DreamHack Montreal, just like other events, are full of events. They are mostly gaming related however, there are always not always about the actual gaming and e-sports but the other fun and frilly bits from new technology or set-ups to enhance the gaming experience and other times, cosplay. Here are the highlights of some of the events and booth that offered something a little different.
Q&A with Nacco Cosplay
Japanese cosplayer Nacco-san makes an appearance for a Q&A session before the cosplay competition to talk about her experiences as a cosplayer. She also shares how long it takes for her to put together the cosplay pieces from concept, inspiration to building. She also shared her thoughts on being able to attend international events and also her joy with being invited to events because other’s appreciation for her cosplay results.
Cosplay Competition
Watch DreamHack Montreal 2018 – Day 2: Cosplay Contest from DreamHackCanada on www.twitch.tvThe Cosplay Contest is held on Day 2 of DreamHack Montreal. The last few years has shown off some great costumes and some fantastic cosplayers. The cosplays this year draw inspiration from video games and anime and in some cases, both. The cosplay contest is judged on workmanship (accuracy and wellness and realistic props) and presentation (how the cosplay moves and personification).
The judges for this contest is: Aamaaj Cosplay, Tanya Bélanger and Failena. A fun fact here is that Aamaaj Cosplay will be representing Canada in the 2019 World Cosplay Summit.
After twelve entries (but actually ten since two had withdrawn), here are the winners:
- Best Presentation: Jaina Proudmoore (Emilie Racette)
- 3rd place: Varian & Anduin Wrynn (Dorian at Axel Cosplay & Sabrina Lemelin-Camirand)
- 2nd place: Rose the Chanter (Estelle)
- 1st place: Aloy (Cindy Gagnon-Carey)
Gros Joueurs Triathlon
One of the last activities of Day 3 went to the Gros Joueurs team who hosted a gaming triathlon with their innovative plus size game controllers that brings back classic games with a twist. In the triathlon, the participant needs to win Mario Kart, kill ducks in Duck Hunt and clear ten lines in Tetris. Except, Mario Kart is not a big standing version with four wheels mount on a desk with pedals to accelerate, Duck Hunt has a giant orange gun which replicates the smaller one the game used to have and finally Tetris is played with an arcade style dance pad. Innovative and creative are honestly the only words to describe this talented company.
Aperium VR
Aperium VR has definitely stepped up their game since last year’s appearance at DreamHack. In Montreal Comiccon, they also brought a first person shooter game. Here at DreamHack, two months after the last gaming conference, they bring yet another game to showcase their next level immersive VR experience that uses a rolling carpet (like a running machine) to mimic walking through a video game making it even more realistic than simply having the VR headset.
Fire and Steel
Seeing as we just talked about cosplay before, it seems a perfect spot to highlight one of the most fascinating vendors here with Fire and Steel, a premium retailer for specialty blades and weaponry inspired by anime, comics, movies and television shows. They make appearances at many different shows so if you ever get a chance, you should definitely see what they have to offer.
Zenox’s PC Desk Gaming Rig
No doubt one of the most unique rigs to be seen on the show floor was at Zenox’s booth as they had a fairly subtle looking PC table which had the entire gaming rig inside. Nothing can be more impressive than seeing space-efficient solutions that look cool. The DreamHack showfloor definitely had lots of cool stuff to see and lots of fun activities to highlight. The Cosplay Competition is always a major highlight. However, there are always some cool technology and PC rigs and vendors that show their innovation and creativity. Playing games is fun but learning about the tech that powers it is also intriguing. It is what makes an event like DreamHack so fun to check out.