I had originally wanted to do one post on conventions, but then the entry got to be super long and involved, so the plan is for four of them! There’s a ton of conventions out there that you can attend and each of them have pros and cons to attending. While it’d be great to be able to afford and have the energy to attend all of them, we all have to pick and choose which ones to go to.
Here’s some of the conventions I’ve experienced and why I go to them.
OrcaCon. Seattle, WA. January 8th – 11th, 2021
Type of Convention: Gaming, General
Have I attended? This was my second time attending. I super enjoyed it last year, so I decided to go again and it was fantastic!
Easy to meet with publishers or playtest? Not a lot of publishers were there, but PlaytestNorthwest does usually have tables where you can get a free badge to attend. I didn’t do this, but playtesting was very easy to do in open gaming and there were always people interested in playtesting, as the Seattle Design community is both really great and has a ton of people in it.
Booth or no Booth? I did not have a booth, but it’s possible to talk with the booths there and to try to do game consignment. Last year I did this and sold a few games, but nothing major. The Exhibit hall has a few booths, with two game vendors, but the rest of the booths are mostly art related.
Why am I attending? The people that attend OrcaCon are amazing, OrcaCon really works to make people feel welcome and has a focus on diversity, and I could stay with a friend and get the cost down, plus there’s great food trucks! The food trucks are pretty good diversity wise and food safety wise, having several gluten free, vegetarian, and paleo options. (I’m not sure on the options if you’re all of those, but if you’re one of them, you typically have choices!)
OTHER: If you go to OrcaCon, PlaytestNorthWest has tons of playtesting events around and there’s a great design night on Wednesdays, so if you can stay a few extra days, it could definitely be worth it!
Rocket City Gamefest. Huntsville, AL. January 22-24, 2021.
Type of Convention: General Gaming, but with an Unpub Mini
Have I attended? I’ve attended at least four times! It’s a great local convention and I run the Unpub Mini, which had it’s second year this year.
Easy to meet with publishers or playtest? Usually there’s only a few publishers there, but I have signed a game for Weird Giraffe Games there before, so there’s that at least! With the Unpub Mini, you can playtest a bunch! It’s relatively small, so it’s pretty easy to get at least a few of your games playtested. You’re also free to playtest outside the Unpub hours and there’s enough of the community that knows about playtesting that you can usually get people interested in giving you feedback.
Playtesting Type: There’s tables for playtesting and times, but usually no specific table assignments.
Booth or no Booth? I typically run a booth, but sales aren’t that great. It’s a small convention of 300 people, so you only need one person at the booth, which is nice.
Why am I attending? It’s a local convention I can drive to, the gaming library is amazing, there’s a large amount of play to wins, I run the Unpub and tend to get a lot of great playtesting in, plus the Southern Design community has some great people in it.
Cleveland Protospiel. Cleveland, OH. January 31 – February 3, 2020. (2021 date TBA)
Type of Convention: Playtesting
Have I attended? This year was my first time attending.
Playtesting Type: Open playtesting
Why am I attending? Flight costs were super cheap, I have a friend in the area I can stay with, I was able to get a free ticket, and I’ve heard that Cleveland has a good design community. So, for under $100 plus food, I could try out a new convention and hopefully make some more friends and get some playtesting in, so why not try it out?
Tantrum Con. Spartanburg, SC. February 4-7, 2021.
Type of Convention: General Gaming
Have I attended? I haven’t attended before, but I really want to! This year, it was on the same weekend as Cleveland Protospiel, but hopefully in the future it won’t be. I’d like to attend as I’ve heard good things and I also haven’t been to South Carolina before. Plus, I’ve only had good experiences with the Tantrum House Team, so it’d be great to get to know them better.
Dice Tower West. Las Vegas, NV. February 26 – March 1st, 2020.
Type of Convention: General Gaming
Have I attended? I haven’t attended before, but I do want to try it out at some point! It’s very close in timing to GAMA, so if I could find someone driving between the two, I’ll probably attend at some point. I’ve enjoyed Dice Tower East, so I’d like to try this one out.
Tennessee Game Days. Nashville, TN. March 6-8, 2020.
Type of Convention: General Gaming
Have I attended? I have not attended! I’ve heard good things, though and it’s within driving distance. There’s no booths, but there are a few publishers based out of Nashville. Plus, Nashville does have a design community, so playtesting should be a thing that can happen.
GAMA. Reno, NV. March 9-12, 2020.
Type of Convention: Gaming Trade Show
Have I attended? I have not attended, but I’m going to this year. GAMA has a lot of retailers, publishers, and other industry people, so I’ve heard it’s great for both designers and publishers. I’ve had Fire in the Library, Stellar Leap, and Dreams of Tomorrow in retail for a few months, so I figured this would be a great time to get a booth and to see what GAMA is all about.
Easy to meet with publishers or playtest? I’ve heard that it’s a good place to meet with publishers, as the convention is supposed to be more laid back than the other larger conventions.
Booth or no Booth? There is an exhibit hall, but it’s not for selling, mainly for demos.
Why am I attending? I’d love to get more retailers to know about Weird Giraffe Games and Galactic Raptor Games, in addition to showing off my next game to hit retail, Big Easy Busking. I also have a few games that I’m trying to find homes for, so hopefully I can meet up with a publisher or two for that! There’s also a design retreat right after the convention and I’ve never visited Sacramento before, so it’s a chance to do those things without having to buy another plane ticket.
Knoxville Protospiel. Knoxville, TN. March 27th – 29th, 2020.
Type of Convention: Playtesting
Have I attended? I have not and I believe this is the first time the convention is being run.
Easy to meet with publishers or playtest? There should be at least a few publishers and it’s a Protospiel, so playtesting should be a major part of the event.
Why am I attending? It’s within driving distance and I could always get more playtesting in. I know a few people in the Tennessee area, but I could always meet more and the ticket should be free for being a publisher and speaking at panels.
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