Katowice, Poland for IEM

I went on a quick trip to Katowice, Poland this past weekend*. Few outside of my Twitter know that I'm quite involved in gaming, playing and streaming nearly every day. Many of my recent trips included gaming events, though I haven't written about them due to their lackluster locations and few tourist friendly activities available.

*This. Past. Weekend.
It feels so good to be on time for my blog once again.

I went to Poland for the gaming event Intel Extreme Masters, or IEM for short, held every year at the Spodek Arena.

Katowice is a modern city in Poland that boasts the lowest unemployment rate in the country, thanks to its coal/steel mines and the Spodek which hosts many important international events. The city center is bright and bustling with plenty of young inhabitants. Restaurants open late, hotels are accommodating, and night is full of energy with notoriously cheap drinks. There's even a casino in one of the hotels! Lots of visitors rave about the low prices in Poland, but often note that it's old and gray - Katowice seems to defy that perception.

This year I stayed at the centrally located Monopol Hotel, arguably one of the more expensive hotels in town. It's a beautiful hotel with spacious rooms and a gorgeous restaurant. Look at that high glass ceiling!

The service was impeccable as well, even when I came in about 30 minutes after closing. The kitchen stayed open just for me, for which I will remain forever grateful. They saved my hungover self during a 3pm breakfast as well, leaving the kitchen open for a much needed soup & coffee even when I was the only customer there. Thank. You.

Enough about the city and the hotel, how about the event?

Of all the big gaming events I went to, the Polish seem to be one of the most passionate around. Lots of cheering, line out the door, and positive community make this event one of the most enjoyable gaming competition that I've been to. There's a huge stage where top competitions in some of the biggest games like CSGO, League of Legends, and Starcraft take place. And a building that is attached to the stage holds some of the smaller stages as well as a hall for vendors and activities for visitors.

The big stage is where the finals are at, and I sat down to watch the Starcraft finals and the beginning of the CS:GO finals along with 11,000 others.

The stage was jaw dropping. It takes a lot of effort to put an event together to draw the gamers, famously known to never leave their computer screens, out into the real world. Even if you don't understand games, the atmosphere alone is enough to inspire you to try a game.

From the final GG moments to a special appearance by Hardwell, the event organizers' hard work to leave you mesmerized paid off. I can't exactly put it into words, so I'll leave a couple videos to capture the moment.

Always end on a good note