We caught up with Snapdragon Insiders at DreamHack San Diego. Here’s what they had to say.

To say that DreamHack San Diego was a success would be the understatement of the year. The event was teeming with gamers who were eager to learn more about how Snapdragon® Elite Gaming™ transforms their mobile devices into powerful gaming rigs with desktop-level features. Attendees got the chance to demo devices like the Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra, Razer Edge WiFi, and Meta Quest Pro — and even left the event with plenty of great swag (including Snapdragon Elite Gaming jerseys with personalized gamer tags on the back). Last but certainly not least, everyone gathered to celebrate the Snapdragon Pro Series NA Challenge finals. Big congrats to @LotusGamingCOC and @STMNesports for taking home the Clash of Clans and Brawl Stars titles, respectively! 

You also might remember that we sent a few lucky Snapdragon Insiders Access Program members to San Diego to experience DreamHack firsthand. We caught up with Melissa Hague (@atomicginge on Twitter) and Vincent Ferrari (@xWPGNx on Twitter) about the event, being a member of the Snapdragon Insiders community, and their gaming history more broadly. Here’s what they had to say:

How was your DreamHack experience?

Vincent: It was amazing. San Diego has been an amazing host…Super stoked to get my hands on the latest and greatest mobile [gaming] tech, and see the tournaments, from Brawl Stars to Clash of Clans. It was really cool to get involved with all the different expos, and try out the different games and devices. Couldn’t be more excited or appreciative to come out here to DreamHack San Diego.

Melissa: DreamHack San Diego was bigger and better than anything I could have imagined. There was so much to see and do — it was just magical! There was mobile gaming, PC gaming, VR. There were tournaments, giveaways — something for anyone of any age. It was just a blast.

What was your first gaming device?

Vincent: The original Nintendo Entertainment System. I got it for Christmas, and I still wish I had it because I think they’re worth a lot of money right now.

Melissa: My very first gaming device was the Nintendo DS!

What got you interested in Snapdragon tech?

Vincent: Being interested in the latest and greatest technology. In my experience, Snapdragon has always been at the leading edge of mobile technology. With every device powered by Snapdragon I’ve ever had, I’ve never needed to be worried about the performance of the device — I could just focus on the gaming.

Melissa: I had the Google Pixel 3 XL in 2017, and I didn’t realize until only a few months ago that it was powered by Snapdragon. And it makes complete sense [because it’s amazing].

What’s your favorite device powered by Snapdragon?

Vincent: The whole REDMAGIC lineup. I have a 6 Pro and a 7 Pro, and I’m looking forward to getting an 8 Pro with that Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 processor!

Melissa, we hear you met your partner through online gaming. Can you tell us about that experience?

Melissa: I randomly saw a Facebook ad for PUBG Mobile, so I downloaded it, and it was one of the first times I was paired up with a group. She already had two people in the team, but you can have four people total, so I became that fourth person.

I didn’t have my mic on, but I could hear her talking and I was like, “Oh, I like her voice!” Then we started talking and added each other, but then she left the game for six months. And I can remember logging on every single day being like, “Did she login today? No? Dang it!”

Six months later, I got a notification that she came back online and thought, “Is this for real?” Then she added me and asked me how I’d been. I was so flustered and trying to play it off cool. “Yea, I’m great. I haven’t been logging in everyday to see if you’d join.”

So then we started talking again. I got her phone number, she got mine. We’d have hours long phone calls, and she flew me out to Utah. I spent two weeks there and knew she was something special. But I had to go back to Australia, and then COVID hit. But we’d planned before then that she would come visit me, and I’d go back to visit her. But before then, I needed to write to the Australian government to get permission to leave the country on compassionate grounds. I was like, “Please can you let me out, I want to propose to my girlfriend.”

They let me fly out, and as soon as I got off the plane she was waiting for me. I had the ring in my pocket for the entire 36 hour flight. When I landed I remember dragging my suitcase running through the airport. And I ran up to her and gave her a massive hug — and [when I proposed] it wasn’t even on one knee, it was on both. She said yes, and it was like, “Okay, cool!”

Finally, what’s your favorite thing about being part of the Snapdragon Insiders community:

Vincent: There are two things for me. First: being in the know. When new products come out, Snapdragon Insiders is really good at letting us know. It’s good to be on the forefront of everything new that’s [launching]. Second: the community of people. I’ve been able to conversate with and meet a lot of really interesting tech-focussed people, with whom I share a lot of interests.

Melissa: Everyone is so welcoming. I came across it by chance on Twitter, and I asked, “What is Snapdragon Insiders?” And someone who I didn’t know was like “Sign up here! Come join us! We’re the most enthusiastic group that talks about the latest tech, the latest mobile phones.” And I was like, “I’m into that!” So I joined, and they’re the nicest people I’ve ever met.

What’s your favorite thing about DreamHack San Diego? Join the Snapdragon Discord to discuss!