Gaming Extravaganza Brings Crowds to Indy for the Annual Convention

It’s that time of year again when gamers are gearing up for Gen Con Indy, the original, longest running and best-attended gaming show in North America. With an estimated 27,000 unique attendees converging on the Indianapolis Convention Center, visitors to Gen Con will immerse themselves in the 6,000+ gaming events and more than 250 exhibits over the four day extravaganza that has become the world’s premier game convention. Starting Thursday morning and running round-the-clock attendees can play their hearts out with fellow enthusiasts and by joining in card games, board games, video games, table top and live-action role-playing games, seminars, films, workshops and so much more. Activities range from interactive game play and computer gaming to big money hobby-related tournaments sponsored by industry leaders Upper Deck Entertainment and Wizards of the Coast. The event will be held August 14-17, 2008 at the Indiana Convention Center in Indianapolis.

With more activities and events than ever, attendees will not be disappointed with this year’s line up. In addition to the ever popular gaming events, other activities include: celebrity guest meet and greets, dances and live entertainment, the Costume Contest, Anime Avenue, and the new Family Fun Pavilion, to name just some of what is in store and there is more.

Preview of Show Highlights:

Upper Deck Presents World of Warcraft TCG Continental Championship– Gen Con Indy is the site for one of the year’s biggest World of Warcraft Trading Card Game competitions! Offering an array of loot to make even seasoned warriors catch their breath, the 2008 North American Continental Championship is a tournament you won’t want to miss!

Video Games Live– Tickets to this sight and sound spectacular are an annual sell-out. Plan early to attend this multimedia concert featuring music from the most popular video games of all time performed by the Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra and synchronized to cutting-edge video screen visuals, state-of-the-art lighting and on-stage interactive segments.

Paizo Season 0 to Launch at Gen Con– Be part of the play test year of the Pathfinder RPG and help shape the system as Paizo launches Season 0 at Gen Con Indy and moves forward with the launch of Season 1 in August 2009!

Wizards of the Coast– What would Gen Con be without WOTC? This year, attendees will be celebrating the newly released D&D® 4th Edition by debuting the new Living Forgotten Realms® campaign as well as 20 years of the Legend of Drizzt and the eternally popular Magic The Gathering for non-stop game play!

The Return of Trade Day– Back by popular demand, Trade Day is an event dedicated to building the business of games. Programming will take place on Wednesday, August 13 for retailers, librarians, educators and game company professionals with other events, including exclusive early access to the exhibit floor, available on Thursday, August 14.

eGame Arena/Electronic Gaming Area– Back and bigger than ever, the eGame Arena will be located in the electronic gaming area in the exhibit hall dedicated to just the eGame world and will include free-play, competitions, and tournaments for popular titles on PC, Xbox360, PS3 and Wii.

The 23nd Annual Costume Contest-A Gen Con tradition where attendees come to show off the best costumes at the convention and win prizes.

True Dungeon and the True Dungeon Fantasy Tavern– Sponsored by the great folks at Wizards of the Coast, True Dungeons is widely regarded as one of the coolest events on the planet and is a tried and true staple at Gen Con Indy.

NASCRAG’s Pretanic Island Saga RPG Tournament-RGP fans will delight in this latest offering by the largest and oldest independent role-playing competition at Gen Con.

Training Grounds– It’s never too early for kids to start gaming and Training Grounds is the perfect place for kids with structured gaming events for kids art classes and more.

Hickman’s Killer Breakfast– The hilarious Gen Con tradition you won’t want to miss! Come early to be selected to play onstage with a host of surprise guest stars or sit back and join in the audience participation as you enjoy the new, original adventure by Tracy and Laura Hickman.

Miniature Hobby Events will include miniature painting competition, mini-hobby workshops, speed painting, and more. Jérémie Bonamant Teboul, the MHE Guest of Honor, will give classes, free demos, and more as well as exhibiting some of his finished work in the MHE display cases.

Gen Con Dance– the 3rd Annual Gen Con Dance is taking a step back in time when life was simpler and much more fantastical. It’s the Steampunk Dance at the Union Station Grand Ballroom, Saturday beginning at 9 pm. This year’s theme incorporates the old (1800¹s Victorian era) with the new (goth and punk) Costumes not required but highly encouraged!

Other Classic Favorites to check out: Auction, Authors Avenue, Cardhalla 9, Blood Drive, SPA activities for the Better Half, Fantastic Film Festival, the Segway Challenge, Munchkin World Cup, and NovusORdoSeclorum Cthulhu Tournament.

A sample preview of Event Highlights from some of the many participants:

Boardgames
Fantasy Flight Games- new games like World of Warcraft: The Adventure Game, Battlestar Galactica: The Board Game, the Mutant Chronicles CMG, Tribune.
Infinite Imaginations- Presents “Dork Tower” and “Blink” tournaments.

Cardgames
Universal Fighting System-Presents 2008 World Championship-the biggest yet!
Upper Deck- Massive World of Warcraft events, UDE vs. System Pro Circuit, Yu Gi Oh, Wits and Wagers
Flying Buffalo Inc-Official Gen Con Nuclear War Card Game Tournament

Miniatures Games
Axis & Allies- Tourney is back
M Collective- Battlesar Galactica
WizKids- Halo ActionClix, HeroClix, MechWarrior and more

Role Playing Game (RPG)
Include Evil Fleet, Gamewick, HERO, Fantasy Flight Games, EOS Press, Indie Games Explosion, Infintie Imaginations, KFG, NASCRAG and D&D for Cash- 5th annual D&D for cash.

Live-Action Roleplaying Games (LRP)
Events held by Bliss Street/Pixie Dust Games, BYOV, Sick & Twisted Productions, PST, Infinite Imaginations and Dark Duality Production.

To Attend Gen Con
Gen Con Indy will be open to the public Thursday, August 14, through Sunday, August 17. Thursday through Saturday the exhibit hall is open 10 am to 6 pm and Sunday from 10 am to 4 pm. 24 hour gaming takes place at the convention center and at area hotels 24 hours a day during the four day event.

Attendees must purchase badges to gain entrance to the show. A four-day badge is $75 and a one day badge is $45. Children 8 and under are free with an accompanying adult. For more information and to register, call (800) 529-EXPO or visit www.gencon.com.

Tags | ccg, gencon, LARP, upper deck, video-games, wotc