GenCon

[leunas]

Gen Con is the mecca of hobby gaming enthusiasts. These games range from card games, to board games, role-playing games, live action role-plaing games, miniatures, computer games and more. At Gen Con you can challenge a friend or foe to a duel of wits in your favorite games.


www.gencon.com

[leunas]

Gen Con Expands Focus, Adds LACC Appearance (next E3?)

Organizers of the annual Gen Con gaming hobbyist conventions have announced plans to expand the shows, including added venue space and a change in location for the West-coast version, in order to add video game-related content following E3's morphing.

The shift was made in an effort to give video game manufacturers, developers, publishers and others, who traditionally attended the recently downsized E3, a place to feature their products to the trade, media and consumers alike.

In order to better accommodate the video game business into its existing shows, Gen Con organizers plan to expand its venue space at the Indianapolis show in 2007. An additional 43,000 square feet will be added to the exhibit hall with additional space expanding into area hotels as well to accommodate the thousands of games taking place over the four-day event.

In addition, Gen Con So Cal, the companies' show traditionally held in Anaheim, will be moved to the Los Angeles Convention Center, the former site of the annual E3 trade show, for an unspecified 2007 date, and will attempt to attract further video game companies to exhibit alongside the traditional paper-gaming and CCG Gen Con stalwarts.

"When the news came out about the drastic changes at E3, we began to hear from some industry players about Gen Con increasing its capabilities to better accommodate the industry," said Peter Adkison, CEO of Gen Con, LLC. "With our vast experience in producing quality gaming shows, it is a natural extension for us to make Gen Con a place where the electronic industry can show off its products.”


www.gamasutra.com/php-bin/news_index.php?story=10402

[The Admin]

is it just me or is everyone going to be "the next e3?" it seems like every time I turn around, there is another "the next e3?"

[leunas]

that's because E3 was the BIG CONVENTION. developers, journalists, and industry insiders all converged together for this annual gamefest to schmooze, get the inside track, ogle booth babes, and talk about the latest in games, technology, consoles, etc.,

with all that gone(severely toned down), other conventions are hoping to snag that thunder and flash to their venues. this can work in favor of them, since many of them are public shows and show a more appreciation to the festivities, whereas E3 is mainly about money.

[The Admin]

true, e3 WAS mainly about the money, and the booth babes... and the booth babes... but also the money... ;D

I just wish it wasn't so Chaotic, they should have given more than a years warning about this, as that would give ample time to establish the new "pecking order"

[leunas]

I think the warning was made because the big players(nintendo, sony, microsoft, ea) made it clear that they will not play to e3 standards.

As for the year's notice, I think that it is a sufficient enough amount of warning, already other gamecons worldwide are boosting up their trade shows to match and hopefully surpass all of e3's past splendour.

[Stuff]

I don't think any one convention will be that much more popular than the rest. The more conventions viaing for your attention, the more video games could get more attention. As if video games weren't already taking over the world, theoretically, this could boost them.