League of Legends Season 3 begins, first Championship Series match on February 7

Riot kicked off the third season of League of Legends' Championship Series today with a special treat for enthusiast summoners: LoL eSports , a new hub site for streaming upcoming matches for free and keeping tabs on team bios, play-by-plays, and the latest standings.

Riot also released update 3.01 for LoL, which reworks ranked play into the tiered League system (here's a video explanation ), implements a heap of Champion balances, and imbues bots with the ability to "occasionally chat at the beginning and end of games." I suppose Riot figures that computer opponents need a voice so they can mock my laughable MOBA skills.

The official website lists the rest of the lengthy notes . The first North American match begins next Thursday and pits Team SoloMid against Counter Logic Gaming. Head over to LoL eSports for the tournament's full lineup and schedule. And if you aren't yet a part of the wide, wonderful world of eSports, here's why we think you should be .

Omri Petitte is a former PC Gamer associate editor and long-time freelance writer covering news and reviews. If you spot his name, it probably means you're reading about some kind of first-person shooter. Why yes, he would like to talk to you about Battlefield. Do you have a few days?