Note: Apologies for the lateness of this post. Life stops for no gamer.
On the last day of ACEN, I met with the several of the participants and some of the winners of the tournaments held at ACEN. The video games ranged from Hearthstone to Pokémon to Smash Bros. to Killer Instinct to Mortal Kombat 8.
I was surprised with the turn out we had with a 9:45 a.m. meeting on the Sunday at ACEN. Most people would either be still sleeping off their hangover or maybe just getting to sleep but not these players and not this reporter!
(I was quite tired…)
With all of the different video-games ACEN had lined up, there weren’t really any questions that could be asked that all of them would be able to easily answer or that would easily apply to all of the players. I mean, what you would do in Hearthstone, for example, wouldn’t really apply to MK8. With that, I was focused more on the meta of the game. The “meta” of the game means the higher-level thought process that go into making the right moves at the right time. For strategy games, it was all about the predictability or specifically to Hearthstone, how much money you can put in your deck. For the fighting games, it was all about execution; how quickly can you get the move out and continue your string to the end.
All in all, there were excellent performances by the contestants which leads nicely into my feelings on ACEN as a press member.
I loved it. I loved every bit of it though it wasn’t a perfect experience. I had so much to learn about how exactly to take things slowly but have that badge, meeting certain celebrities and interviewing at ACEN showed me where I want to go with SBR.
It is a completely unique experience from being a normal con-goer as you have expectations. I could network a little bit with other members of the press and I felt great to reach you set a year ago.
One thing I would do differently is put realistic goals for myself. I wouldn’t try and get to every panel and cover every event as I am one person and even Ms. Duval’s help, we can only do so much.
Thought ACEN is mainly for anime, there are still panels and merchandise that the gamer can buy and events that people who know nothing about anime can participate. From the fan panels to the voice acting auditions (much excite) to the rave, young or old, what size body you have, you can and will find something to enjoy yourself with at ACEN.
With over 30,000 people and growing, ACEN was a blast and I can’t wait to attend next year.