Gamers Unite: DreamHack Atlanta Recap

Hey Yall!  Have you checked out my InstaStories over the weekend of the girls and I at the worlds largest digital festival, DreamHack in Atlanta?




Boy, did we have a ball playing all the digital gaming systems!  And I'm not even into playing video games at all.  Last time I had played I was the girls' age playing on the original Nintendo and SEGA Genesis.  I was a big gamer like how Lauren is now.




I was invited to attend as media to the big 3-day event but wasn't for sure if I wanted to go at first because as I mentioned, I am in no way a gamer anymore.  Honestly, I feel like games keep kids from being active and not in tune with real life.  Right now, I have been having a hard time getting Lauren signed off from her gaming systems.




So, when DreamHack sent me the invite follow-up I was still hesitant to go, but then I was like, "why not."  Let see why Lauren is so hooked on video games and why she think they are so cool.

About Dream Hack


During the three-day, non-stop festival, DreamHack Atlanta host its keystone event — a massive 24-hour-a-day LAN party — along with a host of other activities. Gamers participate or watch professionals compete in esports tournaments offering a prize pool of more than $800,000. Major titles include: Counter-Strike: Global Offensive, Dota 2, Halo 5, H1Z1, Hearthstone, Rocket League, Super Smash Bros. Melee, Super Smash Bros. Wii U, Overwatch, League of Legends, Tekken 7, Street Fighter V, Starcraft II, Smite and more.



In addition to DreamHack Atlanta’s entertainment and esports tournaments, the festival offers a gaming exhibition, BYOC tournaments, cosplay competition (hosted by the cosplay team from Atlanta’s Momocon), virtual reality demos, collegiate esports matches, open-play PC/console areas, tabletop tournaments, video game tournaments open to the public, events for families, learning opportunities, and a Friday-night concert featuring Atlanta-based rapper and recording artist Waka Flocka.

We only went to DreamHack on Saturday because the way Atlanta traffic is, I just can't do three days of being stuck in my car idling.

When you first walk into the festival, the girls and I were in awe and wide eyed seeing all the different activities going on around every corner. All the strobe lighting through the darkness is like stepping into a dark virtual world of excitement. We had to do a walk through first to see all the cool happenings.

The crowds were huge, and the lines were long if we wanted to play video games, but we managed to find an area that had a Wii U station with Mario Kart in the console available.

I told Lauren I would hop on and play a match of Mario Kart with her.  I use to play this game back in the day, so I knew how to play, but a little rusty.

I put my game face on, focused, ready to whooped Lauren's butt.  Little did I know Lauren is a champ at Mario Kart and she beat me several times with little to no effort.  Embarrassing!  Michelle jumped in for a friendly game of Mario racing too, and she too lost to Lauren.

The lines to play games in the open play area went smoothly without much of a long wait, so we were able to play on different systems.




Our favorite was getting on the computers playing a game that had us killing zombies.  I tell ya, the three of us was so hooked with this game we lost track of time.  The graphics, the sounds, special effect of the game makes you feel like you're one of the characters on the hunt to save civilization from the creepy walking dead people.  It was like an adrenaline rush flowing through my veins.  I was jumping out of my seat, yelling, swinging my arms when the zombies would pop out of nowhere, and I would shoot my rifles putting them out of their misery.




I now can see why Lauren have a love for video games, they're addicting, fun, and takes you off to a fantasy of digital storytelling getting more of a feel to the experience.  It's like you're in control of the story and the outcome.

Now since I have a bit more appreciation for video games, still you won't see me spending endless hours playing at home.  I may bounce on here and there for a friendly competition with Lauren and Michelle.

It was hard to leave the massive gaming event; it was like the games had us sucked in wanting to stay to complete our games.




Since DreamHack was non-stop for three days, the girls wanted to spend the night there.




No way am I allowing that!




We slowly walked out the festival around midnight looking like we were one of the zombies from the computer game since we were dragging our feet, red eyed and exhausted.




The event was game-changing!  If you're in Atlanta, you should go to DreamHack next year.



Disclosure:  I was invited to attend as media, all opinions are my own.  Post contains Amazon affiliate links.

 

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