It's actually a really nice gift to the players in this community. It created a big prize for the community to buy skins for (Which they have) and also for the players to enjoy and give them a reason to fight hard and give us good games.
Anyone who didn't like the idea didn't need to participate
Well this particular "gift" tured out to be a not such a great thing for noggano. I bet that some other participants would not have been able or at least would have been facing someserious troubles travelling to canada as well.
As much as I like relics efford to organize this tournement, I think its safe to say that this particuar "price" was not so well thought through.
I like to watch the top players of this game compete and I realy dont care if they have a passport, a job, are underaged, have fear of flying, dont enjoy spending 50+ hours in planes or on airports etc.
As things turned out so far it would have been the best choice for noggano to loose his match vs vonivan intentionatly to get a chance to play for money - now that is simply a horrible design of a tournement.
Again, who benefits from having the players in person in vancouver to play their game? I can emagine that the trip, despite the efford that comes with it might turn out to be some kind of adventure for a young gamer but still... relic could have given the tip as a price to the winner after the final series.
As a spectator do i get anything out of the fact that the players are physically in the same spot? - i doubt it - there might be some sort of show and interviews that might be nice but is that stuff more important than simply having the best players compete - rested and playing with the equipment and settings they are used to?
What does relic get from having the players doing the games in their HQ? I would guess good PR - but how is hosting this kind of tournement with advancing the number3 player to the finals good PR?
anyhow - apart from nogganogate I really enyoed the tournemnt so far. It had some truely great gameplay and superb casting. I hope that relic learns from this mistake.