Audio By Carbonatix
Taunts or testosterone were in abundance inside the Phoenix Convention Center this past weekend.
Joystick jedi from throughout Arizona descended upon the downtown destination en masse to wage pixilated warfare during Devastation, the annual gaming competition and expo.
Fueled by both adrenaline and energy drinks, gamers battled for supremacy (and cash prizes) on such titles at Call of Duty: Black Ops, Marvel vs. Capcom 3, and Madden NFL 2012 all weekend long, working their magic on custom controllers and blowing away the competition.
Video game culture was celebrated in grand fashion during the event (which, in many ways, is like the Valley’s version of the Penny Arcade Expo) whether it was cosplayers dressing as such characters at Link from The Legend of Zelda or Balrog from Street Fighter II, vendors selling gaming-related artwork, or playing classic arcade titles like Donkey Kong or Ms. Pacman.
And although the crowd at Devastation 2011 was predominantly male, there were plenty of girl gamers in the house, both blasting their way to victory and participating in the cosplay activities.
When news happens, Phoenix New Times is there —
Your support strengthens our coverage.
We’re aiming to raise $30,000 by December 31, so we can continue covering what matters most to you. If New Times matters to you, please take action and contribute today, so when news happens, our reporters can be there.
Jackalope Ranch paid a visit to Devastation and grabbed plenty of photos of all the gaming action, as well as the costumed attendees. Check out some of our pictures from the event, as well a slideshow of some of the girl gamers and costumed chicks who attended.
