Up until last weekend I wasn't sure if I would be able to make this year's 3 day fighting game extravaganza. I had registered early in April, scheduled vacation time at work and was ready to go except that I didn't fully plan out the financial aspects of the trip. Where would I stay? How would I get there? How much money would I have to survive on? Those are probably the most significant questions that needed to be answered and planned for. At EVO 2010, I came with a meager budget that only allowed me to stay for one day in a dingy hotel outside the strip. After barely sleeping from a massive allergy attack from the dirty room and desert pollen I swore then that I would have a nice room at the same hotel as EVO the upcoming year. Having to drive to the strip was a hassle as well. So here we are at EVO 2011 and I didn't get a hotel and didn't save any money. Jeesh-what's my deal? Next year if I'm still interested in the fighting game scene I won't do this again, or so I say. Why not start now just in case, with SmartyPig? Fortunately I had some help from giving family members and I'll be heading out this afternoon. I found a room to split for 4 days with people I've never met. Let's hope it works out! If not, I suppose this will be a short trip like last year.
So what's it about? Primarily a massive tournament, but also a vendor showcase, a game developer panel, interviews with top players, and short films. What about the competitive aspect of the event? I'm going to compete in a tournament against a record number of people. I've heard that there are around 6,000 entries this year (combined for all the featured games), compared to 2,000 last year. The competition will be much stronger because the players who are tournament minded now have 2 years of practice, and also there are more top international players. At EVO 2010, I didn't win any matches (lost to Guile and Abel.) This year I'm not going into the tournament with such heavy weight on my shoulders about trying to win. It's unrealistic to expect to win with my character choice (yes, even though I swore off T. Hawk I don't really have a choice at this point). Why not learn another character? It takes a lot of time and energy. I could say I didn't have enough time to learn a new character since the release of AE but if I would have dedicated every day to the job I might have been able to pull it off. But winning matches in a huge tournament? Real difficult. So this year I'll be playing my matches with less pressure on myself and just go to check out the scene and maybe get some sun at the pool-be a tourist.
563 miles to go
