The Donut Guy Blog

I spent the past week at Gen Con in Indianapolis, my fourth time at the convention. This is my first trip to mix a bit of business with family as I brought my two children along for the ride. This was their first convention ever, and I thought if we were gonna go anywhere with it, why not go to the largest one possible. Sorry kids, it’s all downhill from here.

This year there was a sellout of tickets rather early. You could feel it the most on the Thursday with how busy it was. A colleague mentioned that it seems like hard-core board game and role-playing game people are the Thursday and Friday crowd. A large number of games sold out relatively quickly on Thursday so I can see where they are coming from. I missed some chances for a few things that were on my list, but to me that’s just part of what happens at the convention. Sometimes you get the Lorcana and sometimes you don’t.

I found the atmosphere this year very friendly, especially with bringing my kids to the convention. Everyone was super friendly, and I found them getting to see and feel this side of who they are in a safer space. While my son professes is very broadly to be a game head, it is not the same for my daughter. She has a lot more social hierarchy concerns in her life. In this space though , there is a level playing field with everyone looking at games and geeky fandom all together and feeling excited. The look in her eyes when her friends wanna play Taco Cat Goat Cheese Pizza was the same as the one on her face through our walk in the expo hall.

I tend to over schedule when it comes to convention, and this time was no different. We had to cancel and return some tickets based on what we saw happening in real time, as well as biting off a bit more than we could chew. Highlights include performing at the Disney Cosplay Cabaret, my first Gen Con opening ceremonies, and watching other creators play Change My Mind. As much as a convention is about games it’s also very much about the experience and people. I ran my own panel for the first time on scouting game design and though attendance was small it connected many different folks from scouting across the country. I learned that there is a Scout-Con in the Midwest for scouts working in games that I wholeheartedly want to mimic for scouts in New York.

I have many publishers to thank for sending me home with review copies of a lot of different games. Hillary’s Toy Box was amazing all week, including me in what they were looking to do at the convention for giving away games and certificates. I had a great meeting with Floodgate Games and had a chance to check out a few different titles including Kites and Squirreled Away. Rabble showed me some of their upcoming titles, and we had a great time catching up with the team from Charming Games on the adorable small box games they have designed. We met up with many other folks along the way and I’m very excited to cover some of their work.

The only feedback I give the convention runners is that we are losing some of the variety that makes Gen Con special. Anime events seemed to be removed this year to the ire of some. Popular food trucks were not picked up this year though there is space for more of them out in the area. I know my events when it comes to weddings have still been put on hold. It’s important to not lose some of the unique charm that these things can bring while streamlining. Gen Con is about inclusion and these things just miss the mark a bit.

I was able to take a moment and meet the new chairperson  for the convention Brian Lewis while walking the convention. I thanked him for stepping in to be a leader and let him know I appreciated what they were doing. Though I may not agree with everything Gen Con is doing, I think they are filled with good people trying to do good things for all gaming. That is the vibe I took away from the convention and why I will be back next year to keep building it up.