EVERETT – Curtis Gibson, 30, had no interest in running a full marathon – at least not with his feet.
Gibson, of Renton, arrived at the Everett Events Center a little after noon on Saturday, determined to go as far as he could with his fingers.
Sitting in front of a computer, Gibson waited for the whistle to start playing computer games during a 24-hour gaming marathon.
“Computer marathon, I can handle,” said Gibson, a player with about 20 years of gaming experience.
The gaming marathon, which started at noon Saturday and ends at noon today, drew about 400 video geeks from California, Idaho, Montana, Washington and Canada.
The players, using their own computers networked with others, were to play several action, combat and shooting games, and compete in tournaments for prizes worth about $20,000, said Melissa Harper, an organizer. The prizes included a desktop computer, cases for computer game disks and keyboards.
The event has grown since its inception a few years ago into the second largest of its kind in the Northwest, behind one in Portland, Ore., said Cole Fornia, an audio video technician.
“There’re some people who actually camp out here,” Harper said.
Justin Woods, 20, of Everett said he was looking forward to meeting new people at the event.
“And games, what can I say?” said Woods, who is working on a double major in computer science and digital arts at Everett’s Henry Cogswell College.
Woods said he completed his homework for the week ahead of time so he could focus on the video marathon this weekend.
“I will drink energy drinks and stuff and try to stay awake,” Woods said.
Under the dimmed lights in the grand ballroom, young men dominated the crowd. However, featured in one corner were seven professional female players who belong to a team called Frag Dolls, sponsored by Ubisoft, a game manufacturer.
“We’re trying to encourage more women to come out to the event,” said Morgan Romine, 24, of San Francisco.
Tricia Finley, 22, of Mill Creek was among the female players at the marathon. Playing games gives her an escape from real life, said Finley, a senior at Western Washington University. That’s why many players use game names, she said.
“Everyone here calls me Amera,” she said.
Some people can have a hard time separating reality from computer games. Just outside the ballroom, recruiters from the U.S. Army, Navy and National Guard had set up booths.
“A lot of these kids are smart. That’s what we need,” said Sgt. Joseph Williams, an Army recruiter based in Everett.
Williams said he has met some game players who are interested in the Army, where they could trade video games for real weapons.
Back in the ballroom, Gibson, the gamer from Renton, said he enjoys the interactive and competitive elements of computer games.
“It’s just a lot of fun to be with people who share a lot of your interests,” said Gibson, a computer technician. You can shoot people in games, but that’s just a fantasy, he said.
“You have to have the right frame of mind,” Gibson said. “I can separate fantasy from real life. A lot of people can’t do that.”
Reporter Yoshiaki Nohara: 425-339-3029 or ynohara@heraldnet.com.
Talk to us
> Give us your news tips.
> Send us a letter to the editor.
> More Herald contact information.
