Let the games begin

The sun sets over the Hollywood Walk of Fame as the design geeks begin lining up outside the Music Box theater in LA for the Cut&Paste Digital Design Tournament, and their own small, but intoxicating, taste of stardom.

Inspired by breakdancing and DJ face-offs and taking advantage of advanced work station and projection technologies, the worldwide competition turns the normally invisible process of digital design into performance art and a spectator sport. At the same time, it gives designers and design junkies an excuse to escape their studios and do a little schmoozing, socializing, and--simply put--partying.

The tournament hits Berlin Saturday night--after a stop in London, and last month's events in New York, San Francisco, and LA--and then moves on to Latin America and Asia. The grand finale happens in New York in February, as the local winners worldwide come together for the ultimate smack-down. (The tournament can also be viewed online.)

(For a behind-the-scenes look at this year's U.S. champs in the 2D category and their winning designs, see our related gallery, "A tale of 2D designers." And you can check out our introduction here.)