Derek from British Columbia and Kelli from Pennsylvania are Kiwi Skill.com’s lucky two finalists to make the opening rounds of the World Wide Web Games. Held in Los Angeles, the W3 games as they have come to be known, offer players the chance to exercize their skills against other skill gaming fans. All players at the games have qualified by obtaining the highest scores in their pool in any of three popular games: Zuma, Bejeweled 2 and Solitaire. This year’s W3 Games will be aired on the GSN gaming network later in the year and will be hosted by FUN Technologies, with the grand final to be held at Hollywood’s Renaissance Hotel.

For Derek and Kelli, competing in the W3 Games is a dream come true. Both will compete for the $1 million grand prize and the title of “World’s Best Gamer” after flying to Los Angeles courtesy of Kiwi Skill.com.
However, while the excitement is obviously at a peak, the two finalists are not without those first tournament jitters. "I am very excited to have an opportunity to participate in such an exciting challenge. While I am a proficient player at home, my biggest fear, however, is that I will panic under public pressure,” confessed Kelli when asked to comment on playing live.

Kiwi Skill.com, a member of the Kiwi Gaming family and part of the Christchurch Casino Group, is obviously hoping Kelli and Derek go all the way. “We’re thrilled that two Kiwi Skill players made it into the finals in the World Wide Web games,” said the firm’s spokesperson, Gary Jensen. “We’re rooting for Kelli and Derek all the way and hope one of them comes out the champion. It’s amazing how fast this industry is growing…we now fly players from all around the world to compete for $1 million.”

Skill gaming is rapidly rising to become the new poker. The casual games industry itself is predicted to net $1.56 billion by 2008 and is supported by approximately 124 million players worldwide. According to a 2006 study by DFC Intelligence, the popularity of skill gaming arises from its friendly atmosphere and easy to learn format. At most sites, skill gaming fans are able to test their skills against those of other players while competing for coveted cash prizes.

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