Buka, cake, and six angelic kilos. Report on the KBNiVT award ceremony

Hey everyone, my darlings!

I hope you've missed me and felt my absence at Gamer. I certainly felt it and am now rushing to fill the gaps with a brand new report. This tale is about how I went to "Buka" and what came out of it. Be patient, ladies and gentlemen..

It all started with a friend. A fan of rare items, he left the country at exactly the moment when "Igromir" was supposed to sell four cuddly bears. Learning that I was going to this event, he made me promise to get one bear and later settle up with him. The initial plan was that I would show up at the exhibition on Saturday. However, that plan fell apart spectacularly (as usual), so when I finally made it to the exhibition on Sunday, the archangels had already flown off the shelves. Such a shame. However, later the guys from Buka pleased me with the news that a few more bears would be auctioned off through their store. So I quickly made arrangements to come by and pick up the figurine while I still could. My arrival coincided with the awards ceremony for the winners of KBNiVT for July and August. And here’s what came of it.

HEROES OF CAKE AND CAMERA

Aqua gets acquainted with the beautiful. With collectibles, practically..

Thursday, around six in the evening. Misjudging the weather (it’s cold!) and arriving early (yeah, as always!), I’m doing a little dance near the entrance, waiting for people to show up. Gradually, the guests of honor arrive: first LaCTuK, then Eversleeping, later, at the actual hour X - AQuaRity and Sveta with Zhenya. Waiting for us is brightened by the presence of Vadim Zhuravlev, who stepped out for some fresh air and to slightly pollute the environment. When all the participants of the event finally arrived at the office, we finally slip inside.

The first impression of the "Buka" office as we climb the stairs behind Vadim to the 4th floor is that I’m back in school, and the Russian teacher will soon give us essay topics. Vadim is in the role of the teacher and the subject is a story about "Buka", "Igromir" and answers to random questions. However, this impression quickly fades when Vadim places his thumb on the scanner at the entrance.

- We have this pass system, - he comments as the light comes on. - When I applied and heard about the fingerprints, I thought it was a joke. But no, it’s all serious.

What a convenience. A pass that you definitely won’t forget:

- Boss, I’m late because I left my pass at home...

- What, along with your hand?!

In the meantime, Vadim leads us down the corridor straight to the conference room, where we’ll hold our meeting. By the way, the corridor is adorned with gaming posters, some of which I’d proudly hang on my wall. The office is quite quiet and empty, most employees scattered home, although some continue to show zeal at their workplace.

"And with this finger, I go to work every day!"

The first thing that catches the eye in the cozy conference room is the various prizes and awards of the company, all shapes and colors. Here you have glass Krishna plushies, certificates of appreciation, and some cast iron computers for merits in the domestic gaming industry. On the table, there’s a cake (where would we be without it?). As we carefully study the artifacts and get comfortable, Vadim and the guys flit off to the kitchen to prepare tea, coffee, and to dance a little. The room has a dual impression: on one hand, it’s all official, with awards and cozy sofas, on the other - it’s very cozy and somehow familial. As Vadim himself will later say, this family feel and coziness is a distinctive feature of their office; there have been times when, approaching the door on the 4th floor, employees start searching for their house keys.

Meanwhile, thanks to the efforts of the guys, teas appear on the table, Vadim precisely cuts the cake into 8 equally delicious pieces, and we start the meeting. The agenda, of course, includes "Igromir", the consequences of which are still felt, and the release of "Heroes", which took place on the day of our arrival. We began, as it should, with "Igromir". Vadim is having fun:

- I practically had one continuous night from Thursday to Thursday. First preparing for "Igromir", then "Igromir", then dismantling the booths, back and forth answering everything, and now you all have arrived. I can’t believe the week is already coming to an end.

- Is it tough mentally?

- Four days of madness - it's not easy, I tell you. And we also have the release of "Heroes" coming up, so the whole office is on edge. I log into cozy Vkontakte in the morning - and fifty new messages stare us down. Oh my..

- Do you think "Kryocus" is better as a venue for the exhibition?

- Definitely, although we struggled with the booth setup until late in the evening. But we figured it out quickly. In general, for dismantling, "Igromir" is a fertile place: we had all sorts of posters-stickers-pictures piled in boxes, and they flew off within half an hour at most. Someone was literally collecting them by the stack.

- The freebie vibe brings people in, what can you do. By the way, did the Michael figurines sell out quickly?

- Surprisingly, - Vadim agrees. - By Sunday morning, only one was left, and that’s just because the guy who wanted to buy it came on Saturday without money. Out of the four archangels we planned to let go through the store, I have already set aside two. One, in fact, Olga will take away.

Everyone becomes brighter with a smile..

All heads turn toward me in unison.

- What, seriously?

- Yeah, - I nod, - that’s an investment.

