The Vision.

The attendees lined out the door and around the building are cold, but excited. A few are bearing their trusty controllers still in hand as they wait to sign up for the tournament, either in comfort to steady their nerves or similar to a warrior's affection for his (or her) blade just before a battle.

The massive conference room looked much larger before the regular attendees showed up. The crowd is buzzing already. Not many people knew just what to expect here, but they are immediately glad they came. "Is it a convention," they wondered, "or is this just a Halo tournament?" The phrase "celebration of the gaming culture" can be heard hear and ther, peppered among the dialogue between one another. No one really knows what it means, but the idea is an interesting one.

Especially if its free to spectate.

Of course, to play in any tournament there's nearly always an entry fee... but what about these other companies here? There are tables and displays set up all around with products to sell and prizes to give away. There is even a schedule on the main projector display on the furthest wall, right above the main stage. On it are the times and names of the organizations presenting special demonstrations for spectators throughout the day. You're telling me there will be more to do than just stand around and watch? Perhaps this is what they meant by "a Major Interactive Entertainment event".

Suddenly the lights in the venue start to dim.

An ambient chorus fills the room. A sort of brass-techno sound that somehow suspends the curious nature of the event. A man's voice can be heard...

"Somewhere out there, in the vast emptyness of space..."

Its a song. 'Slam' by Pendulum they realize. The odd dialogue about rocking the planet through reaches a crescendo with the background music building up. At its peak, the techno-brass drops right into a deep urban bass that thumps within each chest cavity in the room.

"Ladies and Gentlemen. Welcome to Noize."

The crowd goes wild.

On January 30th, 2010... get ready to bring the Noize. Check out projectplayhem.ning.com and sign up for more details and updates on what's going on and who's going to be there.