My first time at BlizzCon: A nerd dream comes true
Blizzard's in-house convention has been fascinating fans for over 20 years. I dove into the thick of it for the first time and experienced what makes BlizzCon so unique.
Around 35,000 visitors flocked to the Anaheim Convention Center in Los Angeles last weekend. Right next door is Disneyland – the self-proclaimed "happiest place on earth". I was at both places and can assure you: not only are the costumes at Blizzcon far more creative, I also saw many more beaming faces. And that's despite the fact that the queues could easily keep up with any Mickey Mouse ride.
Concert instead of festival
Compared to other gaming trade fairs, Blizzcon is, in terms of numbers, almost a small fish. Gamescom attracts more than ten times as many people, and the Tokyo Game Show also plays in a higher weight class. But at Blizzcon, everything revolves around a single universe: Blizzard. The event has been held almost annually since 2005. After a two-year break, it returned this year – and with it, masses of hungry fans in search of fresh loot.
Gaming trade fairs are certainly nothing new to me. But unlike Gamescom, Blizzcon feels completely different: more like a solo concert than a multi-genre festival. You meet like-minded people at both places, but the atmosphere is incomparable. When you sit in a hall with 5,000 others and the crowd collectively goes wild because a meme is shown that I have to Google first, being a fan reaches whole new spheres.
When the opening show announcements are made, there is no holding the fans back. The volume serves as a reliable mood barometer: when "World of Warcraft: Forever" and "Diablo V" were unveiled, the cheers echoed so loudly through the halls that my return without hearing damage borders on a miracle.
At the same time, I felt like an outsider at times because not quite as much Blizzard blood flows through my veins anymore. The hardcore guild gathers in Anaheim, whose hearts beat significantly faster for Blizzard titles than for the rest of the gaming world. But the gamer community on the other side of the pond proves to be an astonishingly hospitable bunch, with whom you quickly feel at home.
The longer the spectacle lasts, the more I merge with the Horde. Only my "journalistic integrity" – adjusts invisible jacket – keeps me from cheering along loudly. At least on the outside.
Monothematic, but never boring
The exhibition halls of the Anaheim Convention Center are also impressively sized. Every corner belongs to its own Blizzard heavyweight – above all "World of Warcraft", "Diablo", "Hearthstone", and "Overwatch". Gigantic statues tower everywhere, in front of which fans patiently queue to get a souvenir photo. Of course, I couldn't resist the temptation either and took the selfie in the header image in front of the legendary gates of "World of Warcraft" (see header image).
I was particularly taken with the area around "Hearthstone". The familiar menu sound rings out from the speakers, and Harth Stonebrew greets me personally right at the entrance – with whom my Game Two colleague John played a little prank.
Every day, various panels also offer in-depth insights into new game mechanics, characters, or lore details. Here, you listen side-by-side with thousands of others to the developers and geek out about the finest nuances of the game design cosmos.
Mediterranean feeling with hot loot
No gaming fair without merchandise – that applies even more to Blizzcon. On the second day, the queue for the store stretched through several halls. Thanks to my press pass, I snuck past elegantly, only to walk out again empty-handed and with hanging shoulders. It wasn't until I got to the airport that I realized: I was in the wrong room! One floor above the standard merch was the "Darkmoon Faire" zone. That was exactly where the legendary loot was waiting. It's your own fault if you can't recite the lore bible inside out.
Instead, I treated myself to a few grossly overpriced pins from a street vendor in the hotel lobby. Another Blizzcon phenomenon: in and around the fair, pins, patches, and all sorts of nerd stuff are constantly being traded and sold. As a European, this evokes pleasant memories of Mediterranean beaches – only here the roles are reversed and the buyers are besieging the vendors.
Let the games begin
My only brief relationship with the e-sports world so far was with "PUBG". As I fought sweat-inducing battles every day, my interest in the pros also grew. That feels like half a lifetime ago. At Blizzcon, I was finally able to experience e-sports live again – and that is simply a different league.
On the recommendation of several media colleagues, I watch the final of the Hearthstone World Championship. The card game is said to be more digestible and easier to follow than the fast-paced, chaotic shooter "Overwatch". I have played both, but to really follow an e-sports match, you usually need deeper expert knowledge.
The duel between finalists XiaoT and OTGxhhh takes place in a detailed backdrop of the tavern from the game. Despite all the thrills, there is a cozy atmosphere. The two casters do a fantastic job, breaking down every move in an understandable way and giving the match enormous dynamics. I immediately feel the urge to fire up "Hearthstone" again myself. However, I'm even more excited for the Overwatch World Finals – I've definitely got a taste for it.
The finals take place in the arena of the Anaheim Convention Center, which seats up to 9,000 people. At the all-decisive showdown between defending champion KSA (Saudi Arabia) and record champion KOR (South Korea), the hall is almost filled to the last seat. The fan blocks of both camps are boiling over. After the first set, it looks like an easy game for KSA, but immediately afterwards, South Korea impressively demonstrates why they already have three titles in their own trophy cabinet. Although I only understand half of what is going on on the gigantic screens at times, the roaring crowd provides enough context.
For me, the rule is: as soon as I warm up to a team, there is no stopping me. Originally, I only wanted to watch for a round or two. In the end, I stay until the award ceremony and experience two hours of gripping e-sports action.
KSA, driven by arguably the best player of the tournament – Ziyad – shines with razor-sharp precision and spectacular headshots. However, the sympathies in the room are noticeably on the side of South Korea. Accordingly, the room erupts in frenetic cheers when KOR secures its fourth crown after spectacular moves.
The competition is the perfect conclusion to two days of concentrated Blizzard power. There was more than enough to discover anyway: K-pop concerts, tabletop rounds in front of a huge audience, celebrity "Starcraft 2" matches with "Shang-Chi" star Simu Liu, or drawing sessions with "Spawn" creator Todd McFarlane.
I finally understand why everyone raves so much about Blizzcon. The event exudes a fascination that can only be created by decades of iconic game worlds. Even if the studio has lost some of its luster in the past, the magic seems to be back. In any case, the 35,000 beaming faces on site speak a clear language.
As a child, I wasn't allowed to have any consoles. It was only with the arrival of the family's 486 PC that the magical world of gaming opened up to me. Today, I'm overcompensating accordingly. Only a lack of time and money prevents me from trying out every game there is and decorating my shelf with rare retro consoles.
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