'It's our secret hideout': Regina theatre hosts Lego League video gamers
The action on the big screen at theatres across Canada this Saturday afternoon wasn't the latest Hollywood blockbuster.
Instead, scenes like the one at the Normanview Cineplex theatre in Regina played out.
There, a dozen kids sat in front of the main stage, glued to their PlayStation 4 consoles, while the screen behind them showed them capturing flags and completing their mission in the video game Lego Dimensions.
Cineplex theatres across the country are introducing Lego Leagues for audiences of all ages, explained Andrew Ruffell, a manager at the Normanview location, where gamers can try their skills out against each other — and see the game on the big screen.
"You come out to one of these events, you get to meet people that are in the same city as you, with the same interests as you, and you can form friendships just by coming out," said Ruffell.
Last year, the Normanview Cineplex ran Lego League events on a monthly basis. On Saturday, the event was free of charge, as a promotion for the video-gaming league.
Ruffell said he's hoping to see more people come out, with video gaming offering an alternative to sports like hockey and soccer.
Gaming of Olympic proportions
He noted near sellout crowds have packed into venues like Madison Square Gardens and the Beijing National Stadium to watch gamers play, with crowds in the tens of thousands.
Spectator gaming, or e-sports, has become so big, in fact, that the International Olympics Committee is considering adding e-sports to the Olympics.
"I am a regular e-sports watcher. There are times when I'm running on Korea time because I'm watching the tournaments over there," Ruffell said. "It's huge."
Austin Fife and Elliot Berge are nine-year-old best friends who came out to the Normanview theatre on Saturday to compete. Both said they enjoy meeting new people and seeing their game played out on the big screen.
But while Ruffell wants to spread the word about the group gaming, Fife says he'd prefer to keep the awesomeness of the Lego Leagues on the down-low.
"It's our secret," said. "It's our secret hideout and it's really big."
