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Hey guys,
I didn't go to MLG Dallas. Not because I *knew* it was going to be a poorly-run tournament with plenty of technical difficulties, but because I live in New Jersey and it just wasn't viable for me to make the trip.
Apparently, the next MLG is in Colombus, Ohio (http://pro.majorleaguegaming.com/competitions/17), which I could definitely make. I've never been to a SC2 tournament before, and there aren't that many big ones held in the northeastern United States, so this would give me a great chance to experience everything live and meet the pros!
But alas, the extremely poor quality of the MLG events thus far has me hesitant. I'm asking myself many questions. Is the next MLG going to be as unprofessional as Dallas? Is it worth it to go to MLG Colombus, just to meet the pros? Is this an opportunity I'm willing to pass up?
Note that I'm finishing up graduate school this year, and will hopefully be starting to teach high school in the fall. In other words, I'll have pretty much no time (other than part of the summer) to ever go to a big name SC2 tournament.
I'd like some input please, especially from those who have been to big SC2 tournaments before (MLG or other ones). Obviously, MLG was not very well run. However, is the overall experience worth the trip, despite the assumption that there will be a repeat in low quality?
Any feedback will be greatly appreciated, and I'm going to make a poll too.
Poll: Never been to a SC2 tourny. Go to MLG Colombus?Yes; the live experience will be worth it, even though it's MLG. (28) 88% No; MLG's reputation is so bad, that Colombus shouldn't be your first tournament. (4) 13% 32 total votes Your vote: Never been to a SC2 tourny. Go to MLG Colombus? (Vote): Yes; the live experience will be worth it, even though it's MLG.
(Vote): No; MLG's reputation is so bad, that Colombus shouldn't be your first tournament.
Thanks for taking the time to read through this 
~DarkPlasmaBall
 
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The stream issues won't be affecting the live event. I'd say go for it, in fact I'm going to be there myself. I made the decision to go before the Dallas event, and I'm sure the major mistakes from the Dallas event will be worked out by Columbus. They had a completely new venue setup and it's to be expected some issues will come up the first time around.
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I'd say that you have the exact right mindset for it. You're interested to see everything (and everyone) live, but you're not expecting perfection. That sounds like a good formula for really enjoying yourself if you ask me.
I would do it in a heartbeat if I had the opportunity.
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The grandfinals are in Providence, RI, no? You may want to wait for mlg to get their act together and go to that.
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You seriously have to ask if it's worth it to meet some of the best sc2 players in the world, watch games live in a big audience and experience probably the best NA tournament at the moment? get real ^_^ any tournament can "fuck up", it does not mean that the issues will happen at the next mlg, they hopefully will gather a lot of useful information and learn plenty from mlg dallas in order to make the following once run great.
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^ pretty much summed it up. After the technical difficulties that happened throughout the weekend, one can only assume that they will make sure that there is not a repeat(game pauses etc.). Besides, if you have nothing else to do and its one of the few chances you will get to go, why not? Even if there are some problems at Columbus I think going and just being able to experience an event would be worth it. You would get to meet some great people and watch some good games in the end so go for it!
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On April 05 2011 00:10 Qaz wrote:
The grandfinals are in Providence, RI, no? You may want to wait for mlg to get their act together and go to that.
Source? I can't find them mentioning the location of the finals on MLG's website.
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I went to MLG DC last year and let me tell you that the live experience is nowhere near as close to stream. It's way better. I wouldn't say Dallas was poorly run because of the stream problem. Sure it sucks for us but the the people who were there most said it was a blast. At the end what I'm trying to say is don't assume a live experience is going to be the same as what you see on the stream.
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After reading several blogs on TL recounting the experience of attending an MLG live, in person, I have to say that it's definitely worth the cost even with the perfect storm of technical fuck-ups.
Even MLG Dallas had tremendous streaming and internet problems, apparently the tournament itself was relatively fine. The unstreamed showmatch booth was a site of tons of great games and drama, and it's always great to watch the players playing in the tournament themselves.
