MLG Columbus 2011!

And now for something (almost) completely different!


I know that I spend most of my time blogging about my stores, and pretty things, and crafting/creating.  Yet, every once and awhile, I blatantly let my geek side show.  


This is one of those times.


So, what's the special occassion?  Well, this past weekend was MLG Columbus.  MLG stands for Major League Gaming, and it's a competitive video gaming league here in the United States.  They hold tournaments throughout the country... and I was able to go to the one in Columbus!


What game did I go to see?  Guess.

The banner suspended from the convention center ceiling.

Yep--StarCraft II.  Aren't you surprised?


I went with five other people, one of whom was my husband.  When we first arrived, it wasn't too crowded, so we wandered around to get a feeling of what was happening.  (And also to give our eyes a chance to adjust; it was very dimly lit, and filled with the glow of multiple computer screens.)


It did not take us long to realize that there were two main areas.  One of them was where most of the games took place--a few tables, with rows and rows of alienware computers.

Most of the players were doing warm-up matches when we first arrived.

The other place was the main stage.

djWheat and Day9, on the big screen.

We stayed in the front area for two rounds of games.  One was the set between the players Slog and Morrow, commentated by two of my favorite casters--djWheat and Day9 (shown above).  I almost got a chance to meet Day9--I was second in line to do so when he had to shift the line away from the door, and 50 people got in front of me.  I was so bummed!

The first game that we watched: Slog vs Morrow.

The second round of games that we watched on the big screen was casted by Artosis and Tasteless--two of the biggest names in the StarCraft world.  They work in Korea; it was a treat to have them back in the states!

Artosis and Tasteless--two big names in the StarCraft II world!

After watching those rounds, we once more took to roaming the venue.  It was there that we ran into a few big-name players.  One was TLO (The Little One), the other was iNcontrol.

The person in the very center, with his back to the camera,
is TLO.

TLO again, this time preparing for a game.

iNcontrol, preparing for his game against TLO.

I actually got to shake their hands--both iNcontrol and TLO--and got iNcontrol's autograph.  (I really, really wanted Day9's autograph...  I was soooo close...  Oh well.  I will get over it.  Eventually.)


And so, the day continued.  We went to lunch.  We watched more games.  We split up and reconvened and split up again.  Ultimately, we had a blast.  


There were only two drawbacks, though.  (And no, I'm not including the botched attempt to meet Day9).  


First: all of us were at various stages of being sick.  We would have stayed a lot longer had we all been feeling at our peak...  as it was, we probably pushed ourselves a bit too hard.  Worth it?  Definitely!  But I know that I, for one, slept almost the entirety of Sunday to make up for it.


The second drawback?  There were not enough chairs.


Case in point:

Picture from the back...  And, yes, I was sitting on the floor. 

Watching one of the games...  once again, sitting on the floor.

The only chairs in the entire place were up front, near the main stage.  Of course, they were prime real estate.  And, of course, we didn't get a chance to sit in them for more than a half hour.  (We were there for the entire day.)


And so, that was my time at MLG Columbus.  There were parts of it that were less than happy (missing Day9, the lack of chairs, being sick)...  But I would definitely do it again, in a heartbeat.  It was wonderful spending time with friends, it was wonderful being surrounded by other geeks, and it was wonderful getting a chance to see/meet some of the biggest names in the game.


Yay for being a geek!