The Main Event
With the completion of the opening ceremonies, it was time for everyone to return to their chairs and start some gaming. By this time, servers could be found for most every major game noted on the roster. The internal IRC server was also in full swing allowing participants to arrange friendly matches for whatever game they wished. All they needed to do was find someone else who wanted to play.
After a couple hours the crowd burst into a loud cheer as the lights in the Sportex were shut down almost entirely. Only a thin strip over the tournament area was left on, so the tourney participants could see what they were doing. But once the first rounds of tournament play were completed, even those lights would be turned off and we would be all left in complete blackness, only lit by the ambient illumination of our case mods and LCD screens. Even in the darkness, you could see the mainstream and obscure being played. Some brought televisions and consoles, and played Rock Band into the night. Some got a little more intimate, huddling around a single computer to play the venerable classic Scorched Earth.
For those that need it, there are always dedicated sleeping areas setup. This year’s forced venue change saw the return of a great Fragapalooza tradition: Tent City. The years spent at the Mayfield Convention Centre prevented participants from taking advantage of this, as the convention centre was attached to the Mayfield Inn and Suites, and Mayfield wanted to soak us for every dollar. Sportex is exclusively a convention centre, and a part of the huge Northlands complex, so they had little problem with us setting up camp. So if you needed some rest, you could easily retreat to the moderate privacy of your tent. Still, little sleep is had on the night of Day One.
Day Two – Pink Hair And Bald Geeks
This was easily the most interesting event I’ve seen at Fragapalooza. As I had mentioned earlier, our little LAN party fell on the same weekend as The Weekend to End Breast Cancer. Now since gamers aren’t the virtually trained killing machines mass media links to portray us as, we decided it was only fitting to jump in and help out the cause. That means that the staff volunteered to have their hair dyed pink, and then raise donations towards having their head shaved at the event. They brought on the Est-elle Academy of Hair Design as sponsors, so the hair colouring and shaving was at least done by professionals.
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