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A gaming convention is typically a two- or three-day event at which people play Role-playing Games , Collectible Card Games , Miniatures Wargames , Board Games and many other types of games. Many also have rooms of networked computers to play Video Games . The largest gaming Convention is probably Spiel in Essen, Germany. In 2004 this convention, which focuses on board games, had 150,000 visitors and 690 exhibitors from 24 nations. The FLIP ( Festival Ludique International de Parthenay - link to French Wikipedia ) is probably the second largest gaming convention with 140,000 visitors during twelve days in 2005. Another large gaming convention in Europe is Spellenspektakel in Eindhoven, Netherlands. This largely commercial convention had 12,000 visitors in 2004. Gen Con is probably the largest gaming con in the US for RPGs ("Gen Con Indy," which is the convention most gamers refer to when they refer to "Gen Con," had 21,700 attendees over four days in 2005); Origins is probably the largest for miniatures wargames. Exact numbers, however, are debatable. DragonCon , for example, is a large convention also aimed at gaming, and has huge numbers of attendees (however not all of them are there to play games; it might be one of the largest conventions where people can game but gaming is only a small part of the convention (and there are few (non-RPG) retailers). A smaller genre of gaming conventions are those devoted to the hobby of historical Miniature Wargaming , many of which are sponsored by the Historical Miniatures Gaming Society . WHAT GOES ON AT A GAMING CONVENTION Gaming conventions typically have games scheduled for various time slots. Most gaming cons use some system of pre-registration to ensure that games are neither over-full nor under-full. Competitive games, such as , typically have tournaments set out where players meet in matches. Prizes can be quite large for the winners. There are also competitive role-playing games, where the best roleplayers, most successful parties, etc. get rewarded. The RPGA runs competitive D&D and other RPGs at many conventions. Most scheduled RPGs, however, are not competitive. The types of games often include many of the following:
Open gaming goes on throughout any such convention, and it is common that all seating in common areas will be taken by people playing pick-up games. Pick-up gaming is not generally discouraged by the convention management; in fact, pick-up games are a large part of the appeal of gaming conventions. There is almost always a dealers' room where various game manufacturers and related companies sell their products. Many game companies choose game cons to reveal new products. Creating consumer excitement is greatly facilitated at gaming cons, but word can spread fast, and games may equally well become instant failures at conventions. Often there are other activities at a gaming convention as well. Costume balls, art auctions, and screenings of movies may all take place. Lectures, workshops, or panel discussions on gaming might be part of the programming, or for some cons, even the focus. LIST OF GAMING CONVENTIONS BY LOCATION Various
Asia
Australia Australian Capital Territory
New South Wales
Queensland
South Australia
Victoria
Western Australia
Canada Alberta
Manitoba
Ontario
Quebec
Denmark
Finland
France
Germany
Ireland
Italy
Japan
Netherlands
Norway
Sweden
UK
US Alabama
Arizona
California
Colorado
Connecticut
Florida
Georgia
Idaho
Illinois
Indiana
Iowa
Kentucky
Maine
Maryland
In Canada, the venue is the Metro Toronto Convention Center located in downtown Toronto.
Massachusetts
Michigan
Minnesota
Montana
Nebraska
Nevada
New Hampshire
New York
New Jersey
North Carolina
Ohio
Oregon
Pennsylvania
Rhode Island
South Carolina
Tennessee
Texas
Vermont
Virginia
Washington
Washington, D.C.
Wisconsin
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