I didn't think I was a game elitist. I enjoy ComicCon for the comics. I enjoy GenCon for the games - card, miniature and board. But, if someone had told me that my most enjoyable moments of ComicCon 2007 were to be at the Yu-Gi-Oh! 2007 US Championship, I'd have been giving them the same look you have on your face right now.
Covering Konami is always a little difficult for this site - we need 2-4 people: one for the Castlevania/Zombie games, one for the DDR games, one for the kids' games (that's me!), and one to cover the trading card games. Finding a single person qualified to write about all four - not so easy. But, they're nice people and they asked if I had time to speak to the winners of the World DS Championship on Sunday? Nope. The US Championship on Saturday? Nope. But I could speak to some of them before they started to compete. It was a plan.
I arrived about an hour early to a lot of people in the room. I expected this to be much like the tournaments I'd witnessed at GenCon. No, this was the United States Finals. This would decide the finalists in the World Championships as well as the US winner. Only 8 of the perhaps 30 people milling around were to compete. I had less than an hour to interview as many as I could. Sadly, I was unable to get to them all.
The one thing they all had in common? All male; and all started playing several years ago. There were no new comers to this event. Beyond that, each was very unique.
Michael Haught had to say his name three times and then eventually spell it for me. I don't know whether he was excited or nervous. You'd think he'd be used to it as he was last year's 3rd place US winner. Michael was the only collector of the cards I met. Like many I spoke to, he was introduced to the cards through a friend (who was the first?). Eventually, he gave in and started to play, even staging mock tournaments.
After two years he played in his first regional tournament and only last year did he qualify. He bought the DS game for the convenience. The simplicity of playing for an hour, always finding someone online, the puzzles, and the ability to collect all of the cards all appealed to him.
When I asked how he made 3rd place last year he said, "Because I wanted to get to Japan." He didn't care how he did once he got there; he just had to get there. This year, he wanted to make it to the World Finals and finish in the top four.
Last year's US Champion, and Michael's soon-to-be rival, was Jason Lee. The photographer from the local San Diego paper opened with a bow and Konichiwa Watakushi-wa George, desu. Then asked him what city he was from? Oakland…California. And he's Chinese, not Japanese. Personally, I thought this was great - I don't know who loosened up more, Jason or George the photographer!
Jason is quiet and unassuming but it doesn't take long before you realize he is really quite intelligent. It was the TV Show which brought Jason to the card game. Here is our early adopter - he encouraged his friends to play with him. But collecting the cards can be difficult and as he put it, "hard on my budget." The DS takes care of this quite nicely.
He says his secret is using unconventional tactics and decks that people would never suspect. It's always the quiet ones…
I'm going to be upfront now; I wanted one of the next two guys to make it. I liked them all. But these guys, they just make you feel good.
Not far north of San Diego is San Juan Capistrano. Unless you live in California and know the California Mission Trail, you may not have heard about its famous swallows. California really does have places that are not Los Angeles. From only two hours away travelled Martin Arriaga and Manuel Lopez, roommates and best friends.
Both qualified for the US finals.
Manuel was a counselor at the Boys & Girls Club of America where he played the game with the kids as a daily activity. Martin attended the B&G Club where he met Manuel and became involved in the game. Years have passed and they haven't stopped playing. Collectively, they own so many cards they give them away. Martin says it's, "their only hobby".
They attend as many local tournaments as they can and whenever they have the opportunity, they go to the regional tournaments. Manuel, the counselor, thinks the card game is great because at the Boys & Girls Club they always stressed team sports. But, Yu-Gi-Oh! allows a person the opportunity to play with people while still ultimately competing against themselves. Martin thinks that the people you meet and the community that you become a part of by attending the events is fantastic.
It's why they do this.
They only have one DS between the two of them. But, they both qualified. They saved up to buy the second game cart and borrowed another DS from a friend just to attend. Their only hope? They don't have to play each other.
My hour is up and play must begin but I wanted to interview at least one more person! I stick around thinking that there will be many rounds. There will only be three.
As I mentioned above, Michael and Jason drew each other as opponents. My head fell as I felt for them both. My only thought? At least the World Championship is in San Diego this year and whoever loses this round doesn't miss out on a cool trip. Michael and Manuel draw different opponents. It is a double-elimination, timed tournament. They begin and we wait.
Jason and Michael, both exceptional players, finish three games quickly and Jason goes on to the next round. Martin is defeated inside of two games. I'm trying to keep track of the other matches but Manuel has yet to finish his first game. He and his partner are very evenly matched.
Everyone had completed their round. Manuel finished his second game and they headed into a third. His opponent asked a question of the judge…and the timer ran down.
It's silly isn't it? I mean, I'm at a Yu-Gi-Oh! Tournament and I don't want the other guy (who I wish I had a name for!) to lose, I really don't! But, Manuel just has to win. He and Martin borrowed a DS so they could both come down and compete. The discussion goes on for 5 minutes which seems like an eternity and I'm baffled, but excited! Manuel wins. He goes on to the next round.
I have 15 minutes left I can just interview one more…
I know men don't glow. I know they don't beam. And if he reads this, I know he'll be terribly embarrassed but the smile on his face was fantastic. He'd just made it into the World Finals (I didn't know this, heh). Derek Smith would have been happy had he lost! Hailing from Dallas, Texas he was just amazed at ComicCon, San Diego and the Tournament itself. He really liked San Diego.
The funny part about Derek is he was a terrible player when he first began. He'd play between classes in college and just never got any better. It wasn't until he started visiting the boards and learning about deck building that he learned what he was doing.
Even so, he'd spent the previous night rebuilding and rebuilding his deck. Apparently, it worked for him.
I've been holding this article for two days in anticipation of images. I'd hoped I could find out which of the four won the US Tournament and went on to the Nationals. I'm glad I didn't have to pick someone. But I did smile to learn that Manuel had not only won the US Finals, but placed 3rd in the World Championship.
I think Martin had it right, it's the community. I mean, it was ComicCon I was at - I'd been knocked over by a giant Frylock earlier that day because he'd neglected to put big enough eye holes in the costume. And the wait to see Stargate? Phenomenal. But, hey…that's what it's about. It was the most fun I had the entire four days.
I'm a mother of two boys, ages 7 and 10 and live in the chaos that ensues. I've a permanent disability that keeps me homebound, so books, kids, games and books are my constant companions. Oh, and books, too. *grins*
My children both play games so I often play them first, getting to know exactly how something may effect my sensitive and easily stimulated older child vs. my stoic and imperturbable younger.
I like games for games; for the pure enjoyment of them and believe that no game is wholly bad, though some are real stinkers.
I also have the dexterity of a camel in mittens so find playing FPSs difficult (and I also don't like the gore) and RTSs at times can stump me. I just can't seem to move quickly enough to keep up with them. Some of my favorite games are arcade games and I'll spend 3-5 years on the same 5-6 levels because I just never get any better. But, I have fun.
