The 2014 San Diego Comic-Con has come and gone, and in its wake we’re left with a sense of longing, despair, and relief. To those of us lucky enough to attend SDCC we all know what it’s like going through the process of registering a Member ID, checking Comic-Con’s website everyday, and sitting in virtual waiting rooms for hours upon hours in the hopes of getting a ticket to paradise. But we also know the pains of being on our feet for the entire day, of carrying bags filled with free stuff we’re going to throw away after a month because we don’t remember what any of it was to begin with, of smelling other convention goers who skipped taking a shower that morning because they had to be in a panel, and of the dreaded convention flu. Yes, all of these things make the experience of Comic-Con memorable.
But of course, anybody and everybody who attends SDCC is susceptible to what I like to call the “Wrath of Con,” which is just a modified version of Murphy’s Law: anything that can go wrong at a convention, will go wrong at a convention or because of the convention. And when things do go wrong, you’ll look for help from one of the many security guards or volunteers who will promptly tell you to go elsewhere if you need help or ignore you entirely. It’s not their fault of course, they have a lot of things to worry about during the convention. And catering to every whim of every attendee is something they simply cannot do.
While SDCC was happening, I spent some time at a different convention, one that was just a few blocks away from Comic-Con. This convention was smaller in scale in every way – attendance, guests, media coverage, and so on. But despite all of that, I actually enjoyed myself more there than I did at Comic-Con. This smaller convention I’m referring to was none other than Gam3rCon.
For those of you that don’t know, Gam3rCon is a local convention that takes place during SDCC and is for people who either couldn’t get into Comic-Con, or for people who wanted to get away from the crowds around the San Diego Convention Center. Gam3rCon was created five years ago by co-founders Brian Bielawski and Walter Meyer, and has since seen a steady rise in attendance over the years. Personally, I like how big the convention is currently, but it would be awesome to see it become something much bigger than it is now. But I don’t want it to get to a size anywhere near Comic-Con.
While walking around Gam3rCon, it was impossible to not run into a friendly and helpful face that belonged to one of the many awesome volunteers or one of the organizers. Everyone was so accommodating and generally seemed to be enjoying themselves as they spent their day making sure everything was running smoothly. Unfortunately, due to scheduling issues, I couldn’t attend one of the many theatrical performances and panels that were at the convention. I did, however, play some of the games that were available on the gaming floor and participated in a Smash Bros. 64 tournament (I came in second place).
A smaller convention is something that always needs to be around when a big convention takes place. It’s a wonderful way to prepare yourself for attending the big convention and decompressing after leaving the big convention. For me, Gam3rCon was the perfect place to prepare myself for SDCC. Granted, I may be a bit biased towards Gam3rCon because I love video games about as much as the “Comic Issues” crew loves comics and the “Movie Issues” guys love movies. All three of those things are present during Comic-Con, but it’s games that are almost exclusively focused on at Gam3rCon.
I’m not saying that Gam3rCon should take the place of Comic-Con. I’m not saying Comic-Con should be more like Gam3rCon. What I’m saying is, the two need each other for people who like the atmosphere of Comic-Con but want a break from the droves of attendees that don’t bathe or may inflict you with the other “Wrath of Con,” the sickness that attendees get after any convention. Or maybe I’m weird, which is the more likely case, but that’s the thing I liked the most about Gam3rCon. The atmosphere buzzed with people who all liked the same things and wanted to hang around with other people who liked the same things as them. And like most geeks/nerds I know have an inherent want to hang around people who think and feel the same way I feel about the things I like.
Comic-Con means something different for everyone that goes. For some, it’s a chance to see exclusive media content before the rest of the world does, or an opportunity to meet the people they idolize, or to just let their freak flag fly high and proud. For me, it’s the last option. Comic-Con is one of the very few places I truly feel at home, and that’s because it is my adopted culture’s promised land. Gam3rCon is, for all intents and purposes, a smaller version of Comic-Con. A convention founded on the same ideals of community and mutual appreciation for geek/nerd culture. And without one, the other doesn’t seem as great. During SDCC, there are dozens, if not hundreds, of events happening around the convention center, all of which serve to make Comic-Con all the better. The same goes for Gam3rCon; you could go to all of the offsite Comic-Con events while only going to Gam3rCon and still feel the same amount of community as you would if you had just gone to Comic-Con.
There are so many conventions that happen throughout the year, some of them as big as Comic-Con, others much smaller. But they all have one thing in common: they were created by the people who like things for the people who like those same things. And in the end, isn’t that all that really matters?
What do you think? Did you go to Comic-Con? What about Gam3rCon? Tell us about it in the comments section below!
