So, as you know by reading my previous entry, Blizzcon melted my face off. Thanks to the medical personnel on hand (as this happens all the time) I was able to save face (……….HA) and experience the second day of the Con, which was still awesome, but in a different way.
Day One is chock full of cosplayers. Many people wandering the floor dressed in amazing costumes that took God knows how long to design and create. The second day has much fewer in the way of costumed peoples, but there are still a few about. One of which was a friend of mine, so I spent a little time shadowing the experience of a Cosplayer at Blizzcon.
It’s hard to get anywhere, first of all. People are constantly stopping and asking to take pictures. If they aren’t asking, they are taking pictures anyway. I dread to think how far ahead you have to plan to use the bathroom. It’s all good, though, as all of the costumed folks I ran into were gracious and grateful to be asked for photos. My friend had dressed up the first day, too, but in a different costume…one with huge wings and had not allowed her to experience most of the indoor area. Today was different, and so the interactions were different with fans.
In fact, other than the fact that getting anywhere in the building took longer, it was a similar experience to just wandering in street clothes. It amused me to see someone in full costume sitting at a terminal playing Diablo III, or standing in line for one of the vendor booths. The additional visibility paid off in other ways, too, as she was stopped by several bloggers and even MTV News for interviews about the Con. It made me want to design a costume and show up next year in my own gear. But one thing is for sure…it would have to be perfect. None of this half-assed thrown together costume stuff. Do it right or not at all.
I watched a panel discussion about the new cinematic trailer for the World of Warcraft expansion being released in December. It was interesting watching the director and game designers talk on stage, having had their ear personally just a few nights prior. I got to see footage on the big screens I’d only seen on computer monitors. It was a discussion that was married in my love of film and love of video games. I rather enjoyed it, as did my friends, and along with some bouts of Diablo III and Warcraft that was our big ticket item of the day…until the closing ceremonies.
Every year, Blizzard has had some kind of musical act at the end of Blizzcon. Last year, it was Ozzy Osbourne. How would they top that? Well, with Tenacious D, of course. Not only that, but they had Dave Grohl (Nirvana, Foo Fighters) on drums! I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again: Epic. It was a great show, full of little in-jokes and an act that obviously had a great time. After they wrapped, it was time for the huge Hilton Afterparty…but the Hilton had security posted and attendance was restricted to hotel patrons early. That’s okay; I’m not huge on claustrophobic crowds anyway.
And then it was all over. I said goodbye to new friends. I said goodbye to my old friend, Doug. I flew home in the wee hours of Sunday…tired, almost hung over, but very happy. The friendships I’d made were forged in the flames of nerdery and geekdom, and those bonds are strong. I’ll be back again.
Rhys' Pieces 