Wow.

That pretty much summarizes the week for me. Don't worry, I will go into more detail, but I really don't think I'll be able to convey how mind blowing it was. I didn't end up going to the tournament at Omega Sektor due to university commitments, but I managed to get there for all the TV stuff in London, and it really was a crazy experience, and so unbelievably different from anything I've experienced in gaming.

I took the train down from Stafford and then the tube from Euston to the studio, and it was shockingly uneventful. However, I was meant to be meeting Dr. Gonzo (Rich) and Karpov (Brian) there, and neither of them had phones with them, and I had no idea where or when I was meeting them, so I kind of turned up at the studio and looked for familiar faces. Luckily Redeye (Paul) pointed me in the right direction, and I met up with all the CSS players, and just chilled out until Rich and Brian got there.

We all went to Yates' that night and had a pretty decent night out, just watched some football and came back rather drunk. Pretty standard, but it was the only time I really got an opportunity to drink until the end of the event, so it was very appreciated. The next morning it was up at 10, and working all day. We only had two laptops between the three of us, so we had a few breaks while other people were using it, but it was a pretty hardcore day.

The morning was pretty much full of rehearsals and technical stuff, which we filled with writing features and interviewing people. For me personally this was unusual, having never really had to interview people face to face. However, Brian kept me at it, and although I started off very shakily, I think by the end of it I had improved a lot, and I was getting some really good information out of people, which was really great. After lunch the matches started, with all the individual semi-finals taking place. The atmosphere was absolutely surreal, and there are hundreds of pictures going up on the cgs site over the next few days. Go take a look at them, and I assure you 100%, it was twice as impressive in real life. I assumed from watching the Region 1 stuff that a lot of it was glamorised by the camera, but having been there and seen it now, I was genuinely taken aback.

The matches went pretty smoothly, thanks to a lot of preparation and planning by all the staff. It all seemed in very good hands, with a good mixture of gaming people, tv people, and business people all doing their share of the work, and providing their individual expertise. The CSS games didn't start until the next day, but even though my main interest wasnt in it previously, Ive gained SO much respect for all the gamers. The players in PGR and DoA for example put so much into the game, both through a desperation to learn the ins and outs of it, and the raw emotion and love for the sport, and it was amazing to see it in action. People like Daveyskills, NeoJake, Izaiyoi Master, Bazza, Stune, Ricochet, McMystery, and our very own repstar were all really easy to get along with, and had very professional attitudes both in and outside the game.

The next day was insanely, with CSS semi-finals taking up the morning, and all the finals and the draft in the evening. This day was about 14 hours straight work, but it didn't feel like it because it was so interesting. Except the Dignitas guys (now Salvo) who I didn't really speak to, as they kept to themselves kind of, everyone from CSS was really easy going and got along well. I knew the infused guys from before, but Zboard and 4k I'd never really spoken to, and they all came off as really nice guys. Dignitas guys spoke for themselves in game though, playing absolutely amazing in both of their games. They ripped apart both 4k and Zboard, and really showed how much they deserved to be drafted.

The draft was amazing, but heart breaking at the same time. I wont go into too much detail, but the final pick was both amazing and disgusting at the same time. I 100% feel that 4kings deserved it, and I was delighted for every single player there, but Zboard did as well, and it was soul destroying to see the looks on their faces when it happened. They also had to stay there on stage for ages for shoots, and you could see there was nothing in the world they wanted to do less, which I hope will be changed next time. There weren't really too many surprises in the draft. Venom was distraught at not being picked, and even though I don't think he presented himself that well outside the games, I think he meant well and it meant the world to him, so I really felt for the guy. However, we all had a huge sigh of relief when NeoJake got drafted, as if anyone had earnt it there, it was him.

The crowd for most of the event was gamers, but on the final day, of the UK championships between the two franchises, it was filled with the general public, and I have to say, they absolutely loved it. The crowd was totally enthralled, chanting for their respective teams and treating the players like royalty. It was surreal, and showed how gaming is finally making it. There were kids sitting by us asking us every detail about their favourite players, and getting incredibly excited at the prospect of chatting to the players in between shoots. For anyone who doubted CGS as being the next step in gaming, this totally confirmed it for me. Nothing can compete at the moment.

I think the best thing about the whole week was the new experiences I got. Having only seen a TV studio from the audiences perspective before, I got a real insight into how things worked, and gained a lot of new skills. I'd never really used a camera before other than the odd photo, and I got a lot of experience taking photos around the set. Thanks to Brian we effectively had a "go anywhere" pass, and in between shooting I was able to go all across the stage, and worked alongside all the TV people. At one point I also got to work with the TV people a lot closer, by taking logs for the matches, making sure they knew what went on and when so they could rewatch it for highlights and post-production commentary.

I also got to work with some really amazing people. Brian, my boss, is honestly the hardest working guy I've ever worked with in my life. The guy seriously needs a raise. Rich was awesome too. We were sharing a room all week, and he's a really sound guy. Had many a laugh, and he worked his ass off too, as well as getting wasted a good few times. Also did all the video stuff for the site with absolutely no experience in it whatsoever, which was amazing. Redeye and TooGood were awesome too. Spoke to TooGood throughout the event and he was a genuinely nice guy, and very easy to get along with. Didn't really speak to Paul until last night, but we had a good few drinks with him and his wife in the bar, and they're both really great people. Max came down on the last day as well, and although I've met him a few times before it was still nice to see him again. People give the guy a lot of shit, but when it comes down to it, he does a lot of work that most people wouldn't, and he's a nice guy. Bsl came down for a few days as well as he's flying to WCG tomorrow from London, so he stayed and watched the championships, and was a funny and interesting guy, and very articulate. All the CGS people were amazing to work with, as were the Steadfast (tv) people. Everyone worked their ass off all weekend, and dealt with anything anybody could throw at them.

It was easily the most incredible experience I've ever had to do with gaming, and I will be taking any possibility I can get my hands on to work in similar circumstances in the future. I've got so much respect for everyone involved, and having seen how much work went into it all, I hope other people will feel the same.