In the heart of SwedensStockholmsmassan, a sea of hands raises high amid the fog and laser light.
Thousands of people are gathered tightly facing a stage, with stragglers running to claim their spot.
The DJs beat swells hypnotically as the dancers ready their marks.
The opening ceremony of DreamHack Stockholm 2024Photo by Freja-Borne
It feels like something out of the Olympics, if the games took place in an underground Scandinavian rave.
This isDreamHack Stockholm, and its just the beginning.
Heres what it was like to attend the first ever DreamHack Stockholm.
For the uninitiated, the first DreamHack experience can be tough to describe.
Often, festivals, specifically anything gaming-related, can be about sheer spectacle and noise.
Although filled with people, the atrium of the Stockholmsmassan remains an ever-serene space.
Berg is a Swedish player and current co-owner and CEO of Alliance, an iconic esports organization.
I see a lot of value in that, honestly, Berg says.
Especially in Sweden, were small groups of people and were not super outgoing in the public space.
I think this is just such a good opportunity for people to come to be with their peers.
Thats what DreamHack has done.
But collectively, the mission of inclusivity and acceptance is what draws him in.
It has a very rich history.
Nowadays, its not so scary anymore to say that youre a gamer.
For the roughly 2,500 guests in the BYOC hall alone, the sentiment rings true.
Inside is the main event, or rather,events.
Like a school of fish, everyone seems to simply be swept along by instinct between points of interest.
The design philosophy of DreamHack Stockholm is one that encourages exploration, but also engagement.
Content creators, too, play a huge role in the interactive nature of DreamHack.
But it doesnt need to be as singular as merely running their day-to-day livestream from the festival.
Tyler1 is one such streamer, and a headliner for the festivals weekend programming.
To him, DreamHack offers opportunities usually reserved for more traditional types of fandoms.
We want them to engage with their fans, fans to engage with them.
Everyone to engage with each other truly build a community that you get in any other festival.
For Zarrabi, the soul of DreamHack hasnt changed despite its exponential growth over the years.
If anything, its grassroots origins are more important than ever as a north star for the company.
From the start, from 1994, its been about friends coming together, he says.
We ask people after the event [why] they come to the festival.
But what makes each of these events stand apart?
If youve been to one, have you seen them all?
Take DreamHack Dallas, a festival thatRolling Stonehad the opportunity to explore earlier this year.
In Dallas, there was an almost overwhelming amount to see and do, in the best possible way.
Theres an air of elegance that pervades DreamHack Stockholm that becomes increasingly apparent the deeper you look.
That appreciation isnt lost on anyone, not even the busiest of DreamHacks guests.
Theres the competitive side that we engage in, which is so much fun, he says.
We want to play games together.
DreamHack started out like that; no one got paid to do the first 20 DreamHacks, right?
I think that culture has stayed with us, and its even exported with us when we go abroad.
For just one weekend, DreamHack Stockholm 2024 manages to pull off a lot of firsts.
Its those moments that make DreamHack so special for its fans.
Now, he shares them with his daughter theyve been camped out all weekend.
For them, its quality time, a bonding experience passed down from one generation to the next.
