I went into this event not really knowing what to expect. I’d never been to an e-sports event before or seen any footage on it. All I knew about this event was that it was going to be a bunch of people playing Fortnite (a popular free-for-all game available on all current gaming platforms). Well, I was in for a shock.
To begin with, the level of security surprised me. You could compare it to that of a concert or airport. There was security at the door scanning everyone’s badges. I had to empty my pockets and walk through a machine (just like at an airport) and if you had a bag, they had to do a full bag check. Despite the surprisingly high level of security for this event, I wasn’t in line for long before I got into the Fortress.
I was shocked at what I saw when finally I walked in. It was almost like a mini arena, with bleachers on both sides and two rows of gaming computers facing each other in the middle. Each computer had a focused gamer on it, already practicing for the tournament. A beautiful chandelier-like banner with the giant word ‘FORTRESS’ hung from the top of the ceiling. I was in complete awe. After I finished taking in the spectacle that was the Fortress, I went to the bleachers and took a seat.
Everyone in the crowd began screaming at the top of their lungs and banging together the balloons given to us for the sole purpose of making noise. 3! 2! 1! Go! The noise level hit the apex of the evening and the Fortnite tournament began.
While everyone waited for the event to start, Full Sail staff asked trivia questions about Full Sail to pass the time. Whoever answered the questions correctly would receive a prize. The prizes included T-shirts, toy dragons, gaming keyboards, and gaming mouse devices. Some questions were fairly simple, like naming a game degree program at Full Sail (Game Art), or answering how many years has Full Sail been doing Hall of Fame (10). But other questions were a little harder like naming two Hall of Fame inductees. I didn’t attempt to answer any questions (even though I knew some of the answers), which resulted in me not getting the toy dragon I secretly yearned for.
Once the trivia quiz ended, the countdown for the tournament began. A giant TV placed on the far left side of the bleachers showed giant numbers counting down. Everyone in the crowd began screaming at the top of their lungs and banging together the balloons given to us for the sole purpose of making noise. 3! 2! 1! Go! The noise level hit the apex of the evening and the Fortnite tournament began.
The tournament consisted of three rounds of 40 gamers all fighting to the death. Gamers from campus programs, outsourced streamers, grads, and even staff participated in the tournament.
Points were earned by both surviving longer than other players and killing others off. It was glorious. I won’t go to in depth on the actual gameplay of the tournament but know it was an amazing experience. Each round was intense until the end. If you want to see the full video of the stream, you can view it here with Landon Sanders, Full Sail Student and Jess Reider, Media Communications graduate as shoutcasters.
All in all, I would say I had a fantastic time. I was overtaken by the great energy from the crowd, beautiful set up of the event within the Fortress, and intense competition. I definitely will be going again next year.
Author: Jamal Gilbert
Photographer: Quinten Peter
コメント