How I lost the first national VR gaming tournament, but saw the future of esports

My hands are shaking. But I know that these kinds of events are driven by sugar and adrenaline, so I ignore my nervous muscle twitches and stuff a couple more Oreos into my mouth, one package of many on a table laden with pizza, sugary drinks, and various packaged sweets. Familiar foods to fuel the gods of esports. 

But in this case, there's a major difference. The gaming arena isn't a flat screen connected to a console and a traditional controller. No, today we will do battle in virtual reality. 

On May 13, I tested my VR gaming mettle against all comers in the first national VR esports tournament in the U.S., presided over by the ESL Gaming Network, Insomniac Games, Microsoft, Intel, and Asus. In 80 Microsoft stores across the country (and parts of Canada), VR gamers around the country strapped on the Oculus Rift and competed against each other in the VR game The Unspoken.  Read more...