This, by the way, is pure truth. Some time ago, I discovered Ebay with all the ensuing results and saw such a transport of wow-collectible editions and plushies that it’s worth envying our foreign gamers. If you want to invest money but are unsure about currency, a rare edition of a hit game will yield you a decent percentage. One of my favorite examples is the [Crysis 2](/games?search=Crysis 2) Nano Edition. Sold out during pre-orders (back when it cost about 00), it has now comfortably doubled or tripled in price. I won't even get started on WoW stuff: lots of four unopened collectibles go for utterly insane amounts of money, making the purchase of Michi seem like buying bananas at the supermarket. Ironically, buyers keep appearing (for WoW, not the bananas.. ^^). Such is the story.

- By the way, we’ve started work on the second season of Miss Gamer, - says Sveta. In my opinion, this is at least interesting, as if the sixth "Heroes" were presented by some gamer-necromancer. I think it would turn out quite colorfully, and fans of the game and the undead would support me.

- I would love to, but I need to ask the management, - Vadim replies. I hope everything works out, and one of our beloved game series will make an appearance in the new season of the contest.

The entire conversation is very familial. The guys periodically crack jokes, pick at the cake, and take pictures in various exuberant angles. I even lost track of time: Vadim is 100% right, it’s very cozy at "Buka".


GIFTIZING

Vadim and the plushies. Vadim on top, plushies on the bottom.

Finally, it’s time for the awards ceremony for the blog contest. Ever, as you remember, became the main creative personality, Lastik won by random chance, and Aqua received her collectible as a gift from Viols, the best newbie of the season. To highlight their (and others’) achievements, Vadim brings six tasty boxes to the hall. Three of them are collectible editions of the sixth "Heroes", which along with game posters are handed out to the winners of the contest. The posters, by the way, are not ordinary but autographed, so they should definitely be displayed on the wall. As a souvenir, I receive the DVD version of the game, while Svetа and Zhenya also get the same boxes and a poster as mini-gifts for the office housewarming. As for the collectible, I handled it just the other day with my friend - it’s impressive, so I decided the question of whether to get it or not in favor of "to get".

After snapping some last shots with the prizes, we gradually start to gather our things. However, I still need to pick up the figurine that I came to "Buka" for. All four archangel boxes are in another part of the office, so we set off for the final tour of the evening, where a huge surprise awaits me. When I signed up to drag the box with the archangel home, I had a very faint idea of what I was agreeing to. When this box was presented to me in person, I felt a bit unwell: the packaged bear was only slightly smaller than a computer case. The only comfort - it weighs less, though that did not add to my joy. Vadim honestly used a mountain of tape to improvise a handle on the box, but hauling it was still no fun. Aqua volunteered to lighten this heavy burden, so a million thanks to him again.

By the way, the office's Mikhail is being carefully guarded by the guys, so when I got closer to it, they cheerfully reacted with, "Careful, I won't give it away, don’t touch with your hands!" However, I understand them, my face can indeed look villainous at times. Occasionally. After obtaining the box from Vadim and strolling through the office a bit, we head back. The boxes are delivered, the impressions have been made, and it only remains to return to my apartment, where the money lies. For me, however, the evening is just beginning… because gladiolus the box.


MIKHA

Archangelic face.

Getting the box home felt like a full-fledged quest. The metro was okay, the doors wide, the passages reasonable, and the crowd was manageable due to the time of day. However, when I crammed into a packed shuttle bus on the back seat, it was a whole other story. Fortunately, no one was injured, but I had to place the box on my knees due to lack of space. Picture a messy mix: knees, sneakers, a box, and bits of hair. All in all, it’s called "Kitty carries Michi home." Getting out was also quite fun, but by the moment the archangel had pressed into my knees and it was time to exit, the crowd had thinned, allowing me to slip away without causing any injuries to anyone. Then the unexpected happened, fundamentally changing the situation.

The packaging carton was a little battered at one spot, so I pulled the box out to make sure everything was okay and nothing was damaged. At that moment, I was caught by my beloved man, who, I must say, is also a collector of collectibles, badges, cards, and rarities. He hovered around the box and subtly nestled beside me.

- I just want to take a quick peek, if there’s such a chance. No, no, I’ll pack it back later! - said the trickster, gently opening the box. I sensed trouble, but it was too late.

The inspection of the box and the ceremonial sniffing of the new device ended... um... predictably: Mikha stays in the family. My beloved declared that he wouldn't give the box away and mentioned that his birthday is coming soon. I could only sigh heavily and watch the figurine with a long, lingering glance. As usual, nothing happens to us without adventures. So now Mikha resides on the shelf in our bedroom, watching over the perfume and cosmetics.

The assembly of the archangel, by the way, is a separate tale. The figurine consists of 9 parts that need to be connected in a set order. While connecting the wings or platform isn’t particularly problematic, attaching the sword is quite a challenge. Mikha has a firm grip, and attaching his weapon, which then needed the guard attached in the assembly process - that’s not for the faint-hearted. Such are the pies.

That’s it for me, thanks again to "Buka" and Vadim for the wonderful time and the chance to visit the office of the company that released my first licensed game.

Hooray! :)

P.S. I was also called KitYunchik the other day. Pur-r-r-r-r. ^\_

P.P.S. Regarding the photos. They were taken with three different cameras, which I owe a huge thanks to Ever and Sveta, as well as Zhenya, who made half of these shots. So this is how it is, with a twist and shout.