I only have one complaint about how CGS was handled this year. It’s a pretty big complaint, so I’ll get it out of the way.
The opportunities to play video games at the biggest video game event in North Carolina was extremely limited for all but the hardcore.
Let me explain: every year, there are tournaments for major multiplayer titles. There is always a selection of FPS, fighting, racing, music, and RTS games in which gamers can throw down in hopes of winning big prizes. One expects competitive events at a gaming convention; I would be disappointed if there weren’t any at CGS. However, not everybody who plays video games lives for competition. In the past, CGS has had free play stations set up with at least some of the tournament games, letting those who choose not to compete but still want to hang out and meet new people to play with an opportunity to do so. This year, there were tournaments aplenty but no free play opportunities, except in the coin-op arcade (machines were set to free play and didn’t cost anything) where a DDR tournament hampered the game play environment just a little. Sure, once the tournaments were over, anybody was welcome to play: for the last two hours of the event.
My suggestion to Wayne Community College’s Phi Beta Lambda, the organizers of the event: less tournaments, more free play.
With that being said, I still had a good time. There was a room set up with a selection of old-school games (they even had E.T. for the Atari 2600, so everyone could see how this legendarily bad game failed in everything it attempted), and the aforementioned arcade was a blast: nothing says loving like X-Men vs. Street Fighter or Marvel vs. Capcom 2 (or Battletoads, or Area 51). For those interested in information about the games industry, how to break into it, and the ideal education for doing so, there were numerous panels. Penny Dreadful Productions gave an interesting talk on steampunk cosplay, and the opportunity to take your picture with Darth Vader was worth the price of admission alone. Also, Entertainment System provided some awesome heavy metal/hard rock video game music.
Speaking of those speakers and panels, that seemed to be the focus this year, as if the purpose was two-fold: a major competitive event running alongside a major educational one. This is both a good and bad thing: for those with more of an academic interest in gaming, a full day of informative and thought-provoking talks on the state of the industry and the chance to talk face-to-face with industry professionals and educators is very satisfying. For those who compulsively play for bragging rights and get a real charge out of winning, seven hours of tournament game play with nothing but the most intense gamers around is well worth getting up at seven in the morning on a Saturday. Personally, I’m interested in both, which is why I’m glad to see both more informative sessions and disappointed to see less non-competitive games for current multiplayer titles at this otherwise awesome event.
I took many pictures: check them out on my Flickr page.
All in all, CGS 2009 was a good time. I just wish there were more opportunities to play video games non-competitively, though I am happy to see it move in a decidedly academic/trade oriented direction and appeal to two unique audiences. I do have to say that I was saddened to see that Bawls did not show up this year, as that energy drink is the greatest energy drink known to man and it’s hard to find it locally. I mean, if you’re going to be a gamer, you’ve got to have Bawls.
I want to be paid if Bawls ever uses that slogan.
Posted by Brandon 
Posted by Brandon 
