EPT![[image loading]](http://i.imgur.com/1Kky5Ur.png)
Ticket is printed, ESTA registered and approved, packing almost completed. Almost ready for 10 days with 25 degrees Celsius and sunshine, can’t wait to spend most of the days inside Benaroya Hall!
The flight from Oslo, Norway to Amsterdam is ~2 hours. Flight from Amsterdam to Seattle, ~10 hours. I’m going to a wedding Saturday, my flight leaves at 06.25 Sunday morning. Should be a rough morning, but I can sleep on the plane and let’s be honest, it is going to be worth it. I will miss one day of group play on the plane, but will have some days to get my day rhythm sorted out so I am ready for the main event on Wednesday.
We’re 4 buddies traveling from different places in Norway, meeting up in Amsterdam, to go to The International 3. All of which I have met online playing Dota, one of them for 10 years ago or something on IRC. Last year he got me a t-shirt signed by a lot of the players since I was unable to go. We were 7 trying to get tickets, but after the disastrous ticket sale where none of us got tickets, the other 3 didn’t want to look for more expensive tickets.
![[image loading]](http://i.imgur.com/d8BQQM7.jpg)
Last years souvenir from a friend who attended TI2
It is my first International and I can’t wait. A lot of my friends cannot understand why I am going across the Atlantic to see some computer game, I even got some hassle for it in some of the speeches in my wedding earlier this summer. But what do they know? I compare it to the world cup in football (soccer), it’s just that playing football is a lot more accepted in the society than what playing computer games is. At The International you have the best teams in world fighting through a group stage and then an elimination bracket. You have fans from all over the world gathering in one place to create an awesome atmosphere and see the entire thing live. It gets streamed or shown on television for the ones that was not able to get a ticket. It may not be as big as the world cup in football, but they at least get an idea of why I am going. This is something I am interested in and something I want to experience!
Discussion in my travel group have already started. It started with the compendium predictions and have continued after that. They are all Alliance fans, I am not. We all think Na’Vi will do well. They laugh at me for rooting for Fnatic and Team Liquid, I will laugh in their faces when Loda fails. This is why I love a tournament like the International, it brings out a lot of emotions. We are only four, just the thought of all the discussion that goes on around the world is getting me pumped.
All in all, I am super stoked for The International 3.
Let the games begin!
