When I first started gaming, I was a console gamer – I played on the Super Nintendo Entertainment System (SNES) and Game Boy Color. But after those two consoles, I found more interest in computer gaming, and hadn’t really touched console gaming since getting interested in games like RuneScape and StarCraft during my middle and high school years.

I think that makes it needless to say that I didn’t really play mobile or tablet games either when they started coming out. Hearthstone is obviously available on mobile devices, but I still play on the computer; Tempo Storm has a Vainglory team, but I never really got into it because I prefer games like League of Legends and Heroes of the Storm, which can be played with a mouse and keyboard.

To attend a mobile gaming tournament and see how big it’s become was an interesting experience. Yesterday, I attended the Vainglory8 2017 Summer Unified Live Championship at the Globe Theater in Los Angeles, California.

I stopped by the tournament because I’m local to Los Angeles now – I live near Tempo Storm’s team houses, which meant it was about a 50-mile drive to get to the venue.

Tempo Storm ended up not having a great showing – the team got eliminated in the first round against Nova eSports. But, the experience itself was pretty interesting. As you can probably tell from the final photo, I managed to snag front-row seats. The live audience viewership of the event was nowhere near what I’m used to for other esports, but it wasn’t completely empty either, which convinces me that maybe mobile gaming tournaments will actually become a bigger thing soon.