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What is a gaming convention?

What is a gaming convention? Well, it’s an event where people spend time gaming. What is gaming? Well in the case of gaming conventions, gaming has nothing to do with gambling:

  • Main Entry: gam·ing
  • Pronunciation: 'gA-mi ng
  • Function: noun
  • Date: 1501
  • 1 : the practice of gambling
  • 2 : the playing of games that simulate actual conditions (as of business or war) especially for training

This entry from Webster’s online dictionary (WWWebster) defines gaming as being one of two things, and in the case of gaming conventions we use the second definition. In recent years, that definition has stretched to include a hobby industry that produces hundreds of games for entertainment purposes, not necessarily training or testing. No wagers are placed in this type of gaming, and no money is won.

Biggest Gaming Conventions 2025

  1. MAGFest 2025 January 2-5, 2025
  2. Téli MondoCon 2025 January 4, 2025
  3. Fandom PDX 2025 January 4-5, 2025
  4. Ichibancon 2025 January 9-12, 2025
  5. PAX South 2025 January 17-19, 2025
  6. Sixty Six Games Expo 2025 January 17-19, 2025
  7. DreamHack Leipzig 2025 January 24-26, 2025
  8. Genesis 2025 January 24-26, 2025
  9. Maynard Comic Con 2025 January 25, 2025
  10. QuadCon Cedar Rapids 2025 January 26, 2025
  11. Savannah Animazing Con 2025 January 31 - February 2, 2025
  12. QuadCon Rockford 2025 February 1, 2025
  13. Life, the Universe, and Everything 2025 February 13-15, 2025
  14. Geeks of Color Expo 2025 February 14-16, 2025
  15. London Anime & Gaming Con 2025 February 14-16, 2025
  16. KupoCon 2025 February 15, 2025
  17. NärCon Vinter 2025 February 20-23, 2025
  18. DreamHack Anaheim 2025 February 21-23, 2025
  19. Lvl Up Expo 2025 February 21-23, 2025
  20. Florida Game Con 2025 February 22, 2025
  21. Geek Days Rennes 2025 February 22-23, 2025
  22. Minefaire Dallas 2025 February 22-23, 2025
  23. PAX East 2025 February 27 - March 1, 2025
  24. GalaxyCon Richmond 2025 February 28 - March 1, 2025
  25. Portsmouth Anime & Gaming Con 2025 February 29 - March 1, 2025
  26. AgamaCon 2025 March 7-8, 2025
  27. Puchi Con! 2025 March 7-8, 2025
  28. Harucon 2025 March 10, 2025
  29. Leeds Anime & Gaming Con 2025 March 14-15, 2025
  30. SwampCon 2025 March 14-15, 2025
  31. Aselia Con 2025 March 20-22, 2025
  32. Queen City Kamikaze 2025 March 21, 2025
  33. Genericon 2025 March 21-22, 2025
  34. MCM Comic Con Birmingham 2025 March 21-22, 2025
  35. Playthrough 2025 March 21-22, 2025
  36. Tiger Con 2025 March 21-22, 2025
  37. Fan Expo Dallas 2025 March 27-29, 2025
  38. Shine Con 2025 March 27-29, 2025
  39. 8-Bit Block Party 2025 March 28, 2025
  40. Superior Con 2025 April 4, 2025
  41. Manchester Anime & Gaming Con 2025 April 4-5, 2025
  42. Sci-Fi Scarborough 2025 April 4-5, 2025
  43. Tsunami Mérida Comic Con 2025 April 4-5, 2025
  44. Conapalooza: Vendor Bender 2025 April 11, 2025
  45. QuadCon Davenport 2025 April 11, 2025
  46. QuadCon Peoria 2025 April 11, 2025
  47. MegaCon Orlando 2025 April 16-19, 2025
  48. Barrie Fantasticon 2025 April 17-18, 2025
  49. Geek-it! 2025 April 24-26, 2025
  50. AniFest 2025 April 25, 2025
  51. Bristol Anime & Gaming Con 2025 April 25-26, 2025
  52. Makers & Creators Convention 2025 April 25-26, 2025
  53. Kingston ComiCon 2025 April 26, 2025
  54. Metrotham Con 2025 May 1-3, 2025
  55. Level Up Maine 2025 May 2, 2025
  56. Birmingham Anime & Gaming Con 2025 May 2-3, 2025
  57. Florida Supercon 2025 May 8-10, 2025
  58. Newcastle Anime & Gaming Con 2025 May 16-17, 2025
  59. Wayback Weekend 2025 May 16-17, 2025
  60. Comicpalooza 2025 May 22-24, 2025
  61. Thy Geekdom Con 2025 May 22-24, 2025
  62. DoKomi 2025 May 23-24, 2025
  63. Dream Con 2025 June 5-7, 2025
  64. QuadCon Altoona 2025 June 7, 2025
  65. E3 2025 June 9-11, 2025
  66. OMG!Con 2025 June 12-14, 2025
  67. Liverpool Anime & Gaming Con 2025 June 13-14, 2025
  68. PortConMaine 2025 June 25-28, 2025
  69. Animaritime 2025 June 26-28, 2025
  70. Planet Funk Con 2025 June 26-28, 2025
  71. GeekTakuFest 2025 June 29-30, 2025
  72. London Anime & Gaming Con 2025 July 3-5, 2025
  73. OtakuFest 2025 July 4-5, 2025
  74. ConnectiCon 2025 July 9-12, 2025
  75. Replay FX 2025 July 9-12, 2025
  76. Southern-Fried Gaming Expo 2025 July 10-12, 2025
  77. GACUCon Cruise 2025 July 13-17, 2025
  78. PokeFest SA 2025 July 17-18, 2025
  79. Metrocon 2025 July 23-26, 2025
  80. NärCon Sommar 2025 July 23-26, 2025
  81. Hazard Con 2025 July 24-26, 2025
  82. GalaxyCon Raleigh 2025 July 30 - August 2, 2025
  83. QuakeCon 2025 August 6-9, 2025
  84. Matsuricon 2025 August 14-16, 2025
  85. Portland Retro Gaming Expo 2025 August 14-16, 2025
  86. Cardiff Anime & Gaming Con 2025 August 15-16, 2025
  87. Animania Wichita Falls 2025 August 22, 2025
  88. Alcon 2025 August 28-30, 2025
  89. Hero Hype Expo 2025 September 5, 2025
  90. Megabit Game Expo 2025 September 13, 2025
  91. QuadCon Coralville 2025 September 26, 2025
  92. Kingston ComiCon 2025 September 27, 2025
  93. Fanaticon 2025 October 2-4, 2025
  94. Realms Con 2025 October 2-4, 2025
  95. HyperCon 2025 October 3, 2025
  96. C3AFA Tokyo 2025 October 3-4, 2025
  97. Tsubasacon 2025 October 9-11, 2025
  98. Newcastle Anime & Gaming Con 2025 October 10-11, 2025
  99. Memphis Comic Expo 2025 October 17-18, 2025
  100. DerpyCon 2025 October 30 - November 1, 2025
  101. Sheffield Anime & Gaming Con 2025 October 31 - November 1, 2025
  102. GalaxyCon Minneapolis 2025 November 6-8, 2025
  103. Bristol Anime & Gaming Con 2025 November 7-8, 2025
What types of games fall into the “gaming” category? Examples include Parker Brothers’ Monopoly™ game, WoTC/TSR’s Dungeons & Dragons™ game, and literally hundreds of games in between. The gaming convention brings an element of friendly competition to these games, and allows people who share interest in playing them a chance to get together and play. A gaming convention hosts tournaments, which are organized play sessions of a certain game, with the winner receiving a non-cash prize. BOARD GAMES – Games at a gaming convention fall into a number of broad categories, including board games, such as Parker Brothers’ MONOPOLY™ game, Mayfair’s Settlers of Catan game, and advanced historical simulation games such as Avalon Hill’s Age of Renaissance or Civilization games. Many of these games have been computerized in recent years, although many people do not know that these complex computer games often had their roots in a tabletop board game.

