Worldwide Invitational 2008 Wrapup

So I just got back from the Blizzard Worldwide Invitational in Paris, France. I have to say, I learned quite a bit from the event; not just during it, but after as well. I primarily learned that there's a huge misconception with gaming events. Many people steer clear of them simply because they have this idea that it's a "gathering of nerds" or whatever. That couldn't be farther from the truth, and it annoys me to no end to see people trash something they've never actually bothered exploring.

The best part about the conventions isn't even the convention itself -- it's what happens afterward during the nightly parties while the convention is still running. Getting together with a bunch of gamers you know and having a good time is what these things are all about, and seeing Blizzard Entertainment getting involved, enjoying themselves, and generally being more rowdy than the gamers are is absolutely awesome. I won't recount specifics other than to say that Monday morning at around 5:30AM, myself and around 8 or 9 WoW Arena players who were invited to WWI were sitting in the lobby of their hotel after a long night of sleepless partying and general mayhem, only to hear music come from the nearby piano.

We turn back to see what's going on, and lo-and-behold, someone from Blizzard is there playing it. This was great to see; so often you have angry fans who think game developers are lifeless entities, and to see that shot down in person by someone enjoying what they do, and having a good time with co-workers is magnificent. Of course, some of the Arena guys I was with weren't bad at the piano themselves.

Regardless of what happened, or who did it, the Worldwide Invitational was a huge success in my eyes. Not just because it was the first Blizzard-run gaming event in Europe, but also because it brought so many fans together for the same reason: we all love Blizzard's games. Some of the pranks we played on fellow Arena players didn't hurt either, though, to be completely honest.

So what was the most important thing I learned from all of this? Well, I learned a few things... A) Blizzard's brass knows more than just games, and they're damn good at it too (not just the making games), B) Being able to get someone's room key just by knowing their name and room number -- not having to show I.D. at all -- leads into mischief that will live on in our minds for the rest of our lives, and C) Kintt from Pandemic will drink just about anything if you say he won't. I'm still kind of disgusted by that, to be honest.

Oh and one more lesson learned... D) I figured I could think of all the places my friend Chris would pass out at while drunk... I guess not, we can add a breakfast hall table to that list!