCKS FRAPPUCINO®, GATORADE®, DOLE® AND TROPICANA®.