Ev6: Magfest X

I know it's late. Just had to organize my thoughts. Early this month, I had the privilege to work as a dealer in the convention Magfest. Running its 10th year, I found myself going back to the Gaylord Hotel and Resort in the National Harbor, MD.

The commute was bothersome, and lunchtime was a curse, but it was fun going there. The convention is unlike any of the others I've went to. For one thing, it felt more like a gamer's Heaven and Hell than anything related to anime. In fact if I must say so, it was clearly dominant of video games, even for cosplay. This fact I don't mind at all, because being there put the gamer in me into berserker mode. While there, I tried out some titles old and new, mainly Super Street Fighter IV Arcade Edition: Version 2012, Tekken Tag Tournament HD, EA's NBA JAM, and Dance Dance Revolution Extreme. What's more, I tried more Asian treats from the vendor across from the table I was manning, and even got to meet some of the people of the game site ScrewAttack face-to-face, even though I SOMEHOW missed James Rolfe, who is known as Cinemassacre's Angry Video Game Nerd (a webseries I'm VERY fond of.). Nobou Uematsu, known for the music from Square Enix's Final Fantasy series, was also there, and along with the concerts, everyone had a blast seeing him. Walking through there felt like an Antiques Roadshow for gamers, as old games, parts and consoles, both US released and foreign, were sold here, and even some hand-created games for the older consoles appeared.

Frankly, I'm glad I went. I felt as though I revisited my past being there, mostly from Sega Genesis and Saturn, and got some good competitions in. I felt, however, that it was aimed more towards retro gamers, as most of the tournaments dealt with the real classics from back in the days of early Nintendo and Atari. There were even pinball machines there. I don't mean the small ones you buy for your kids, I'm speaking of the 4-leg, coin-op ones we usually see in arcades and bowling alleys. Speaking of arcades, there were many, and I mean MANY arcade machines there, from Dig-Dug to Initial D to Capcom vs SNK 2. Thankfully, we didn't need to bring an overhaul of quarters to play any of them (it's enough of a hassle for travel, pass fee, and food, and if your lucky or rich enough, a room!)

Magfest X was a definite thrill, though the shift had me drinking on the first night (but then again, my old man DID treat me.) I hope the next time it comes nearby, I'll be able to have more of a fun time, and maybe get some souvenirs  as well. But by then, I better be gaining an income for such a thing. Seiko once again, signing off for now.