The dart train slid out from between the tall buildings that make up Downtown Dallas. It was noon, but the sun was barely peeking through the window that had been tinted with an ad for a vacation website. We made it out from under the buildings and it dove down below ground level underneath the Kay Bailey Hutchinson Convention Center. This little concrete cove was dead silent except for the echo of the train on the tracks as it pulled away. I was all by myself and it was quiet enough to make me question whether I was even in the right place or if I had shown up too early. Suddenly, someone power walked past me with their computer strapped into a baggage carrier headed in the same direction I was. Except for him, entire walk out was still pretty barren for people until I came up the escalator and saw the thousands that were going through security, getting their tickets, and checking in their computers. Now I knew I was here. I knew I was at DreamHack Dallas.
From the moment I stepped through the doors into the show floor, the atmosphere surrounded me. Every single person from the exhibitors to the spectators to the competitors was there for the same reason. We were all here because we love gaming and want to share that love with people who felt the same way. This was a celebration of gaming thrown by gamers and that shined through everywhere. However, the BYOC area embodied this the most. This area gave each registered player internet access and an assigned seat where they could set up their PC and play alongside each other. This is the kind of community building that gaming is all about. It’s the reason people game (well besides the fact that video games are inherently awesome). In addition to the BYOC area, there was also an area where CLX, a gaming PC manufacturer, had set up huge areas of their PCs for people to play whatever game they wanted to. There was also a console free play area set up with tons of Xbox Ones and PS4s that came complete with a huge variety of games.
From there, I wandered over to what ended up being my favorite part of DreamHack, the Indie Playground. This is the area of the convention where up and coming developers show off the latest demos of their games. I walked down the aisles taking in all the exhibits I could on my way through and talking to everyone I could. The best part of this experience besides the games themselves was how excited all these developers were to share their latest project. You could see the passion in the eyes of every single one of them as they explained how their game was a unique and fun take on whatever genre they decided to tackle. There was an indie game for everyone, no matter your preferences. There was a fighting game called Black Saw Corruption that was absolutely stunning and had some crazy camera angles that showcased the battles in a way that I’ve never seen before. Honestly, I’m going to be thinking about how that game looked the next time I’m playing one of those AAA fighting games and wondering why they don’t look like that. There was also a mobile game called Summoner’s Fate that I sat and played for 45 minutes before I could peel myself away from the screen. However, my favorite was an RPG called Dreamscaper. You follow Cassidy as she dives into her lucid dreams and explores her subconscious. Every time you enter a dream, you stumble into a different world with different weapons and a host of new nightmares to destroy.
Right next to the Indie Playground was the Art Gallery and Artists’ Alley where over 20 artists were displaying their amazing work. You could find anything you could thing of from video game art (of course) to anime, landscapes, and even custom printed t-shirts of anything imaginable. It was genuinely amazing to see so many talented artists gathered together in a convention tailored to games. In addition to artists’ alley, there was also a huge area for game hardware companies to show off their latest and greatest accessories and computers. There were booths from huge names like Microsoft, but there was also up and comers like Hyper X and Viper giving demos of their top-notch gear.
Lastly, and perhaps most importantly, the game competitions were incredible to see. The crowds for the Halo Grassroots competition and the Rocket League competition were so invested in the games that it brought a certain energy to those areas of the convention. One game of capture the flag on Halo drew such a big crowd that they ran out of seats around the projector. The game was tied 0-0 going into the final minute and somebody had to make a move. Members of both teams got close, but no one had been able to secure a point for their team until one red spartan was able to sneak a blue flag back just seconds before the timer went off. The Rocket League tournament carried this same level of energy. No matter where I was in the convention center, I could tell when something incredible had happened in the Rocket League area by the cheers that echoed through the halls.
The Madden tournament also got extremely competitive. There was no margin for error in any of the games, and quite a few of them ended up being real heartbreakers for the losing side. One of them featured an epic 2 score comeback that even the Dallas Police Officer running security for the event had to come over and watch the end of. The losing team had possession in the final minute of the game and he only had to get into field goal range to give himself a chance of advancing to the next round. He dropped back to pass, and it seemed like he had a receiver streaking open down the middle of the field, but the safety intercepted the ball at the perfect moment leaving him just a single point short of victory. The crowd was just as invested in the game as the actual competitors were and it showed in the gasps and cheering during every crucial moment.
Overall, DreamHack Dallas 2019 was an unforgettable experience. They managed to capture all the fantastic things about gaming and stuff them into a building for a single magical weekend. The community I experienced and the fun I had is what gaming was meant to be. It’s what we want and should get out of gaming. It was pure fun in an electric atmosphere, and I’m so glad I got to experience it.
For more information about DreamHack, please visit here: https://dreamhack.com/dallas/
My first console was the original Playstation and I would play Twisted Metal every now and then but games didn't hook me until I played the original Halo at my friend's house. As soon as I picked up that controller, I knew I needed an Xbox and I had to have that game. Since those early Halo days, I've branched out and played any game I could find with a great story and memorable characters but Master Chief is still my favorite. @thenotoriousTGT on Twitter
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