EPTSo I just got back from Anaheim and I wanted to take some time to tell everyone about how incredible the whole experience was. Anybody who has never been to an MLG: Go. Right now, MLG is the e-sports Superbowl, and every single event is bigger and better than the last.
These last three days have been nothing short of amazing, and I want to just walk you through a little bit of what its like to both be there as a spectator, and as someone working behind the curtain.
Flying in, getting settled, and meeting Day[9]
So I flew in from Atlanta on Thursday. My flight landed at around 10 AM, and I was at the Hilton Anaheim by 11. I was tired and ready for a shower, but, sadly, the hotel people wouldn't let me check in until 4pm. T.T
I used the time to go poke around the convention center, meet the MLG peeps that flew me out (shoutouts to Marc Turner and MLG Lee!) and also to find some lunch. I tried checking again at 1PM, and again at 2, but both times I got the same story. "Sorry, wait til 4".
Then I hear "hey Bitter", only to see Day[9] standing a few feet away.
"C'mon, we're rooming together. Let's check in"
"I tried bro, they won't let me until 4"
"Nah dude, we're covered"
And with a wink and a smile Day[9] walks up to the hotel lady, says "Boner, Amanda", and we have our room keys.
The man has a gift...
A day in the life of an MLG caster
Casting for MLG is like a dream. It really is the Superbowl of gaming. Just getting the chance to be out there was humbling and amazing. Its a paid gig, our travel is covered, food is (more or less) provided, and we get to pretend like we're famous for a few days. Its fucking awesome....
But make no mistake about it, MLG makes you earn it all. The days can be sooooo long.
Husky and I had to be in our seats by 10 AM, which usually meant makeup and prep by 9.
Not a huge deal, but, for perspective, the super-pros Wheat and Day[9] usually don't start until 11 or 12. (although they always run later as they are the main-stage dudes)
Once our day starts, we're practically glued to our seats. Its really surprising how much sitting on your ass and talking about video games can drain you. Nerd-back is a bitch, staying hydrated is important, keeping the energy up can be hard, and finding the time for simple things like bathroom breaks and food is secondary to making sure games start on time and without incident.
We were supposed to take an hour for lunch, but we kept forgetting... The only time we actually remembered was on Sunday, and, sadly, our break came at the expense of Idra/Naniway being broadcast. It suuucked so hard to come back from break to hear that we had missed those games.
The pace of everything behind the curtain is really fast and frantic. Games never stop being played, and while there's sometimes downtime on one stream or the other, everybody is always busy either covering a match, or setting up for one.All that being said, I can't think of anything in the world I would have rather been doing for the past three days.
Friday night's cast ended at like 1AM. I was tired, sore, starving and a little bit delirious from all the TvT, but all that paled in comparison to the incredible relief and happiness that comes with a successful day of casting. The whole MLG team really has this camaraderie thing down. High fives and hugs were shared by all, and everyone walked back to their hotels with smiles on their faces and sleep in their eyes.
Casting with Husky
I want to just take the time to say that Husky is a total pro. I really feel like he's one of the best commentators in the business. He's fluid, well spoken, intelligent, and very funny. I can't count the number of times I got tongue tied or said something stupid only to have him gracefully pick up the cast.
The fact that he has any haters at all really blows my mind, and seeing both the positive and negative feedback has convinced me of two things.
1.) The community is so freaking awesome. We do what we do for the growth of Starcraft, and to entertain the people that watch. Its inspiring to get positive feedback.
2.) No matter how well an event goes, there will always be haters, and some of them just hate for the sake of hating. This isn't to say that all negative feedback is unwarranted, but rather that some of it is just lolridiculous.
Unsung Heroes
The JPs, Wheats, and Day[9]s of the world really make the difference between a good cast and a fucking fantastic one, but the people that make the difference between having a cast and having nothing at all deserve more recognition than anyone.
The production team behind these MLG events is just incredible. Producers, directors, stagehands, executives, media people, sound guys, graphic artists, technicians, admins, referees, and so forth and so on, and on, and on, and on.
