Jerad Berg has collected two giant, $10,000 checks in two years. Photo courtesy of Larissa Walkiw.

Jerad Berg First to Win King Shaka's Tusk

By Dave Snipes

The 2009 Big Buck Safari® World Champion has been crowned. Jerad Berg, 2008 Big Buck Hunter® Pro World Champion and brother of 2009 Big Buck Hunter® Pro World Champion, became the first player to be named Big Buck Safari® World Champion on Saturday, October 17th in Chicago, IL. Along with the title of 2009 Big Buck Safari® World Champion, Jerad won the top prize of $10,000 and his name will be the first to be enshrined onto King Shaka's Tusk, the Big Buck Safari® World Championship Trophy.

There were players from all over the country that competed in the World Championship plus one player from Australia. There were men and women, young and old, true hunters and video game hunters and after the grueling 5 hour tournament came to a close, Jerad Berg from Blaine, MN faced off against Barry Dufek from Phoenix, AZ in the championship match. Jerad was just a little quicker on most of the bucks and ended up dominating the adventure on his way to his second straight World Championship Title.

Many of the other players had very solid showings and there were some great matchups. I expect to see many of these players back next year ready to step it up and take their game to the next level. Even though we only have one World Champion, every player that competed walked away with some prize money and a great story to tell.

Besides the actual tournament, the players were all invited to a cocktail party the night before put on by Play Mechanix™/Raw Thrills™ and were given the opportunity to practice up on the games which were set to free play. The players that showed up took full advantage of this and were there most of the night getting ready for the World Championship. The cocktail party was a blast and a great way to meet the other players. The extra practice definitely paid off as well.

During the World Championship the competition was high and there was plenty of prizes, money, and trophies given away. However, the event was more than just a tournament, it was a gathering of Big Buck Family and Friends. Players brought their friends and family to cheer them on, the people behind the creation of the game came out to witness the crowning of a new champ, and everyone also got to meet some of the other players from across the country that constantly have their names plastered on the tournament leaderboards. The Big Buck Girls were on hand, there was great food and an open bar, and Alex Derhohannesian let us all in on the proper pronunciation of his last name.

The Big Buck Safari® World Championship was a great success and a huge congratulations and thank you goes out to all of the players, friends, and family that came out to compete and support the event. Next year is going to be just as big. Don't miss your opportunity to compete. Get to an online game and start practicing up on tournaments today!!!