ROLE-PLAYING GAMES – Another category is role-playing games, in which each player takes on the persona of a character in an interactive story. Although the most popular of these role-playing games worldwide is WoTC/TSR’s Dungeons & Dragons™ game, many other companies produce games in other settings, or genres. Genre has the same meaning in gaming as it does in fiction writing – the setting and style of the story. Dungeons & Dragons is set in a fantasy world, where the players, via their characters pretend to battle fantasy monsters such as dragons and trolls, using imaginary swords and crossbows. Other role-playing games cast the players as characters in a variety of settings, from space to the Old West to the middle of your favorite horror movie.

In role-playing games, the players work together to slay the monsters, or solve the crimes, or save the village. As such, the players are not competing against each other. At a gaming convention, where these games are played as tournaments, the players continue this cooperative spirit in resolving the story, but winners are determined by the players and storyteller voting on who portrayed their character the best. This is basically a combination of how well the player knows the rules of the game, the setting, and the background of the character, an how well they were able to use that information to contribute to the story being enacted by the players. A good role player is often a good improvisational actor.

Each tournament has a different setting, and different characters, forcing the player to quickly assume different personas and portray them convincingly. Many of the tournament scenarios played at conventions come from the Role Playing Game Association Network (RPGA Network™ ), an international organization of role-playing enthusiasts which sponsors role-playing games at conventions, and pays its members to write entertaining scenarios that are sent to conventions around the world and used as tournaments. Players and storytellers are ranked in the RPGA Network based on how many tournaments in which they have participated, and how well they did.

MINIATURES GAMES – Miniatures games are not only popular but visually impressive. Typically, a miniatures game is a reenactment of a certain type of combat using miniature figurines to represent the troops. Battles fought in time periods from the Crusades and the Civil War to thousands of years in the future are simulated with figurines and terrain. Miniatures gaming is a combination of artistic skill in fashioning the terrain and figurines, and strategy, as the tabletop generals decide how to deploy their troops.

TRADING CARD GAMES – A recent addition to the gaming convention are Collectible Card Games, aka Trading Card Games or TCGs. One of the most popular of these games is WoTC’s Magic: The Gathering™ game. These games have been described as a combination between baseball cards and board games. Out of a collection of thousands of cards, the players choose a few to play with. Their opponent does the same, and then the cards are played according to the rules of the game to resolve which player’s card selections and play strategy was more effective. Typically, the cards simulate characters and items, which are combined, deployed and lost according to the rules of the game. Other collectible card games abound, each allowing players to experience their favorite genre, or in many cases, television or movie milieu. Collectible card games are as diverse in setting and genre as role-playing games and have been produced based on a variety of worlds, including Babylon 5™, Star Trek™, Star Wars™, Dune™ and Pokemon™. LIVE-ACTION ROLE-PLAYING GAMES – Some conventions also host live-action role-playing games, which are like role-playing games with fewer rules, and fewer restrictions. Costumes are encouraged in live-action games, and the game is not physically restricted to a table, but perhaps a room, or an entire hotel. The most well-known live-action games are the How to Host a Murder™ games from Parker Brothers. But, as we’ve seen with other types of games, if you have a favorite genre, a game probably exists that will let you experience it.