BN'K ON TOUR: THE REVIEWS

All Photography: Larry J. Photography I've been a fan of fighting games since I was a small kid watching my uncle play Soul Calibur II on the PlayStation 2. The ability to go head-to-head with a sibling, a cousin, a classmate, or a coworker in a battle of wits, creativity, and, of course, elite knowledge in combo inputs has always been fun and exciting for me. When I got a bit older and started going to conventions, one of my favorite places to spend hours was in the game room filled with well-cared-for consoles of gaming enthusiasts who were kind enough to lend their precious childhood consoles to us attendees for a few days. Little did I know that there were whole communities dedicated to creating space exclusively for gaming and, more specifically, for fighting games called the FGC (Fighting Game Community). After discovering this fact, I became entrenched in FGC digital spaces, listening to podcasts such as the Triple K.O. Podcast , joining local groups like Retro Revival , and...

E-sports have always been popular in the nerd space, but in Central Florida, we have access to some of the best e-sports hubs around. From CEO Gaming and CEOtaku, hosted annually, as well as other smaller gaming groups and gatherings, this area is perfect for members of the fighting game community (FGC) and other esports participants. So it was no surprise when a new esports event called Central Florida Face-Off (CFFO) was announced that folks in the area were stoked to attend.  Central Florida Face-Off was a one-day event hosted at the Avanti Palms Resort in Orlando, Florida, in the popular tourist area, International Drive. According to the creative team behind the event, CFFO is  “A daring experiment in combining the communities of fighting games and trading card games, showing off the power of competition to bring people together” .   The hotel was rather spacious with plenty of space for gamers and other nerdy enthusiast to enjoy their time at the event. The event h...