The Dota 2 International - Basically the Superbowl of eSports.
Tickets went on sale in April. I told Eric I wanted to go and at first he thought I was just spitting out words. When he realized I was serious, we both became excited. Tickets sell out in minutes. There are 2 sale periods in a day (thank heavens because we missed the first one) and to up our chances of getting tickets, I begged my brother to get on and try, too. With 3 people trying, we were bound to get it, right? We'd heard of groups of 8 people trying and not getting through, so I was definitely nervous ... But Eric made it! We opted to get tickets for the weekend (Friday/Saturday) so we could watch the finals.
Our hotel was simply a place to sleep, the transit system screwed us over (aka we ended up a few cities away on the way home the first night thanks to my navigation ... Eric took over on Saturday and we had zero issues), but man, I want to go again so bad!
Open seating, so we got the seats we wanted.
We sat down low most of the time, but we went to the very back row of the stadium once so we could see the whole setup. The cheers when a team won were amazing, and everyone had a bracelet that lit up at the end of a match. And when a big spell was cast, the floor showed the animation. Epic.
Each match had casters (commentators) and analysts who made the experience absolutely phenomenal.
The animation overlay was absolutely amazing. Seeing the characters true to life size was mind-blowing.
Eric and I ordered our own Dota gear before the event, but they had incredible swag bags! Backpack, t-shirt, sunglasses, water bottle, notebook, swag pins ... seriously, the best free thing I've ever gotten!
One of the items in the game is called the Aegis. It grants the hero immortality - bringing them back to life. It is a one-time use. The trophy for the international is also an Aegis and I convinced a security guard to take a photo for me. 😀
On day 2, when we walked in, we arrived early so we could walk around. I spotted what looked to be an orchestral pit, so we selected seats right in front of it. FABULOUS!
I'm glad Eric didn't get jealous when I squeezed up next to Juggernaut!
Valve - you're amazing. Key Arena, Seattle, I hope to see you again next year!
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