Video and computer game aficionados crawled out from behind their computer screens and Xboxes yesterday for a gaming Super Bowl of sorts at Columbus Circle.

Sixty-eight of the best “gamers” in the country were invited to the competition, officially dubbed the World Cyber Games U.S. Open, which weeded out dozens of video game players and identified those who will go on to the national championship in Seattle later this year.

Yesterday, a team coach who goes by the name “Godfath3r” in gaming circles, Vincent Pagliano, paced back and forth behind his team as they madly maneuvered their controls while playing an action and horror Xbox game, “Gears of War.”

“Regroup! Regroup!” he shouted as beads of sweat welled up on his forehead. “Right here, right now. That’s what we came here to do.”

The players were all wearing oversize, cushy, state-of-the-art headphones that allowed them to communicate with each other and whisper strategies for killing off their virtual Xbox competitors. About 20 spectators crowded behind Mr. Pagliano and his team, who were wearing matching blue shirts with their team nicknames — Sup3rMario and Sup3rWario were two — emblazoned on the back.

The competition is one of several that gamers flock to each year. And they aren’t just playing for the fun of it — Mr. Pagliano, formerly a Verizon Wireless storeowner, has signed several of his players to five-year contracts and said he hopes they will bring in $3 million this year.

After the championships in Seattle, winners will move on to the international tournament. In the last few years, the world final has been held in Seoul, Singapore, and Monza, Italy.