XBOX tournament unites Canadian gamers.
This past weekend I attended the Ultimate Gaming Challenge in Niagara Falls, Ontario as the coach of a gaming team. The event brought the top gamers from around the country to decide who Canada’s greatest teams are at Call of Duty: Black Ops 2, Halo 4, and NHL 13. Even though I have not been able to contribute that much on the competing side recently, I decided to use my knowledge of gaming with teamwork and coach a Halo team that weekend. What might surprise many people who are not familiar to the gaming scene is that a coach is crucial to success. Gaming teams rely upon the coach and has a huge impact on more than just sports in the world today. With the timing of power weapons, strategies, formation changes, and even mental toughness, the coach is an integral part of the competitive gaming world.
I was able to bring a friend of mine with me this weekend, allowing him to experience his first gaming event in person. There is so much more you get to see by being there live rather than watching it on television or on the computer. With only one game being streamed at a time, you are able to experience many different games, meet many different people, and being able to build lasting friendships, just by attending. Having a weekend with a gaming team is a feeling similar to having a reunion with your high school buddies who you have not seen in years, and want to make the best of while you have the chance. My team consisted of three top players from Ontario, including TBS’s King of the Nerds show champion Celeste “Bittersweet” Anderson, one of the top female gamers in the world, and a player from Indiana who drove 9 hours to attend this event with their squad.
For many Americans in attendance, this was their first chance to experience the Canadian culture, and they were very impressed with the hospitality they received from their Canadian hosts. In many ways, the social aspect of the community getting together as one and being able to meet, re-kindle, and start friendships was more important than the gaming itself. My team had a great bonding experience.
On the gaming side, our team achieved top six status at the event, which is a rousing success in my eyes, but could also be viewed as a disappointment as we knew we had the ability to continue on further into the tournament. With the powerhouse team “Swarm” winning the Halo event, and 2nd place finishers at the World Championships team “EnvyUs” winning the Call of Duty tournament, we knew we were in elite company. For those who are into gaming, casual or competitive, going to events and being able to experience the thrill and excitement of a tournament is a must do. Even as a spectator, you can learn a lot from the top players, get an opportunity to talk with them, and make a lot of friends from around the world that come to the events.
