Conventions Archives | Otaku No Culture

[Victoria, BC] NeXus Con Sets Out to Bend the Rules of Gaming Come Aug 27!

Nexus-Con-teaser By Ed Sum (The Vintage Tempest)

NeXus Con is a new event organized by Dwayne Morash who simply wants to introduce folks to gaming (in all its various forms). The show will be held at Saanich Commonwealth Place on August 27th, 2016 from 11am to 9pm, and it is an intimate type of event where it will be capped at 40 or so people

New players do not have the opportunity to simply try games out without buying, and this show hopes to change all that by flipping the formula traditionally found in conventions. Most shows require a separate entry fee just to play in tournaments. This event dispenses with all that and it’s going to be more like a meet n’ greet spotlighting the favourite games of past and present.

Morash is the founder/editor of Game Nexus, a local news and information site for all things related to games. Just like this website, there will be video games, tabletop miniature battles, role-playing games and collectable card games to try out. For a reasonable fee of $25, attendees can sample the best in what gaming has to offer. Trends change like the roll of the dice, and the goal of Morash is to provide a quality event minus all the hustle and bustle of one that is corporate run. He gave me a heads up about this event, and I had some questions:

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(Updated) Tips on Streamlining Your Carry-on Convention Essentials For Year-Round Fun!

Just how well prepared are you for convention season? Whether that’d be local or with SDCC, we got a list to get you ready!

( Fan Expo Vancouver Entryway Updated for 2023)

Being prepared for any broad spectrum / pop culture convention can be easy. With shows taking place anytime and anywhere, I’m sure what I’ve learned over the decades in attending still applies. After checking out many shows ranging from Anime Expo to Emerald City Comicon up and down the West Coast and experimenting, I want to make the most of the show without having a massive backpack on me. Even if I’m just there for two days out of the three (or four as some have expanded to), nobody wants to carry Fort Knox on their back.

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Vancouver Expo Announces Two New Guests Aug 5-7, 2016!

Vancouver Expo LOGO A new convention on the Pacific Northwest scene is Vancouver Comic and Entertainment Expo in British Columbia (which will take place August 5-7th, 2016) and they have announced today their next round of guests: Bill Moseley and Michael Berryman. These two are horror film veterans with a bevy of credits which make them recognizable nearly everywhere they go! Both performers have been on the scene since the 70’s, and have their own legion of followers who enjoyed watching their special brand of terror over the years.

Bill Moseley Promotional Picture

Moseley is best known as Chop Top in Tobe Hooper’s The Texas Chainsaw Massacre 2 (1986) and since then, he’s appeared in many cult films like The Blob (1988) to cement his status in the world of genre films.

He played the Deadeye Captain in Army of Darkness (1992), and appeared in Repo! The Genetic Opera (2008) and The Devil’s Carnival (2012), two films by prolific director-producer-writer Terrance Zdunich. Alleluia! The Devil’s Carnival (2015) is a sequel Moseley is involved in and perhaps he may offer some clues as to what’s next in this set of films.

Berryman’s unique looks makes him a lovable terror in such products like Wes Craven’s The Hills Have Eyes (1977) and Weird Science (1985), but who doesn’t remember his role in Mötley Crüe’s music video “Smokin’ in the Boys Room?” This actor can do humour very well, but he does not get the opportunity as much.

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LANtasy Wants the Fun in Fandom to Return in Victoria, BC!

Pearkes Recreation Center will play venue host to Gottacon and LANTasy.

LANTasy Event Logo March 12-13, 2016
Pearkes Arena, Victoria BC

Tickets: $30 weekend pass
or $15 per day (pre-registration).

LANtasy‘s motto is “Play Games, Have Fun” at their upcoming event taking place March 12th and 13th. For the fandom living in Victoria, BC, hopefully everyone can put the incidents of 2015 behind them. The final quarter of that year was less than positive: GottaCon (GC) announced they were closing their doors and Island Fantasy Convention did not happen. The reaction by the community was not kind with how the latter event was handled. However, with a new year Tsukino-Con remains strong and the technical crew behind GC decided to continue the legacy the broad-spectrum gaming event represented.

Jeff Pedlow is one of the department heads. He says this show will exist to bring people together and his group really loves the gaming community that exists here. Despite the name, they are not playing favourites over what kind of activities are being offered at this show. Yes, there will be a heavy Local Area Network (LAN) gaming presence, but there is more to the show than just that — board gaming, miniature gaming and RPGs are offered. People will be encouraged to come in costume (cosplay). Essentially, this event will be just like GottaCon in their early days. In what’s for certain, Pedlow says that his group does not take any money from the event and their goal is to throw community-centric gaming events for everyone living on the island. As their Facebook page shows, there are qualifying events taking place in and out of the Capitol Region that will lead up to the finals at LANtasy.

“If we grow in size, that’s always great, but our primary concern is throwing fun events for the community to come out and enjoy,” said Pedlow.

Even though this event is two months away, perhaps fandom should start planning. In addition to their FAQ about this event, Otakunoculture talked to Jeff about other lingering queries:

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LANTASY Announces Cosplay Contest!

LANtasy

By James Robert Shaw (The Wind up Geek)

Activities for fans in the Northwest just became much more fun. LANtasy 2016, a gaming convention run by the LANtasy Gaming Society just announced a cosplay contest. Now con goers can get more involved by showing up in their best and most creative costumes for all to see. Prizes have yet to be announced but you can imagine the swag one can take home just for being the victor.

We here at OtakunoCulture wonder if prizes will be handed out for a 2nd and 3rd place or will there be just one victor and then some creative categories like ‘Best Anime Character Portrayal.’

Now for those of you who aren’t as advanced in your costume skills as some of your fellow cosplayers, don’t worry, LANtasy has that covered too. There will be a full cosplay booth with a repair station for those of you who are met with wardrobe malfunctions. And for those interested there will be samples at this booth of different materials you can use to make costumes.

LANtasy will run March 12th and 13th, 2016 at Pearkes Arena in Victoria, British Columbia. Tickets are available online here or to learn more visit LANtasy’s official website and Facebook page.

[Victoria, BC] IFCon Victoria Cancelled

By James Robert Shaw (The Wind up Geek)

IFCon Victoria which was to be held at the G. R. Pearkes Recreation Centre over the Halloween weekend has been cancelled. An announcement was made today on IFCon’s Facebook page by Bob Lynn, a long-time friend of executive convention producer Bill Code:

“My name is Bob Lynn – I have been a friend of Bill Code for 27 years and I have been asked to post this notice and the following information.

For the past 16 months, Bill has dedicated all his time, effort, energy and every cent he has earned into this project to the tune of over $ 84,000.00.

Last Sunday, Bill collapsed on the floor and had to be rushed to the hospital and admitted to Emergency. Today, he has been transferred to intensive care and will be taken into surgery later today. He is fighting for his life.

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