The Farming Simulator League, an e-sport event where the focus is on operating a range of high-tech farm equipment, will return to Agritechnica 2023 on Friday 17 November, with the trade fair hosting one of the tournaments in the fifth season.
In the run-up to the competition, visitors to Agritechnica will be able to play Farming Simulator 22 and participate in a virtual Bale Stacking Challenge on five days, 12-16 November. Players of Farming Simulator 22, a realistic simulation game created by publisher and developer GIANTS Software featuring agriculture, forestry and animal husbandry with authentic machines, will compete for prizes and ranking points that could see them qualify for the Farming Simulator League’s World Championship, with a total prize pool of 200,000 Euros in Season 5.
“The Farming Simulator game reflects the practical reality of millions of people in the farming profession. As such the game offers what many of the players could potentially experience in their lives at some point,” says Timo Zipf, project manager of Agritechnica.
The skills required to excel at Farming Simulator are often similar to some of the skills needed to operate farm machinery. “Real time problem solving, applied experience, good reaction times, and strong hand-eye coordination are all talents the farmers apply when doing field work,” explains Zipf. The Farming Simulator League played out at the Agritechnica venue among thousands of farming professionals will strike a recognizable chord,” comments Zipf. GIANTS Software designed the game to be particularly realistic, giving an accurate impression of ‘real’ agriculture. This brings consumers from the general population closer to food production at farm level.
Agricultural tasks require strategic thinking
The Farming Simulator League is a team-based competition which demands coordination and strategies. Two teams, consisting of three players each, compete for the high score by harvesting wheat, pressing bales and delivering them to their barn. Some or even all team members will switch to different vehicles during the competition, such as harvesters, balers, tractors to pull or stack, telehandlers, or even a truck. Additional layers of tactical gameplay are ensured through a pick & ban phase, randomized power-ups and multiple strategic approaches possible.
Like Agritechnica, the Farming Simulator League is an international event. This is reflected in the many nationalities of the participants, who hail from several continents, including Europe and North America. The venues of Farming Simulator League Season 5 are a mix of online events when players remain at their location, and offline events like Agritechnica held in Hanover, Germany.
The Farming Simulator League has been known to attract people to agriculture. One participant with no prior experience in agriculture had started playing the game in his home in the US. Through playing Farming Simulator, he found his vocation, which was to work in agriculture, and moved to Germany to work for Agritechnica-exhibitor Grimme for an apprenticeship.
Agritechnica organiser DLG (German Agricultural Society), an official Farming Simulator League partner, has set up the pavilion P32 for the Farming Simulator League and Bale Stacking Challenge. With space for spectators, the pavilion offers Farming Simulator fans from around the world the chance to watch the teams in the Farming Simulator League in their battle for a part of the 200,000-Euro prize pool.
The Farming Simulator League kicked-off at FarmCon in July 2023, and the Agritechnica tournament marks a major way point in the competition that will conclude next spring. The best teams with the highest number of ranking points will qualify to compete for the title of Farming Simulator League World Champion.
Learn more about the Farming Simulator League
