Community Gaming: CGNY
CGNY hosted their fourteenth League of Legends event on January 16, 2016 at @COWORKRS from 12:00 pm to 5:00 pm with an event fee of $25 to play or $15 to spectate. In the event the gamers get to experience a one of a kind community gaming that includes fast wired internet connection, roomy space for the gamers to secure their gaming hardware for this Bring Your Own Computer (BYOC) event, pizza and light refreshments.
The participants were welcomed by CGNY’s community leaders and was escorted to their respective tables while they wait for their games to start. The event had about eleven teams that participated in the bracket-style tournament. In the tournament the gamers are expected to play their best as they are playing for Riot Points for placing top tier in winning the brackets.
By mid-afternoon, CGNY’s volunteers were serving pizzas and going around with slices in both their hands to make sure every one gets fed. Even though food was being served, some of the teams were still in the middle of their match. Meanwhile, two individuals from Red Bull stopped by and started handing out cans of energy drink to keep the gamer’s fueled. While some of the teams were in the middle playing their game, a handful of them were watching the first match of the League of Legends Championship Series (LCS), TSM vs CLG. You can hear two groups that were excitingly chanting and cheering for their favorite team.
Moments later, we were able to speak with Team 8 (Jonathan, Kam, Jason, John, and Ricardo) after one of their matches and asked them a few questions about their event experience. Jonathan has attended community gaming events like this once after every semester to enjoy his time playing the game with people and relax. Kam suggests that he was very surprised and happy to have attended. He plays the game but has never experienced being part of a gaming community until one of his friends invited him. Ricky, Jonathan, and Jason are all new to the community gaming scene and have just moved into NYC. Ricky and Jonathan expressed similar reaction. Both were surprised at the fact that people came to these kinds of events and was very pleased that people actually did show up. Jason also mentioned that he attended a Starcraft 2 tournament hosed by MLG in Providence. He said that it was a great event to have attended, but he would have rather play the game with people instead of just watching it with them. Team 8 was absolutely fond of being part of CGNY and would attend any of their future events. To see their reaction, check out interview session with them.
Team 8’s reaction to CGNY community event.
Towards the end of the night, one of the gamer’s approached me and said that he remembers me from the East Brunswick Public Library community event we covered on January 8, 2016. We got a chance to ask him what brings you around here all the way from New Jersey, he mentioned that he enjoys going to eSports community events and he will go wherever the next one will be. Through his words, I was surprised at his dedication to find more community events that hosts League of Legends.
The participants of CGNY’s League of Legends event was awesome. Gamer’s who attended this event were able to have a great gaming experience. After watching the teams play their first two games, one can expect to see everyone to play at a high level so that they can take their place at the top. Even though the tournament was real competitive, everyone was still friendly towards each other. Their overall experience has fully satisfied and they give the impression that they would definitely come back.
CGNY’s community leader Jose, was very excited to have a few words with us about their event. Without hesitation, Jose mentioned that people here in New York are looking to for community gaming events, which is one of the reasons why he and his team of volunteers are so dedicated to providing an experience unlike any other. Check out the community leaders from the CGNY event.
