Devastation 2009 kicked off Friday with a line of gamers forming as early as 7 a.m. for registration - that is dedication, people. The line for badge pick-up stretched well into the lobby for most of the morning, with the action picking up on the floor with the matches for Tekken 6: Bloodline Rebellion, Street Fighter III: Third Strike, and the Bookmans-sponsored Marvel vs. Capcom 2.

If you're uninitiated in video game tournaments (like moi), the endless line of HD screens sitting next to analog TVs, the laptops, and the neat rows of chairs arranged 2-3 people deep might seem like barely organized chaos. But with $10,000 in the overall prize pot, you can be sure that there is a method to the seeming madness. Devastation has drawn big name gamers from all over the country (Justin Wong swung by the Bookmans booth - way rad) and it was obvious from the get-go that for all the flash and good-natured trash-talking, when it comes to play attendees are all business.

You can check out more photos of Devastation in our Flickr. Bookmans will be at the tournament all weekend, so make sure to stop by for a chance at some cool freebies (everyone loves the Bookmans prize wheel!) and enter to win an original Nintendo Power Set! And you can watch a live stream of the action over at Devastation's site, along with tourney info and updates.