We’ve been heading to IEM every year since it first landed in Sydney. If you don’t know what it is, don’t feel left out because this year is a great time to go.
What is IEM?
Intel Extreme Masters is one of the most amazing esports event series you’ll ever see.
It first came to Sydney in 2017 as a 2-day event held at Qudos Bank Arena in Sydney Olympic Park. It came back for a second year in 2018 as a 3-day event, still hosted at Qudos Bank Arena.
This year, it’s back for another 3-day spectacle again at Qudos Bank Arena.
But I don’t like esports or CS:GO
First, if you’ve never been to an esports event before and you’re a local, this is probably one of those big ones you have to see for yourself at least once. The atmosphere of the arena, the entertaining personalities of the teams and their players and the general vibe is something you should experience whether you like games or even esports.
Second, I’ll be honest. I try to like Counter-Strike but like with most FPS I’m just horrible at it. Being bad at FPS isn’t the best way to enjoy it. On the other hand, while not being a big FPS person, there’s something awe-inspiring about seeing professionals play FPS. The skill required is mind-boggling and the team strategy/synergy is something you’ll understand even if you don’t play CS.
Third, if anything, you gotta come support “tha boyz” (and “tha girlz”). The IEM stage is a great stage to support local ANZ teams. Yes, go for your favourite international team but definitely get in the arena to show the ANZ guys that we’ve got their backs in person and in spirit.
Alright, alright. Tickets then?
You can grab your tickets from the official page here.
Don’t be put off by the first 3 prices you see because they’re the premium passes (they’re mostly sold out anyway). Scroll down the page and look for the General Admission (GA) passes.
If you haven’t been before and don’t want to go for the full 3 days, I strongly recommend you grab yourself a ticket for the Grand Finals on Sunday. The electric energy and vibe of Sundays is enough to get the sleepiest of us hyped.
Where do I learn more about the event?
Well, we’re going to be doing our own coverage here on gotogame.temp927.kinsta.cloud. So keep an eye out for the IEM Sydney tag here.
Otherwise, check out the official website. For your convenience here are some top-level pages to head straight to:
See you there!
If you’re heading over, hit us up on Twitter and let us know how HYYYYYYPEDDDD you are!