Tag: Conventions

[Victoria, BC] Gottacon’s Last Dance (2009-2015)

gottacon RIP

The Geeks of Victoria will most likely be mourning a loss of a gaming convention. It did an admirable job of hanging on for more than five years. When compared to other nerdy conventions that ran in this city (toy shows don’t count), that’s twice the power but thrice the bad luck since it’s move from the Pearkes Recreation Centre. In a statement issued Monday evening, Gottacon Conventions will no longer be continuing. They cite financial losses and the lack of internal support to keep on going.

Hopefully other shows can help carry on the torch, as this city needs more geeks with power to keep nerdom alive.

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A Look at Camosun’s 3rd Annual Comic Arts Festival

Camosun’s Comic Arts Festival (CCAF) is growing, and just what this event does is to put ownership back to the artists who decided to make the visual storytelling medium their career.

CCAF 2015 PosterCamosun’s Comic Arts Festival (CCAF) is growing, and just what this event does is to put ownership back to the artists who decided to make the visual storytelling medium their career. It’s been used as old as time, since the caveman days, to tell a story on a surface. In Ancient Egypt, the paintings on the tombs can evoke a magic like quality to help the deceased continue on to the Afterlife. The immortality is not just with their souls’ journey but also with how their legacy upholds when their life is told in illustrative form.

Interestingly enough, one of the students, Raphaël Pirenne, takes inspiration from this land, and will be hoping he creates a comic out of it.

CCAF 2015 HI!

The college that’s located in the garden city of Victoria, British Columbia, has played host to some special events, and unlike bigger shows that tends to spotlight brands more than with the independents, to get back to the basics is all that’s really needed for this show. The CCAF is simply starting small, but it has bigger plans.

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Tracking GottaCon’s Foodie & Game A-Fair? It’s a Deadbeetz.

Gottacon 2015 BannerGottaCon has shifted in direction for the 2015 year, and that’s to make use of all the available spaces as possible for their gaming fair. For such a dramatic shift, I’m surprised they did not have a huge banner across the Victoria Conference Centre to say we are here. I really like the design of their new logo in their program guide, and I was sad to not see this plumage advertising this event to this city at large at this building or across the street at the Crystal Gardens.

Although my interests for this show have faded, to wonder if they chose wisely for which food trucks to bring can make for some interesting allusions. Do gamers need more grease for those late night munchies? When I didn’t spot or smell these operations running on a Friday evening before Geekenders‘ Star Wars Burlesque Show, I suspect not. They might have been running, but there was no spotlight on them to let curiousity seekers know. The same can be said for GottaCon’s presence. Without a huge banner, many passers-by will pass them by. Sandwich boards just will not do. Not many people really take a bite at that kind of street advertising.

During a beautiful sunny day (Saturday) when the air is crisp and I was nearby, my nostrils certainly wanted to sniff out the operations. Thankfully, the trucks were advertising their hours. But I did notice a particular trend: of the three trucks, two of them were serving mostly burgers. Thankfully, James and I provided a more robust listing of various eateries around the area so attendees can grab sandwiches or sushi if they wanted to.

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GottaCon Foodie Survival Guide 2015

By James Robert Shaw (The Wind up Geek) and Ed Sum (The Vintage Tempest)

gottacon2015In less than two weeks Victoria will be flooded with people from all over Vancouver Island and the Pacific Northwest with obsessive gaming habits. Cards will be dealt and dice will be rolled but if you think I’m speaking of a convention for those with gambling habits, think again. I speak of gamers, people who show up (sometimes in costume) with their card games (Pokémon, Magic: The Gathering), their table top books (Pathfinder, Dungeons & Dragons), their customized PCs and their mini figurines (Warhammer). And to quote a Trooper song, they’re here for a good time, not a long time.

And when you convention hop on a budget it is important to maintain your energy levels with some nourishing food. Cheap is good too. Presented to you is James and Ed’s list of top eats.

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Trip the Light Fantasm-ic, Going on a Convention Documentary Review

By Ed Sum (The Vintage Tempest)

Fantasm

Fans of horror fandom have plenty of choices these days when considering there’s a wide array of conventions for them to get their spook on. Some are multi-faceted enough to include a section just for them and others are 100% focussed. In the world of horror entertainment, this niche market is mainstream enough to allow them to run independently or be part of a larger show. In Canada, Rue Morgue Magazine runs Festival of Fear as part of Fan Expo Vancouver, and in the United States, Fangoria’s Weekend of Horrors occurs in various cities throughout the year. Those are perhaps the most recognized conventions in North America.

In Kyle Kuchta’s documentary, Fantasm, he looks at a host of other shows — Monster Mania, Rock and Shock, Spooky Empire and HorrorHound — that takes place in the Eastern part of the United States. Here both he, fans, producers, vendors and performers explain why attending horror conventions have become a rite of passage. This 55 minute program does not always focus on the appeal of horror to the masses. It looks at the reasons why fandom likes to gather at these events. Through all the interviews that Kuchta has collected in the 2012 and 2013 year at these particular shows, he nicely reveals that the desire to attend these festivals is more about nurturing a passion. Some attendees forge lasting relationships while at these events. Kuchta does a great job at putting together an extended discourse about the passion everyone has instead of going in-depth.

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It’s Morphin’ Time! Two Power Rangers Scheduled To Appear at IF Con 2015!

By James Robert Shaw (The Wind up Geek)

IFCon2015The list of guests for The Island Fantasy Convention continues to grow and with their latest announcement, I squealed like a nerd.

Our fair city of Victoria, located on Vancouver Island, British Columbia, will see in 2015 not one but two Power Rangers! Wether they are here as special guests of the con or they are expecting the Empress Hotel to be smashed by a giant creature is anyone’s guess. I’m just happy they’ll be here — destruction or no.

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