EVO Week 3rd Strike: Day 1 Get Ready
Every year a while now, down in Las Vegas, a very peculiar thing happens in gaming. Thousands of dedicated players of fighting games congregate in one place to compete to see who is best in their games with thousands more watching elatedly through streams at home. However, its more than the competition that makes this tournament so great. Its home to vendors of wears and familiar paraphernalia with in the culture. Where notable members give lectures on wealth of topics. And now its also the place where indie game developers can show their craft to a new fresh gaming audience. Still at the heart of this place is the spirit of competition in its many forms. Its visible competition of wits done in split second motions of the joy sticks. Its competition of stoic legends versus no named heroes. Its competition of showing of new game play technology that defies all logic before hand. The competition of that one moment that completely sways the match into a surrealistic comeback.
This is why so many in the fighting game community make that trek down to Las Vegas every year. Even if they don't compete, this a place where they re-unite with old friends and make new ones. Its almost a religious pilgrimage for the fighting game community to be at this place, which keeps getting bigger and bigger every year.
This place is Evolution. This is what EVO is about.
Overlooking the over-dramatic first few paragraphs, EVO is really an awesome place to be at. Even if you aren't good at fighters or just have a casual interest, EVO is the best way to understand why people like myself are so passionate about them. And to those who are passionate about fighting games, EVO is a perfect opportunity to invite them in. Tell them to watch a stream, any stream. Whatever you do, make you do one thing: get ready. Because in a few days, EVO will begin. For a few days out of the year, fighting games aren't just the tiny little niche in gaming landscape. They become tall giants and nothing can take them down.
Unless the stream crashes....or console freezes....or a player has controller problems.....
For info about EVO, see the official website here for more details and streaming schedule (when its posted)
damn man, that first paragraph really got me going. I wish I was there!
very well written. I think it's cool people are so into this. I wish I was good at fighrting games, as I do enjoy the principle of them, but I always get my ass kicked.
Thanks! Though I felt I kind went too dramatic on that part.
I've been thinking of EVO all week. Glad you put up that highlight video. I wanted to see some of that.
Yeah, I'm super hyped for this years EVO! The only downside is I'm going to miss a big part of it because I work at night during the entire tournament. 
I may catch it this year since i'm interested in watching the ones of Melee, BlazBlue and KOF.
I just posted a blog with all of the main tournment streams, so you might want to check it out to see times. I've also posted the poster with the times on my tumblr too.
I remember reading about EVO back at 1 Up. As a matter of fact I think it mightve been you who put me onto it.
I did write about EVO back on 1UP, two years in a row in fact. So maybe but there were other people as well.