Even if the stage lies empty and the streams lie idle, there are still TONS of great games going on that you can spectate. MLG is like watching the best of the TL featured streams bar in real life, all laid out in front of you for your own enjoyment.
Plus, who wouldn't want an autograph from Idra, Huk, Tyler, and others? You're going to witness history, young man. The rise of Western e-sports before your eyes. The birth of memes like "taht's halo" and sensations like Naniwa's roflstomp or SelecT's hero MLG run.
It's one thing to sit at home doing nothing but watching a dead stream (or eagles). It's another thing to be walking around seeing some of your favorite players live in action alongside many like-minded fans.
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On April 05 2011 00:08 rawb wrote:
The stream issues won't be affecting the live event. I'd say go for it, in fact I'm going to be there myself. I made the decision to go before the Dallas event, and I'm sure the major mistakes from the Dallas event will be worked out by Columbus. They had a completely new venue setup and it's to be expected some issues will come up the first time around.
That's what I expected as well, and I'd like to think that (even though he seemed rather emotionless during his apology speech) Sundance and company will eventually realize that they kind of need to get their act together and that they can't repeat all the flaws that came about during Dallas.
On April 05 2011 00:10 HULKAMANIA wrote:
I'd say that you have the exact right mindset for it. You're interested to see everything (and everyone) live, but you're not expecting perfection. That sounds like a good formula for really enjoying yourself if you ask me.
I would do it in a heartbeat if I had the opportunity.
Thanks And you're right in that I'm certainly not expecting perfection; I tend to be a realist in these situations. I'm looking for the experience of going to a live tournament. Because hey, if I just wanted to see really good games that were completely isolated from any sort of tournament feel, I could just catch the VODs whenever they came out ^^
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I've been to a ton of MLG's over the past 6 years (used to be a competitive halo player), and let me tell you that it is extremelyyyyy worth it to go to an event. The quality of the stream does not reflect the quality of the actual event. MLG isn't a poorly run tournament by any means, there are games to watch running non stop all weekend, booths from all different types of tech/food/drink companies that will provide you with free swag, food, and drink all weekend. The pros mingle with the spectators and it's quite easy to talk, hang out, party, get autographs or whatever you want to do when you meet them. The events just have an atmosphere that is unrivaled by anything else I have ever experienced, so if you have the chance to attend then I would definitely recommend going. Besides, I'll be there too .
EDIT: Sundance is usually roaming the floor as well as a ton of other higher ups that are always more than happy to sit down and discuss what they have in store for MLG or just chat about how you're enjoying the event, etc. It's just an awesome experience.
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On April 05 2011 00:17 neSix wrote:Show nested quote +On April 05 2011 00:10 Qaz wrote:
The grandfinals are in Providence, RI, no? You may want to wait for mlg to get their act together and go to that. Source? I can't find them mentioning the location of the finals on MLG's website.
Here's a tentative source, although it's not on MLG's website (as far as I know): http://wiki.teamliquid.net/starcraft2/2011_MLG_Pro_Circuit/Providence
Unfortunately, the timing of that event (in November) would probably not allow me to see it 
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^ Yea that's where i got it from.
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Thanks guys for all the feedback
You've definitely renewed my confidence in attending the event ^^
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MLG Dallas was run really well this past weekend it might have looked like total crap from home because of all the streaming issues but the actual event in person was run very professionally and smoothly (With some lag issues on Saturday but until sc2 gets lan this will ALWAYS be a possible risk at any sc2 event till the end of time)
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Oh man I hope that wiki is tentative or just speculation. I'm definitely planning on going to one if they hold another MLG in Washington DC as I live like 30 min away.
LuckyFool, the impression I got from the videos posted by spectators was that the venue itself was nice with a lot of space and seats, but the viewing experience overall was pretty bad as viewers had to gather around behind the players computers, which were in turn enclosed in a players-only area, and watch only one side of the game off of a 19 inch monitor.
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Yeah I should say that I can't really speak as a spectator I played in the event until 10pm on Saturday so the only day I spent actually only watching was Sunday when things were sorted out more or less.
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EPT
