SkillGround
Private | |
Industry | Interactive entertainment |
Genre | Game platform |
Founded | 2006 |
Headquarters | Online |
Products | UTour Golf, Warpath, CQC, LASR, Kung Fu: Deadly Arts, TOCA Race Driver 3 |
Number of employees | Unknown (2008) |
Website | www.SkillGround.com |
SkillGround was an online gaming platform created by Groove Media Inc.[1] Players were able to compete for free, or wager for cash.
Free games were supported by advertising before and during gameplay; cash games were supported by collecting a rake on prizes, with no advertising displayed before the game begins.[2]
Games
As of 2008, six games were offered through the service:
- WarPath – A futuristic first-person shooter
- Close Quarters Conflict (CQC) – A military first-person shooter
- L.A. Street Racer (LASR) – A modern racing game
- Kung Fu: Deadly Arts – A traditional side-scrolling martial arts fighter
- UTour Golf – An online golf simulator
- TOCA Race Driver 3 – A racing game distributed by Codemasters
History
The SkillGround service was launched in December 2006. Four games were included at this time, and UTour Golf, their most popular title, was added nearly a year later in August 2007.
This service got off to a rocky start, with limited availability in its first week. This led to VH1 Game Break declaring it "idiot of the week".[3]
Service has since been improved, and has gained wide traction for its UTour Golf offering.
The service was discontinued after its parent company, Groove Media Inc. shut its doors in 2009.
Rules
SkillGround is not a gambling site. All wins are based on skill. As a result, this service is legal in the majority of the United States; whereas traditional gambling sites have been banned since 2006.
Despite this, thirteen states have still outlawed skill-based gaming. The service is not available for cash play in:[4]
- Arkansas
- Arizona
- Connecticut
- Delaware
- Florida
- Iowa
- Illinois
- Louisiana
- Maryland
- South Carolina
- South Dakota
- Tennessee
- Vermont
SkillGround also forbids cheating. Players who violate this policy are banned from the site and their winnings are confiscated and awarded to those who would have otherwise won. Cheat detection is based on a proprietary, in-house technology.
See also
- SkillGround.com (No Longer Available)
- SkillGround Forums (No Longer Available)