My SGDQ 2016

Wow, what an event! I really enjoyed meeting and interacting with so many great people. Making new friends, and seeing old ones. Being nostalgic about old GDQs, while still soaking in the positive changes that have happened over the years. One of my favorite moments was Uyama explaining to me how they originally decided to put TGM in GDQ while we watched poochy.exe doing his blindfolded run. The staff and runners were on point and did a great job with managing the schedule, and the in-person viewership was higher than usual creating extra hype!

This GDQ was a very different experience for me because of two big changes:

1) My role as Community Program Manager, and
2) My first GDQ without any runs.

Starting with my new role, I was glad that so many people approached me with questions, comments, feedback, or just to say hello. Everyone is so friendly and I had many enjoyable and enlightening conversations. I have grown to appreciate our community even more after this event and love that I get to watch it grow and flourish through a different lens. I am excited for what is to come especially after hearing about many people's plans for after this event.

So not having a run turned out to be a good thing, as I did not have to spend any time practicing. It gave me more time to interact and actually play games for fun! I even got to see a few runs this GDQ, it has been a while for me.

I was really impressed with SMW Low% by Reze, what a beast! The fact that his Nana was watching warms my heart. My grandmother used to watch me play many years ago and root me on as I beat down Soda Popinski and his pals. The Tetris block was amazing as always, but still manages to impress despite knowing that it will be insane. PJ being PJ with Bionic Commando was hilarious. Super Mario Maker was great, and I can't wait to see what is next for that game. Super Metroid was, as Golden put it, unforgettable, but not for the reasons anyone expected.

I got to play an early version of the Mike Tyson's Punch-Out!! randomizer thanks to Authorblues and it was really fun! I am excited to see the finished product and get beaten by all the boxers that never stood a chance before. I also played the arcade Punch-Out!! but the controls were not working and getting past Glass Joe was a struggle. I learned the wonders of Twinkle Star Sprites, and picked up a few tricks for Super Metroid (CWJ, and 4 tap), as well as learning the refight skip in Rockman 5.

Overall, I had a blast, and am very much looking forward to attending more events in the future! See all of you next time :D