If you either know me personally or have listened to Geek Watch One for any length of time, you have heard me mention my love for conventions. I get such a rush from being surrounded by fellow geeks…”my people”! It can be a general geek gathering like Dragon*Con or a comic related one like the Motor City Comic Convention in Detroit. Heck, I’m extra down for getting with my fellow Steampunks at The Steampunk Empire Symposium. The thing is, in each of these instances, I am an attendee. I am present to be an active participant and observer, to take it all in for me personal enjoyment.

A few weeks ago I attended Gen Con in Indianapolis, Indiana, one of the world’s biggest gaming conventions. This is described as four days of gaming, but it is oh, so much more. Now, before I get much into this, let me lay this out first. True, this was my first time going to Gen Con, but it was also my first time attending a convention under a press pass, complete with access to the press room, early access to the vendor’s floor and scheduled interviews with convention guests. This time I was there as an observer and participant, but with the purpose of recording my observations and experiences and sharing them with the Geeksters of GW1. I found that I had to look at the booths, the attendees, the entire experience itself with different eyes. Actually, it ended up enriching my experience!!

I found myself looking deeper, seeking out the “why” behind Gen Con. I interviewed complete strangers, some who were veterans and others who were newby’s, like myself. I found that regardless of the purpose of the con, the why is pretty much the same…to gather with your peeps with the common goal of geeking out over whatever the con is about. I was so enamored by the vendor’s floor and gaming areas, I found out later that I had only scratched not even one tenth of the whole of Gen Con. This thing is huge! Like I said, it is not just games…there’s cosplay, panels, parties and impromptu gatherings all over the place! Do I want to go back? Definitely!! Do I want to attend other conventions as press? I’ll put it like this, once you’ve crossed that line, there’s no going back! We’ll see what the future has in store!