Back in 2017, HGS held its very first gaming festival. The idea to have a gaming festival came up during a conversation about what it would be like to host one, similar to the already-established Sportsfest. After gauging interest, “Playtesting” was unveiled and it involved teams from both HGS offices at the time battling it out for supremacy.
Last July 27th was the third annual gaming festival. What began as a small, almost casual gathering of players has now grown into a bigger and much more competitive event.
New Name, New Rules
The first major change to the event was its name. Playtesting was both the standard set and a reflection of what the event was about. For game developers, playtesting means looking for bugs or issues in the current build of a game in order to address them before going live. For the organizers, an event like this was the first of its kind and they wanted to see how participants would react. It allowed them to see what mechanics worked, what could be improved, and what to do more of next time. After the first Playtesting was held, many standards were set that the organizers knew what to work on.
This year, the event was rebranded as “Press Play” and it was a culmination of what has been learned, seen, and developed by the event’s organizers. But the name change was only just the start.
A Larger Playing Field
As HGS grew bigger, so did the number of eager participants in all our company events. We’ve seen how our summer outings, year-end parties, and Sportsfests continue to be much larger affairs than the last. Press Play gaming festival was no different and having more players and more teams this year certainly brought out the online competitive spirit in everyone.
What began as an event involving teams from two offices now turned into four teams from three of our offices! Players chose their preferred game and did their best to represent their respective sites in friendly but intense competition. Teams from every office went all out to prepare for the event, often staying after work to practice on games with their teammates.
Anybody Can Play
It certainly was a wonderful mix of the old and new during Press Play. Old favourites such as Tekken and NBA made returns for single-player competition, while team competition in Counter-Strike and DOTA 2 were more exciting and intense as ever. The introduction of Mobile Legends as a playable game last year also meant more players could join Press Play. Mobile gaming’s popularity continues to rise and it was the perfect game to play for anyone who specialized in it.
The games were fast, intense, and competitive throughout the day. No matter where you were on the Twenty-Four Seven office floor, you could hear the sounds of spectators cheering their teams on, or players reacting to their games.
Dominance and a Twist Ending
Still, there had to be winners, and every player – whether competing alone or with a team – gave it their all. When the dust settled, the players of our Twenty-Five Seven office dominated Press Play, coming out as overall winners for Tekken 7, NBA 2K, DOTA 2, and Counter-Strike. RSC was also declared the winning team for Mobile Legends.
The final of DOTA 2 was an especially notable event. It pitted teams from Twenty-Four Seven and Twenty-Five Seven and the competition was very close and intense. So much so that it was difficult to declare a winner that afternoon! Both teams refused to let up and it was decided that the final game would take place at a later date. The eventual game was held last August 7th just after office hours where Twenty-Five Seven would eventually prevail. Indeed, no one expected such an exciting finish to the day would happen after the event finished, but that is what Press Play and e-sports are all about.
Play More Games!
Some would argue that competitive gaming is indeed a legitimate sport like basketball or volleyball. It’s this belief that allowed something like Press Play to flourish with HGS’s commitment to creating a work culture like no other. Events like Press Play allow our staff to show off their prowess and competitive spirit that isn’t limited to physical sports.
The excitement and intensity the games from Press Play brought certainly could rival the same reactions you hear at our Sportsfest. Much like them also, anyone that wants to can join. Whether it’s a few games of Counter-Strike or a few rounds of Tekken, there’s something for everyone at Press Play.
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