Feature: BlizzCon 2019 is chillfest for global gamers

by Julia Pierrepont III

LOS ANGELES, Nov. 2 (Xinhua) -- The annual BlizzCon gaming convention was an extravaganza complete with orcs, demons and even a dragon or two as 35,000 videogamers rolled in to town on Friday to all things Blizzard in an atmosphere of community and camaraderie .

The Anaheim convention center in southern California was tricked out with dozens of large, wall-mounted video screens blazing the vivid graphics and game trailers. Fans from all over the world lined up to see sneak previews of Blizzard's much anticipated new games, "Diablo IV", "Overwatch 2", "World of Warcraft: Shadowlands", and "Descent of Dragons - Hearthstone" expansion.

The huge post-Halloween convention was hosted by Blizzard Entertainment, the developer and publisher of such videogames as Warcraft in 1994, Diablo in 1996, Starcraft in 1998, and their latest hit, Overwatch, in 2017.

More than just a gamer convention, BlizzCon holds a special place in Blizzard fans' hearts.

"I met my husband through World of Warcraft and we got engaged at BlizzCon," said Terra, a fan from Las Vegas. "Now that we are married, we are returning to the scene of the crime."

The convention brings together Blizzard enthusiasts for two days of dizzying gameplay, global competitions, previews and fun.

Mika came all the way from Shanghai, China just for the convention. "I think if you are a loyal fan, you should come every year and it will give you what you have been looking forward to all year."

"I'm here for World of Warcraft," said Frank, a player from Germany. "All my friends play. It's easy to jump in and play even if you don't know it."

"World of Warcraft players are usually 30's to 50's and are more loyal, while Overwatchers are younger, more current, but flip more easily to other games, like Battle Royal games," said Laura, in a stunning leather Overwatch outfit that fit her like a glove.

Jeff, in a Starcraft T-shirt, was impressed by Blizzard's ability to port their games to different platforms. "They do a good job of optimizing for whatever console the platform is on."

Elliot, a young guy from San Diego, is a fan of Overwatch. "I'm here to bask in the fandom and buy primo merch." He said he used to be a more hardcore gamer but had to cut back lately to build his career and give him more time for dating.

"Every year there are more talented gamers joining the game and testing their skills here at BlizzCon, exhibited in front of the entire world. That's definitely cool," said local fan, Mark.

Gus and Mia, a father daughter team are World of Warcraft fans. He first taught her the game when she was 4 years old. "Now, she kicks my ass!" he chuckled.

"The sense of camaraderie is so fun," Cade told Xinhua. "If your team wins, everybody wins. If somebody dies in the game, everybody feels the loss."

Manuel from France said the community is incredible. "It's one of the biggest strengths of Blizzard that it brings people together. Here, for two days, it's all about love."

"It's hard when it ends. And you love coming back every year for that," he added.