The evening was even better than I expected to be. Normally I feel very uncomfortable at functions such as these, but last night, surrounded as I was by lovers of NCsoft games and an incredibly accessible dev team, I felt right at home. Each player that arrived got three raffle tickets along with their badge. The white one was good for a t-shirt at the end of the night, the blue for a chance at raffled off goodies. And then there was the red ticket: Every player that brought a picture of their character entered a raffle for the chance to have their character sketched by comic book savant David Nakayama. What I didn't realize when I heard about this prize, was that he would be drawing about 20 throughout the night. Indeed, David was still sketching when I stopped by to say hello at the end of the evening.
A little about the atmosphere: The Meet n' Greet was held in a large sectioned off area of the activity center, and we had three pools tables available for anyone who would like to play. The event was scheduled from 7-11PM, but when we arrived at 6 the majority of players were already lined up and ready for fun. Throughout the evening players and developers alike could be seen shooting pool side-by-side.
Around 7:30 pm or so the developers sat down along with David Nakayama in a separate room to sign autographs, and once again gamers lined up to get a chance to get signatures from their favorite development team members. Also in that room a photography corner was set up so that players could get their picture taken with Ghost Widow herself. Complimentary finger foods (only appropriate since we are, after all, gamers) were then served so that everyone would have the energy to enjoy the evening. At about 9 or so we all shuffled into yet another room where tables were set up by server so that cohorts who have been playing together could sit together. The developers began their keynote presentation, letting attendees in on some of the secrets about the game. Afterward the ultimate raffle began, and players pulled out their blue tickets in anticipation of winning some excellent prizes.
And speaking of energy, more than anything, the evening was about celebrating the friendships that CoX has created over the years. People flew in from Australia, Florida, Delaware, Minnesota, all over. When I asked them why they came all that way for a one night event, then all said the same thing. People. The game was great, they loved the game, but it was their friends online that drew them to the Meet n' Greet. For the majority of attendees, last night was a night of connection and reconnection with people they have been friends with online. Many of them had planned events that would last the entire weekend. There were several groups in attendance sporting supergroup t-shirts as proof of their solidarity.
Asked if they would attend this sort of event again, players resoundingly replied yes. I think it speaks to the nature of the community within CoX. The players feel that they are part of the process of game development, as is evidenced by the player chosen powers Dual Blades and Willpower recently added to the game in Issue 11. It's a sort of feeling that the developers definitely want to cultivate. They love their players, which is why the raffle portion of the evening, where they gave away thousands of dollars in merchandise and rare collectibles (including pages drawn my David Nakayama) lasted over an hour.
Personally, I had a great time. Everywhere I turned there were gamers looking to connect with their fellows, disproving the stereotype that all gamers are anti-social. The CoX Meet n' Greet was all about the social, and I for one eagerly await the next one.
