Meet Malu, Our Content Writer & Her DreamHack Experience

I would like to believe I have a wide range of interests; it’s important to me to be able to relate to whoever I can because those connections bring me so much joy. A lot of my life has been surrounded by music, sports, and evidently, writing. When given the chance to incorporate one of my passions into this new role as a content writer, it was hard to resist. Esports is not a topic I have complete knowledge of, but it is certainly something I have grown to love since coming to UTD in 2019. With my first article, I’d like to welcome you all into my life and share this new experience with you! I am so excited to fully enter the world of esports and spend more time with those in the community. Earlier this month I got the best crash course and went to DreamHack Dallas with some other members of our esports program. Growing up I was more of a Nintendo girl; spent hours upon hours trying to defeat Tabuu in Smash Bros and watched endless “Let’s Plays” before streaming became cool. Since childhood, games have brought my friends and me together for years; even now I game with the same friends I had in kindergarten. Being able to walk into the Kay Bailey Hutchinson Center and see thousands of people sharing that same bond was so exciting.

On our first day, I took the time to explore the convention and just relax and observe; I wanted to get a good look at all the booths and stages to see what I could really dig into for the rest of the weekend. I see the three main stages at the event hosting panels, the Collegiate Rocket League World Championship, Smash Bros tournaments, and more. I spent most of my time watching CRL matches as it honestly amazed me how well these students played. Teams from all over the world came to Dallas to compete for the CRL title bringing various cultures together. The energy was so cool; I definitely honed into my soccer side and started cheering with the crowd. But then, I saw the free play area and IMMEDIATELY bolted to it. I was in my element guys. Being able to take a break and just sit and game for hours was so refreshing. It was like I could go home and relax, but at DreamHack. My boyfriend and I played Smash Bros for a while (of course) and then spent so long trying to figure out how to play Nickelodeon All-Star Brawl. He then attempted to teach me how to play Rocket League and I failed miserably; I think I will leave it up to the professionals. I ended my first day watching a CS:GO match for the first time and I fell in love with the game instantly. Whenever it doesn’t take me too long to learn the ins and outs of a game, there is a good chance I’ll enjoy it. Sitting in the arena surrounded by passionate and extremely expressive fans made the experience so much more memorable. The FURIA fans waved their flags and took every opportunity to lead their chants, causing the entire stadium to erupt in cheers. I quickly joined the bandwagon; you’d think I’d been a FURIA fan for years.

The next day I was joined by the head of our Esports department, Eric Aaberg, as he introduced me to many of the other members. He was a wonderful tour guide which allowed me to branch out even further into the community. We got up bright and early to catch the FURIA vs ENCE  CS:GO match and unfortunately the Brazilian team that I so passionately follow (since the day before) lost in two games. We then went back out into the main hall to catch up with our friends at other booths and panels. I was a bit nervous to meet all these new people, but everyone welcomed me with open arms. At a place like this, you never know who you might meet. Introduction after introduction caused me to perfect my elevator pitch for anyone who might ask what my role is, what other writing I’ve done in the past, and how I got into the esports community. I became more comfortable as a few of us stayed in the creator hub and started working on our separate tasks. As I went through my notes brainstorming what article ideas would be best for my first appearance, Eric was next to me editing photos or working on Tik Toks, then we had Luca, our creator and media cord, preparing for his gameshow that day! Being surrounded by these wonderful creators made me even more excited to step into this role. We ended the day with Luca’s game show, which was SUCH an amazing event that I will go into more detail in my next article focused on UTD’s endeavors at DreamHack! I am so grateful for not only this new role but to be able to start it at one of the largest gaming conventions in the world. I’m not sure what will come next, but I am definitely ready for it.