I’m normally not the one to write about gaming events (I usually figure that once you’ve been to one, you’ve seen it all).

In this case, however, CyGamZ needs to be written about!  It is completely underrated and I hope that, by writing this blog, I will give it the exposure it needs.

Seppuku, Psyche, Calyber and I were invited by the CyGamZ representatives (who are all awesome, by the way) to host a Rainbow Six Vegas competition in one of Michigan’s largest movie theaters.  Upon arrival, I couldn’t believe what I was seeing.  They added the Frag Dolls to their movie listing marquee! It totally made us feel like celebrities. This is probably this closest I’ll come to having my name in lights, so I completely appreciated the kind act.

When first walking in, there were flat touch-screens all around the lobby airing a brief introduction about the Frag Dolls. The tour got better and better. They led us to the back of the theater, which was a veritable gaming playground (or should I say “Heaven”?) The space had DDR, GH2, Wii Bowling, Halo3 Beta, GRAW2 and Vegas - plus at least 20 Alienwares hooked up for the PC gamers! Did I mention GH2 came with its very own stage?

Once we pulled ourselves away from this amazing example of what a gaming event should look like, we were escorted to a green room and given free reign over the concession stand.  In hindsight, I almost wish the concession stands were closed.  Thanks to CyGamZ’s generous gesture, all I want to do is eat cookies and hot dogs now!

So, on to the Rainbow Six Vegas tournament…

The R6V competition was held in one of the theaters.  The setup was amazing!  In the middle of the room, CyGamZ hooked up 4 flat-screen monitors (which we got to play on, 2-v-2) while the crowd got to sit in the theater seats and enjoy the tournament on the big screen. Headsets weren’t needed - the sound quality was well above par.

To be exact, the Vegas tournament began about a week before we arrived.  The goal was for competitors to place 1st and 2nd by elimination; those two places would then pair up as a team to play against two Frag Dolls (Calyber and I) for a chance to win $1000. The match was set as first to five.

We ended up winning the first map (Casino Vault) and moved on to Kill House, where we lost thanks to me. I played such a crappy round. At this point, Psyche took my place. We went back to Casino Vault to finish the last round. Both teams were tied 2 to 2 - the victors of the next round would win the tournament. Psyche rushed into the Media Room and completely locked down both doors while Calyber was securing the Vault. Before we knew it, it was 6-0 (our lead) and everyone knew we were about to win - when, all of a sudden - the curse of the gaming gods struck Psyche’s Xbox and froze it. Can you believe it???  What are the odds that the Xbox would freeze right before the win?  This sucked so badly because now the other team’s morale was up, while we were stricken with utter disbelief.

So, I’m sure you can guess what happened during the rematch...we got spanked. I sometimes feel like the Frag Dolls are cursed - in every tournament we enter, we always get paired up against the best teams right off the bat, and now the frickin’ Xbox froze when the win was at our fingertips.  That part of the event definitely blew! The good news was that everyone watching knew, deep down, who the real winners were.  Right, Aggression?

All and all, the CyGamZ event was on point; my only disappointment was the lack of people that attended. I just felt that the setup was a gamer’s paradise and its sad more people weren’t there to experience it.  Then again, CyGamZ is a relatively new event, so they’re still building a name for themselves.  Soon enough, word of mouth will spread on how awesome this place really is. We gamers would be stupid not to support a place dedicated solely to making us happy.