What: Gen Con Indy 2016
When: Aug. 4-7
Where: Indiana Convention Center
Attendees can purchase a badge now online.
The longest-running and best-attended gaming convention in the world will soon be attracting hundreds to downtown Indianapolis.
Visit Indy will be hosting Gen Con, a consumer and trade experience dedicated to the gaming culture and community, Aug. 4-7 at the Indiana Convention Center.
Gen Con is the largest annual consumer fantasy, electronic, sci-fi, adventure and hobby game convention in North America, according to gencon.com. Each year, gaming enthusiasts converge to share their love for all things gaming, from tournaments to guest appearances, exhibit hall booths to electronic games, workshops, seminars, anime, art shows, auctions and countless other activities.
Last year, Gen Con set an all-new attendance record with a unique attendance of 61,423 and a turnstile attendance of 197,695, creating a six-year span of record growth, according to a press release.
Since 2010, Gen Con has more than doubled in attendance. Year after year, Gen Con has experienced 9 percent attendance growth, primarily driven by 4-Day and Family Fun Day badge sales. Gen Con also has raised more than $38,500 for the convention’s official 2015 charity, The Julian Center.
“After 13 years of hosting Gen Con, it’s clear that Indy gets Gen Con and Gen Con gets Indy. Gen Con is a one-of-a-kind cultural event that energizes our city and drives more than $67 million in annual economic activity,” Leonard Hoops, president and CEO of Visit Indy, said in a press release. “Central Indiana’s hospitality community is incredibly appreciative of our partnership with Gen Con, and we are proud to be the home of the world’s longest-running and best-attended hobby gaming convention.”
But Gen Con isn’t just for gamers. The convention attracts thousands of cosplayers.
Cosplay, literally meaning “costume play,” is the art or practice of wearing costumes to portray characters from different genres of fiction like manga, animation and science fiction.
Stef Clark, a senior creative writing major, has been cosplaying for nine years and said she got her inspiration from several different sources.
“At the time [when I began cosplaying], I started following the YouTube channels of some cosplayers and it looked like a lot of fun,” Clark said. “Some of my friends showed interest in it and then my uncle started taking me to conventions right before I got into high school. My family was supportive of the whole endeavor.”
Clark has cosplayed many characters like Jason Todd from the "Batman" series as well as different characters from "Howl's Moving Castle," "Gravity Falls," "Young Avengers," and other DC Comics.
Even though Clark has never been to Gen Con in Indy, she has attended many conventions and said her favorite part about attending is the atmosphere.
“The best part about conventions is the people,” Clark said. “Everyone there is some type of nerd or geek. ... People are just excited to share their love of anime, comics, gaming or anything else geeky/nerdy. Once you find someone who shares that excitement, your convention experience just gets better.”
For Cassie Lindemeyer, a senior secondary English education major, this will be her fist time attending Gen Con and cosplaying.
“I've always had friends who did it and it always seemed like a lot of fun, but I just never had anyone to go with,” Lindemeyer said. “But this year I decided to make my costume and go. I think my favorite characters are characters within a story.”
This year, she will be going as a Vulcan, a fictional extraterrestrial humanoid species in the "Star Trek" franchise who originates from the planet Vulcan.
Lindemeyer is excited for her first year at the convention.
“I'm pretty excited to see what guest speakers will be there and the merchandise that people have made,” Lindemeyer said. “It's really cool to see how much work goes into the things people make by hand there.”
She encouraged everyone to try cosplay and check out conventions like Gen Con.
“I think people should go because it's just fun to dress up and see how hard people work to create some awesome costumes,” Lindemeyer said. “I feel like there's still kind of a stigma with cosplay that only weirdos or nerds do it, but I think it's a fun hobby anyone can get into. It's like Halloween — it's so much fun to create a costume and get to wear it around.”
Anyone interested in attending Gen Con will need to purchase a badge. A badge gives you access to the exhibit hall, art show, seminars and other free events happening in public areas. A badge will also allow you to purchase event tickets to participate in specific events.
If attendees do not want to purchase a badge, the halls of the Indiana Convention Center will still be open and available for people to walk through and meet other cosplayers for pictures.
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