MADRID GAMES WEEK 2018
On Saturday 20th October, I had the pleasure of attending Madrid Games Week located in IFEMA. It is described as a video game and electronic entertainment fair that started on the 18th and finished on the 21st. The fair sought to bring together all video game lovers under one roof. Tickets started at 13 euros if attending one of the days, or 35 euros for all 4 days. Fair enough price if you ask me! Although I would have liked to have attended all 4 days, I could have only attended one, but that didn't stop me from enjoying everything that the fair had to offer.
So...how was my first time at a video game "convention"??
Well for starters, I arrived at around 11am and the line to enter was INSANE! It was like a never ending snake that just kept growing and growing. Attendees were quite confused as to where the line began and ended and it seemed as if the security themselves weren't quite sure...but, every cloud has a silver lining. As long as the line was, it was moving quite fast and the time I spent waiting wasn't nearly as much as I had expected. Although I had missed the workshop that I wanted to see, the rest of the experience was smooth sailing.
As you enter the building, one could be overwhelmed by the plethora of different sections that there were. There was literally something for everyone regardless of whether or not you were a PC or Console player. I decided to see if I could catch the end of the workshop that I was interested in attending and luckily it was still going on.
Afterwards, I decided to watch the K-POP Festival where several people were performing popular Korean songs and dances. Let me add in that it was super easy to know when an event was going to happen because the entire programme's schedule was published online.Anyways, being someone who also has a little interest in Korean culture, it was so lovely to see people somewhat paying homage to their favorite K-idols.
I later checked out the NBA2K19 section which seemed to be drawing quite the attention. They had somehow managed to put a little basketball court inside the building and now people were playing a dunk challenge. Honestly, it was one of the most entertaining parts of the day and the crowd seemed to love it.
Next, I wanted to check out the stalls and as you can imagine, it was every "friki's" dream. These stores had everything you could ever think of, from anime and video game merchandise to snacks from countries like Japan and Korea, they made it impossible to not spend all your money. The store GAME was also present with lots of offers and discounts for attendees!
Link to their website: videojuegosporalimentos
The second floor of the building was dedicated mainly to e-sports. There you could see tournaments of League of Legends, CS:GO and Clash Royale just to name a few. There were more free to play areas and also the areas for the professional gamers. There were popular teams like MADLIONS playing their qualifying LoL rounds.
If you moved around the second floor, you would come across RetroWorld. In this area, there was a space for workshops, an arcade area and a PC area where people were playing classic versions of our all time favorite games. This area totally took me back to my preteen years when I would go to the arcade in the mall with my friends and play Soul Calibur or Street Fighter. It definitely brought on the nostalgia!
Guys, have you ever wanted to learn how to properly wield a light saber? Well, yeah, in Madrid, there's an academy for that and they were at MGW showing you all the tricks and tips. I have to admit, at first I thought, what in the hell?...but as the demonstration continued, I realized how detailed and well trained the students were and it was just like kendo or some sort of martial arts.The guys at LudoSport really did put on a show and even had me thinking about enrolling in one of their classes. If you're in Madrid and you wanna check them out, I've left the link to their website below.
Click here: LudoSport Light Saber Combat Academy
For me, one of the most fun parts of the day was the Spicy Ramen challenge. Here we saw several competitors trying to eat spicy Ramen as fast as they could. The faces that some of these guys made and the speed at which some of these guys ate was unbelievable but it all brought us laughter and that's the most important part.
I can honestly say that there was something for everyone. If you like XBOX or PlayStation, if you were dying to try out new games or just wanting to relive your childhood by playing some good ole classics. If you were into Fortnite or PUBG, you were covered. If you wanted to try VR for the first time, you had more than enough opportunities to do so. I feel like the event made it so every gamer, regardless of age or preference, they would feel welcomed and entertained and for that I deemed the event a success.
So, if I could give you some tips for Madrid Games Week, what would they be?
- If you can't go all days (like me for example), look for the schedule of activities online and choose the day that has the things that interest you the most.
- If you know you really want to see a certain showcase or go to a certain workshop, arrive early because who knows how long the lines might be.
- You can bring food and drinks inside, so definitely buy them or make them before if you want to save money so you can buy other things...and trust me, you will want to buy other things.
- Expect lines on the inside as well. If you want to try out a new game or take part in a free-to-play competition, guess what?...lots of other people wanna do it too! So..expect lines, usually they move quite fast and you have fun observing others play.
- HAVE FUN and don't be afraid to try new things. So, ask for that photo with that cosplayer or try that new game that you have been dying to try even though everyone's watching you, just be yourself!
Thanks MGW for an exciting day and without a doubt, I'll see you in 2019!
Check out their website here: madridgamesweek
Check out their website here: madridgamesweek
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