EPT
My thoughts on the tournament:
- Logistics were well-handled. Power cords and LAN cables for everyone, with sufficient length, and tape to prevent tripping and disconnection. Clear delineation of where to sit. Enough space to set up. Brackets took more time than I would have liked, but still started within half an hour of start time.
- Format was very solid. Bo3s from the beginning is great. Loser bracket also great. Map pool was nice, and it was good to have a GSL map in there as well. I really really liked the fact that due to double-elim and Bo3s from the start, my eventual elimination felt fair.
- Casting was great. Catssomething/Trump were a great team, and provided good commentary.
- LANs are sweeeeeeeeeeet. The fact that all the games were played in person (as opposed to online qualifiers) was good. I liked the community and the all-day event. I was hanging out for the first time in a venue with hella other sc2 fans, most of them as skilled or more skilled than myself. I felt at home speaking to strangers.
My Interesting ESPORTS Story:
I accidentally left my wallet by my computer. I'd briefly taken my wallet out of my pocket to look at my raffle ticket, then set it next to my computer to start a game. Afterwards, I went to report the score, and as I walked back, realized I'd left my wallet unattended in a room with 100 strangers in it. I'm not a rich guy, but I had $30 and a my (21+) ID in it.
I figured it was toast.
I hustled back, worried for my wallet-- and I found it right where I left it, with people sitting nearby and walking past. Money was still in it. I felt not just relieved, but... something more. Something like trust, or exhilaration, I guess. I think it says something about the Sc2 community that you can leave your wallet, with money in it, in the open, and come back to find it just fine. Everyone I met at the tournament was kind, respectful, and generally chill. These are people I could be friends with. People I could trust. I could take these guys out for beers any day of the week and it would be a blast.
These guys are ESPORTS, and it warms my heart. ESPORTS is more than just competition and trying to be the best (though it's that, too)-- it's about honor and respect. I don't know of anywhere else I could leave my wallet lying out in the open and expect it to be there when I got back.
I never knew what ESPORTS was until yesterday. I think I understand, finally, what people mean when they talk about how great the Sc2 community is.
Thank you, fellow tournament-goers. May your desktops be forever stained with the scarlet blood of your ladder opponents.
