I went to RUSH

RUSH was the very first Esport initiative in SA took place this past weekend! I was lucky enough to have been able to go through on Sunday and take a look around. Although it had been an all weekend event I was only able to go through on Sunday and was left to ask the people who were there what the other two days had been like.

According to them, there had been a good vibe and it had been quite a busy weekend.

Now for me, I was completely curious as to what to expect and we had not been lied to when we were told that this was not another rAge. Which I really am glad about. rAge is an expo and even though there were a few stalls this was not an expo by a long shot.

If you were looking forward to any cosplay the below image was it. Plus they were not really there to cosplay so much as to match the ‘set’ of the Hearthstone Fireside Gathering game.

Now onto the reason RUSH came about, the e-sports.

It was really great watching the pro’s do their thing and battle it out using nothing but a keyboard and a mouse. I watched in amazement at the speed at which the players clicked away and the expert manoeuvres on screen. In the one Counter Strike round, one guy threw a grenade, got it to bounce precisely off two points to land and eliminate his target. That was pretty damn impressive.

The League of Legend pros were slightly more expressive and jovial as they played. Compared to the other games and their pros the LOL group were more vocal and seemed to laugh a tad more.

Honestly, I did not watch the FIFA rounds, since it is not really my kind of game but every time I walked past I had to give props to the announcer who did amazingly at interacting with the gamers as well as getting the audience involved.

Overall Sunday was really quiet but it was great being able to sit and watch the gamers do what they do best and personally as one who does not do well in big crowds, it was reassuring. I know my father and brother enjoyed their time there when we left they told me that I am now in charge of their ‘gaming’ events and outing. Lucky me.

We got to experience a wide array of games and playing platforms since there was a nice variety available.

Of course, I could not walk away from the one stall without giving them my money. In return, I got an epic Tokyo Ghoul mouse pad and an absolutely adorable Totoro plushie! And there is the true reveal of the anime fanatic in me.