Is it worth it?

By: Patrick Wendo
Date: 2019-08-06

On the weekend of July 20th, 2019, I attended the Mortal Kombat tournament held at K1 Klubhouse by Masters of Mayhem. The tournament itself started at 10 am and ended around 5 pm. It was at this tournament where I actually met some of the best players in the country and successfully got utterly beat by them. I love to think of myself as a decent Mortal Kombat player; however, it was quickly apparent that decent barely scratches the surface. I met people who have been playing mortal Kombat 11 religiously since the release date. Meanwhile, I was there telling myself that I would play off muscle memory and win. The joke was on me!

My defeat aside, I did learn a few things about tournaments in Kenya. First thing I learned was if by any chance you want to be in the professional circuit, you most definitely should attend the tournaments. This is not only because that’s the only way to get into the league (that I know of), but also because it exposes you to people of your caliber. Birds of a feather ought to flock together you know? I met a couple of old friends and made some new ones, all of whom are just as into MK as I am (and if you know me, you know that’s a lot).

Secondly, tournaments are more of a trial by fire scenario. Practicing at home on expert mode is cool, and maybe playing online is better, but neither of those comes close to having your major win (or L in my case) displayed on the big screen. Maybe I’m just way too into the game, but at the end of all my matches, I had so much adrenaline pumping my hands were shaking (and no, not a euphemism. They were actually shaking) The tension that comes with trying to time that crushing blow or that counter while a horde of backseat gamers tell you what moves to make is something that you need to go through to understand.

Finally, I think that tournaments are legitimately one of the best ways for a gamer to spend their free time. Even if you are not participating, just going to be a spectator has that air of comfort to it. Or maybe that’s just me. Watching e-sports is growing in popularity, so instead of having to open a twitch account, or following your favorite game-tuber and all the hustle that comes with, why not drop by your local game tournament and be a physical part of the fun?

So to answer the question, Yes, Tournaments are definitely worth it. And you should definitely show up for the next one. And that is not far off, Pro Series Gaming Kenya together with NAICCON are holding the next best event of the year on the 24th and 25th of Aug 2019. This will feature PSG Elite, a Call of Duty tournament and of course NAICCON wouldn't be complete without the 36 hour LAN Party. Come show your love for video games.