Record-Breaking Winter Game Fest Poised to Attract Thousands of Video Gamers

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This year’s Winter Game Fest is expected to have more games, attendees and prizes this year than ever before.

One of the biggest video game tournaments on the West Coast, the University of California, San Diego’s Winter Game Fest, is expected to have more games, attendees and prizes this year than ever before. The eight annual festival will take place from 1 to 9 p.m. on Jan. 18 and from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m., Jan. 19-20 in the Price Center Ballrooms East and West. The event is free and open to the public.

Last year’s Winter Game Fest was extended from two days to three for the first time and had a record 3,000 attendees.  This year, the festival is expected to have even more participants and will again take place over the course of three days.

The highly-anticipated tradition has continued to grow since it began at UC San Diego’s Sixth College in 2006 with 50 attendees.

The tournament, entirely organized by students on the Sixth College Tech Committee, attracts community members from all over Southern California, according to Tansen Zhu, director of the Sixth College Tech Committee.

“We’re proud to host Winter Game Fest again this year for all UC San Diego students and the greater Southern California community,” Zhu said. “Everyone is encouraged to come and check out the fest, gamers and non-gamers alike.”

The 2013 Winter Game Fest will feature tournaments for popular games such as League of Legends, StarCraft II, Street Fighter 4, Ultimate Marvel vs. Capcom 3 and Halo 4.

According to Elaine Scott, Sixth College student life officer, Winter Game Fest brings a community which usually interacts over the internet into one physical space. “It allows people to meet their virtual opponents in person,” Scott said.

She added, “Every year, Winter Game Fest offers the latest and greatest games and consoles available. And one thing is for sure: everyone in attendance shares a love of the storytelling, art and thrill of video games.”

All attendees will have the opportunity to participate in the free play area which will feature games such as Little Big Planet, Guitar Hero and Star Wars: Legos. In addition, they can enter to win raffle prizes, watch games that will be broadcasted on enormous projector screens and browse the newest gaming-related equipment from event sponsors that include Cisco, Sony Online Entertainment and Blizzard Entertainment.

UC San Diego’s Sixth College is a part of the university’s unique six-college system that offers undergraduates the benefits of a small-campus neighborhood atmosphere within in a large research university.

For more information on UC San Diego’s Winter Game Fest, go to: wgf.sctechcomm.org.