Diary of a “Free to Play” visitor

The premiere was held at the Castro Theatre in San Francisco. With a long line forming outside the venue well before the doors were open, you could feel the excitement and the sense of community from the people in line. I was able to make small talk with a couple of people in line. It surprised me that there were people from all over the world, with some coming as far from Mongolia or Australia! Because everyone shared a common interest, I could see that everyone got along very easily. (If only matchmaking was like this!)

As the doors opened and people were let inside, I could feel the electricity in the air. Inside the theatre was beautiful, with artiful decorations around the sides, a balcony area, and a mezzanine for the VIP guests. I was fortunate enough to access the VIP area; it was filled with excited members from the press, players, managers, and Valve employees. Popcorn was generously given for free for all attendies, as well as a loot bag of Free to Play swag which included a decal sticker, a pin, and a code to redeem the Free to Play collector's pack on Steam. The 1400 capacity venue quickly filled up and everybody looked to take their seats.

Early on in the night, a couple of fans spotted Clinton "Fear" Loomis and Danylo "Dendi" Ishutin in the theatre; from that point on, whenever there wasn't an event on stage, there was a huge line of people waiting for a chance to meet the star dota players. Other Dota personalities were spotted in the venue, such as James "2GD" Harding, Aaron "Ayesee" Chambers and Saahil "UNiVeRsE" Arora.

As 2GD took the stage and gave a formidable introduction, the audience quickly went back to their seats and the movie started. The theatre gave full attention to the movie that they have ever so patiently waited to watch every since the announcement.

After the movie, 2GD took the stage again to lead a Q and A session for the two players and the people behind the movie. There were some deep, interesting questions (How was the filming process like?) as well as humourous ones (Do you guys ever rage quit?). Even when the audience threw some awkward questions at the panel (One guy gave a 5 minute confession on his love for Dendi...), they were able to handle it quite well. You could feel that both the audience and the people on stage enjoyed the event.

The event continued after the Q and A session ended, with players, Valve employees and people behind the film scattered around the theatre talking to the attendees. I myself was able to talk to most of the people there; congratulating Fear on their recent win at the Monster Invitational, asking Dendi why Na'Vi wasn't playing in our own joinDOTA League (He said he had no control!), and thanking Erik Johnson and his staff for all their work on the game.

After more than an hour of sticking around in the theatre, it was time to call it a night. Most of the people involved with the movie left for an afterparty in their long stretch limos (I sadly was not invited..). But the night was hardly over for the Dota fans. Many people went to bars to grab a drink with their newly acquainted friends; I myself went over to a diner to grab a late dinner with a couple of people I met at the event. The night extended into long hours as we talked about our favorite heroes, professional players, and of course, how high (Or low) or MMRs were.

All in all, it was an unforgettable experience: meeting fellow Dota fans from around the world, seeing the players in person, and watching the movie that hopefully revolutionizes eSports.