Gaming's Glastonbury arrives in Birmingham

What do the Swedish city of Jönköping, Atlanta in the US and Birmingham all have in common?

They have all now hosted DreamHack - one of the biggest e-sports festivals in the world and described by promoters as the "Glastonbury of gaming".

The National Exhibition Centre is hosting the first ever UK edition this weekend, with 50,000 people expected through the doors.

If, like me, you are not much of a gamer and think it is all teenagers in headsets, basement dwellers and button-bashing, I am here to tell you why this all matters.

The global gaming sector is estimated to be worth more than £110bn, and as early as 2019, its value was more than that of the film and music industries combined.

And, Britain is one of the biggest contributors to video games revenue in the world.

Far from a niche hobby, it is a cultural and economic force - and that's not hard to see when you walk into the NEC's Hall One, to be greeted by an assault on all your senses.

The slogan "Play louder together" is plastered across the walls. And the wording is apt. I can barely hear myself think.

Dance music blasts across the exhibition hall, as an army of GoPro-holding content creators wander around in cosplay. It is perhaps not the type of place you would expect to spend your first wedding anniversary.

But Robbie and Michelle White can't think of any other place they would rather be.

The couple, both 29 and from London, are huge fans of Call of Duty, the blockbuster shooter franchise that has taken over an entire hall with major tournaments this weekend.

"During the pandemic, [when] we were separated, I bought her an Xbox to keep us connected," said Network Rail worker Robbie.

"We started playing every day pretty much. It turned into something that we did just to talk and then a hobby that we love."

Marketing worker Michelle added gaming had strengthened their relationship.

"It's communication as well," she explained. "It helps us be able to talk to each other."

Piers Boatman-Smith, 21, also from London, and Ross Conroy, 25, from Manchester, are also huge Call of Duty fans.

They are dressed as their favourite characters, with Conroy carrying an enormous replica shotgun, while his helmet was dumped on the floor nearby.

"With having so much gear it is kind of more difficult to get to and from places," he said, joking that his outfit was "very heavy".

But security, he told me, had taken it in their stride.

"They sort of know what to expect and we know what's going to happen," he said. "It's like a conversation starter almost."

On the other side of the NEC, Jax Romero, 38, from Texas, is catching up with friend Connor Burkett, 31, from Buckinghamshire. The pair met online about 10 years ago and now meet at conventions across the world.

They estimate they have spent about £20,000 each doing so.

"It's definitely a real friendship," said Romero.

"You bond over video games, it's the same thing as meeting someone in real life at the pub or anything like that."

Asked whether people might struggle to understand the amount they spend, Burkett responded: "It's the same as [asking] 'Why do people go on holiday?'. because we make it into our own little holiday."

Throughout the weekend there will be competitive gaming, cosplay, live entertainment and appearances from celebrities including the Sidemen and I'm a Celebrity winner Angry Ginge.

Among the cosplayers are content creators Just Kamara, 32, and Tilly Super Dog, 21, both from London, who had dressed as Fortnite characters.

They tell me gaming has become more inclusive over the years but there was still some work to do.

"Like certain communities are still a bit questionable about it, but it's definitely got better," said Kamara.

Students from universities and colleges across the country, including Birmingham, Coventry and Herefordshire, are also among those attending.

DreamHack's head of festivals Shahin Zarrabi, says the aim is to bring the virtual world "back to the physical space for a while".

"Younger generations especially but people as a whole are feeling more lonely," he says.

"As they get more connected, counter-intuitively, they feel more lonely.

"For me, it's important to build these types of experiences to bring them out [and] make them feel like they belong somewhere."

As I wander past a "free play" section with a huge bank of computers, my perception shifts and I realise just how big a deal this all is.

From recognisable multinational firms, like Samsung and Logitech, to Birmingham-based (but admittedly huge) games studio Facepunch, it soon becomes apparent this is a world away from the solitary bedroom gamer stereotype.

It is an enormous community and this weekend Birmingham is at its heart.

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