The Cosplay and Animé Café: arkadymac.com

Gaming and cosplay excitement all in one great event at the Wargods Gaming Expo 1.5 last July 12,2015 .  Set in the fresh and unique venue of Playland, Fisher Mall in Quezon City, thousands of gamers, cosplayers and enthusiasts got to experience an event like no other with lots of activities, contests, attractions and performances from start to finish, all organized by Wargods Gaming Arena in cooperation with Otaku U Rule.  arkadymac.com is an official media partner for Wargods Gaming Expo 1.5, so we are glad to bring you the highlights of this exciting event.

Conceptualized and prepared for months before being announced early June, Wargods Gaming Expo 1.5 finally happened last weekend amidst much anticipation from the gaming and cosplay community as they were promised a unique event that they would truly enjoy.  Wargods Gaming Arena has always been receptive and appreciative of the enthusiastic and dynamic community of that has grown around it, which was why they have been tireless in getting feedback and suggestions from the community on what they wanted to have and experience at an event, and  Wargods Gaming Expo 1.5 was the culmination of that.

Playland Fisher Mall in Quezon City was chosen as the venue for Wargods Gaming Expo 1.5, with good reason.  Playland is a huge family entertainment center with an area of 2,000 square meters, one of the biggest indoor arcades in the country which caters to a wide range of age groups who want to play and have fun. With three levels housing an amazing assortment of games and rides, it was a perfect location for an innovative new event.

Attendees flocked to the 4th floor of Fisher Mall in Quezon City as soon as the mall opened early Sunday morning, all excited to be the first ones to experience the event, with many already having bought their tickets beforehand.  The tickets were of various values, all allowing them to not only entrance to the event, but also entitled them to lots of freebies and codes and bundles.

Not only that, ticket holders also received Playland load which they could use to play the many games offered at the amusement center.  Attendees got to play the arcade games as well as partake in Playland’s amazing karaoke rooms found at the first two levels of the place.  Game tournaments were held all throughout the day as well.

Various booths by exhibitors could be found throughout the venue, offering merchandise and promos and freebies to eager attendees.

At the third level, the  roof deck, attendees found the event area with the stage where the program was held.  It was quite spacious as it functions as a full indoor basketball court, with room for other attractions like billiard tables, dart boards and a shooting range.

On the far side were the cosplayer changing areas with mirrors and lockers so as to make sure the cosplayers’ safety and convenience were kept in mind.  They were spacious and convenient and were welcomed by the many cosplayers who came to compete later on or just have fun at the event.

The program started early afternoon with hostsGameX Ambassadress Een Mercado, cosplayer Louise Betita, and Hirro Mac handling the stage, keeping the audience excited and riled up for the many activities lined up for the event.

First up was the Team M.A.R.C.H. Cosplay Workshop where attendees got to learn from the best of the best in the industry, with guest speaker Mr. Lyron Aquino enlightening the audience on crafting as well as entertaining questions from them.

Particularly appreciated by the audience was the gaming celebrity meet and greet featuring Wargods brand ambassadresses Mina Kim, Allyssa and Jhanelle, joined by Lara on stage.  They had a few games with some members of the audience.  After a while they generously gave away lots of Wargods freebies and merchandise to lucky attendees.

Throughout the program, various games kept the audience excited and on their feet, with nice prizes in store for lucky participants.

There was the hotdog eating contest where participants had to gobble down three hotdog sandwiches to win.

There was the Gamers Got Talent portion where eager gamers amongst the audience got to showcase the skills and talents they had.

It was followed by a really crazy dance contest where participants showed their best dance moves on stage, with the winner decided by the crowd.

Then came the highlight of the event, Cosplay Showdown, where over 50 great cosplayers got to compete for big cash prizes and cool giveaways from Wargods and the sponsors.  Judging the competition were the Creative Director of arkadymac.com, Xtian Mack, Wargods’ Brand Ambassadress Mina Kim, and outstanding cosplayer and crafter Lyron Aquino.  They had the tough task of determining the winners for the different categories: Best Male, Best Female, Best Chibi, and Best Group.

Cosplayers walked down the center aisle on red carpet, then got to put on great performances to an appreciative crowd in their colorful, creative and amazing costumes.

Choosing the best among the different categories was a difficult task considering the outpouring of talent from the participants.  In the end, however, some truly exceptional cosplayers stood out. Best Chibi: Izaiah as Gundam Heavyarms, Best Male: Miko as Razor the Lighting Revenant , Best Female: Snow as White Walker from Game of Thrones, Best Group: Dragon Ball Z Warriors.  Runners up included RB Cheng as King Gojulas and Nicki as Korra.

In a twist, all the winners and runners up underwent another round to determine the Best Overall Champion.  They got to choose the judge who they would like to ask them a question about their character.  In the end, a very surprised Korra was unanimously chosen by the panel of judges as Best Overall Champion for her excellent and convincing characterization.

With the cosplay competition over, it was time for the great Wargods sponsored teams to make their appearance.

It was already evening when the program ended: most didn’t notice that time had flown by as they were still having fun with the attractions or were still busy playing games.  With the great attendance that day and with the overwhelming positive feedback from the attendees, Wargods Gaming Expo 1.5 is a big success.  Congratulations to the organizers for pulling it off: Wargods for making it happen, and Otaku Urule for helping organize Cosplay Showdown.  Future events are already in the works, so do keep posted.

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