#insomnia 60

It was my first time in Birmingham.I stayed at the Genting Hotel. Which was next to the NEC. From April 14 until the 17th the NEC was host to Insomnia 60.  Where you could enjoy gaming, esports, lectures and purchase merchandise. During that time you didn’t even have to leave the venue, ‘case at the MEGA LAN Party there even was a sleeping area. Basically a massive gaming slumber party, just bring your sleeping bag.

I (Joëla) was there on Sunday and Monday. It was my first British Event. The vibe reminded me of Dreamhack, another event I’ve been to, which is held in Sweden. This is a good thing, ‘case Dreamhack made me feel very comfortable.

Insomnia, was divided in different areas. There was a LAN area, that held various e-sports competitions, both for pro-gamers as well as amateurs. Another mandatory area for every gaming event is the retail area. Next to the usual merchandise stands, there were various booths with video games to play with.

Insomnia’s a family friendly festival, even more than the game events I am used to in the Netherlands. There were loads of kids with their parents. Especialy at the Minecraft Village, where you could show of your creative side.

I have a soft spot for Playstation, heck I even have a tattoo to prove it. So ofcourse I dropped by the Playstation booth, with my fave game of the moment: Horizon Zero Dawn. The game was running on the PS4 Pro displayed on a big ass Sony Bravia 4K Screen. 

Nowadays no Game Event is complete without some form of Virtual Reality. Sony had their Playstation VR to check out. Over at the HTC Vive booth you could experience their virtual reality world.

Whenever I have to chance to watch pro-gamers battle it out take advantage of it. I just love watching an e-sports match between titans. Especially when you can sit down eat your bought food and watch an epic match.

On Saturday evening you could go to the Zelda Live Music Concert. You had to buy a seperate ticker for that. Unfortunately I arrived on Sunday. I would have loved to have attend that concert. How cool is it to hear the musical score of Zelda played by a lived orchestra, a game that has touched many children and adults’ hearts.

My impression of the Insomnia Gaming Festival: It’s not as massive as Gamescom, where there’s a sensory overload, and you mind gets blown away by all the cool new stuff. But, that’s not what Insomnia Gaming Festival is. No, it’s not a mindblowing experience, but a cool comfortable chill game event that I would visit again. 

Joëla.