There are sooo many people that bust their asses to bring these events together, and every one of them deserves a medal, a beer, a massage, and a personal stripper.
The two guys who I really want to reach out to and thank are Marc Turner - the guy who is basically in charge of the streams. He's the guy who took a chance on me and decided to fly me out, and also the guy who ran Day[9] and Wheat's stream. The other guy that I really want to thank is Will... And his last name might be forever forgotten, but Will is a fucking champion.
He was the producer in charge of Husky and mine's stream. He was basically the voice in our head telling us everything that needed to be done, and setting up plugs, commercials, etc.
He's a boss, and I owe him a beer.
My Hero Story
So for all the amazing stuff that went down this weekend, this story takes the cake, hands down bar none.
Sunday. Finals are done, the crowds are dispersing, everybody is ready to go party.
Kelly "Ariwa" Toki and I are walking out of the convention center talking about how incredible the entire weekend has been. As we're on our way out, this little dude stops us and says
"Do you know where Day[9] is?"
This guy is about 4 feet tall and can't have been a day past 9 years old. He was MiniWheat levels of cute.
But you also have to understand how much Sean gets mobbed any time he goes anywhere. Like, we would walk from our hotel room to the convention center, and he would get stopped no less than 20 times.
He handles it like a champ, but, at the end of the day, when you've got a curtain call to make, you can't stop for every fan. (sadly, mind you)
We told the little guy that Day[9] would be coming out shortly, but that he was still back stage wrapping things up, and to just wait with the crowd by the curtain.
A few minutes later, Toki gets a text from Day[9]
"I'm gonna sneak out the back so we can avoid the crowd and find some dinner"
"Oh shit" we both think...
Its one thing to send a little kid off to wait with a mob of adoring fans all waiting to glimpse the legendary Day[9], but a completely different one to send him to stand in front of a corner only to be disappointed when Sean never actually walks out.
We went back to find him.
When we got back to the convention center, the plot thickened substantially. Security had emptied the entire place. The doors were being locked, and we couldn't find the little dude anywhere.
We were standing in the hall-way-ish area between the convention center doors, and the glass doors that let you in and out of the building. After a few minutes, we finally spot the little guy.
He has his face pressed up against the glass, and his eyes are frantically scanning the crowds for some sign of Day[9]. The glass is fogging up from his breath, and he looked sad enough to melt hearts.
Toki and I walked over to the door and pulled it open.
"Come with us, little dude."
Honestly, he looked like he thought we were trying to kidnap him.
"No, seriously, we're going to take you to Day[9]"
This peaked his interest, but he still had reservations, until his dad chimed in and said
"Sounds like you're about to get hooked up, buddy"
This next part is my favorite.....
So Kelly takes him by the hand and they go to walk back into the convention center, but the security people are being total dicks.
"Sorry folks, shows over"
At which point I bust out my MLG badge and say
"I'm Mr. Bitter. Let them through"
(like a boss?)
And so they did.
We walked the little guy through the convention center, and back behind the big curtain. The whole way he was freaking out, thanking us, and telling us how Day[9] has been his hero for 2 years, and how his dad used to hate video games, but after seeing all the amazing fans at MLG he's starting to warm up to e-sports. (fistpump!)
And then he rounded the corner and say Day[9] for the first time, and just about lost it.
He started shaking and smiling and asked for an autograph.
Sean signed his shirt and his wrist band, and then politely declined the ten dollars the kid tried to give him. (lolwtf?)
Kelly and I walked the little dude back out, and about halfway through the convention center he just starts sobbing.
He said Day[9] was his hero and that we made his dream come true, at which point I nearly lost it. Kelly had to walk away for the same reason.
When we got the little guy back to the front his dad was like
"Are you crying?"
The kid sobs "Yesh"
"Are those happy tears"
"Yesh"
... "Seriously?"
And they walked off into the night.
I was elated.
Happiest kid ever, and he'll be an e-sports fan for life.
MLG is the shit, guys.
I had so much fun and I cannot wait for the next one.
<3<3
