MILWAUKEE— Playing video games has evolved in the past two decades from being just an activity that one could only do at home or online with friends, to multi-stage tournaments where hundreds of gaming enthusiasts come together to play some of the best games there are today.
Cream City Convergence is the the antithesis of why E-Sports is now one of the fastest growing sports in the world.
Co-Organizer Joshua Steinberg says the one day event at the Baird Center in downtown Milwaukee brings more than just friends together.
“We celebrate video games. Specifically fighting games where we play everything from Street Fighter, Tekken 8, Guilty Gear Strive, we have Super Smash Bros. Ultimate and Melee. We help run the tournament bracket, select a few winners for each game and just have a good time,” said Steinburg.
Fighting game tournaments are nothing new in the gaming world, but Cream City Convergence (C3) has become Milwaukee’s largest video game fighting tournament with 400 active competitors and more than 800 spectators attending this year’s event. Plus, fans from across the Midwest flock to C3 as it is one of a few tournaments that have been given permission by Nintendo to officially host tournaments surrounding Super Smash Bros. Ultimate and Super Smash Bros. Melee.
“We had to apply with Nintendo and were asked to follow specific rules and sign a few agreements in order to get clearance to play these games,” said Steinberg. “Nintendo is very protective of their licensed games and we had to do a lot to make sure that they were ok with us running this tournament with two of their games. We’re just thankful that we were able to get permission to make this happen.”
Gamers such as Alexander Penaloza says he enjoys coming to these tournaments not only to meet with new and old friends, but to see what skills players have developed as well.
“We really don’t have that many opportunities to gather up throughout the year,” said Penaloza. “I did play competitively with Tekken for a year or two, but this really is a community of people who just love playing these types of games and can enjoy playing with different kind of people on daily basis. What we really like to see are people from all ages coming to play. There is no specific age limit to playing video games and we are just an open community who embrace you whether your a kid or an elderly person.”
Both Steinberg and Penaloza say they are looking forward to next year’s event and hope that the number of people attending continues to grow.
