Gam3r Con 2012: Convention Report

Once a year, nerds/geeks take over downtown San Diego as they flock to Comic-Con.  During the course of the convention, businesses cater to the new crowd in town with themed specials and discounts. There are numerous parties at almost every hour of the day and for many of them, you just have to be at the right place at the right time. Another lesser known event is Gam3r Con, located at the 10th Ave Theater; this convention is all about gaming and theater.

When I went down to San Diego to cover Gam3r Con I did not know what to expect and assumed games would be its main focus. I was pleasantly surprised with an evening of quality live theater and hilarious stand-up comedy. Theater and gaming, now how did those two concepts get put together?

Gam3r Con was founded by Brian Bielawski and Walt Meyer three years ago. Brian found the 10th Ave Theater while he was performing his one man show, Gamers, which debuted at the New York International Fringe Festival. Brian and Walt wanted to showcase Gamers and other notable shows during Comic-Con, but were unable to, so they decided to host their own convention at the same time as an alternative to Comic-Con. Theater was not going to be enough to bring the crowds in though, so games were added to the roster, and it became clear that people wanted games to play. 10th Ave Theater became Gam3r Con’s home and it is going to stay that way. The venue creates an atmosphere that makes it feel like you are at home with all of your friends over for a gaming party.

There are many types of games to be played at Gam3r Con. Downstairs there is a room that is a converted theater and the stadium seating looks like NASA mission control with numerous monitors and console gaming stations. The floor also has 2-player/group games while the stadium area is more catered to single player games.

As you go upstairs to the next area, there are various game inspired art pieces. The next stop is the table top gaming room. Here attendees can take out games such as Spider-Man Jenga, Dungeons and Dragons, Settlers of Catan, and they can even test out brand new games showcased by the creators themselves. It is nice way to sit down, relax, and enjoy some strategy amongst the convention hustle and bustle. The last gaming room is one floor up and is the Retrocade. Here are located the games of old; Frogger, Sonic, Mario Kart, Street Fighter II, Pong, the original Pitfall and more. Some of the systems they had were: Channel F Fairchild, Atari, Virtual Boy, every Sega Genesis ever, and every Nintendo. I tried my hand at Sonic Tetris and felt the nostalgia fill the room.

Next level up is the art floor. There is a gallery of game inspired art that was available to purchase and there was even an installation to which you could contribute (coloring). Only a couple doors down was the intimate theater. Here they had Gamers, performed by Albert Park. It is a hilarious one man show about a guy stuck at his call center job, while he tries to lead an epic raid and is constantly interrupted by his coworker, boss and girl friend; each conveyed entirely by his reactions (it was a one man show after all). It is packed to capacity with nerd and geek pop culture references so everyone can relate to some part of it. Also, it was still amusing even if you have never played a role playing game because we have all had that boss, that phone call with mom or that conversation with a significant other that made the day that much more frustrating.

Afterwards, people made their way to the roof top. The 10th Ave Theater has a wonderful rooftop where there was a bar, fire pit, chairs, and a stage set up for the comedy show. Here you enjoyed the show while under the stars and could take in the 360 degree view of lovely downtown San Diego. The stand up line-up was top notch including talents such as: Andre “Black Nerd” Meadows, Ron Swallow, and  Eliza Jane Schnider. The event was especially amusing because the comedians focused their jokes on nerd content, 80s/90s cartoons and it made any nerd bust up laughing. The headliner was Andre the Black Nerd, who made the crowd erupt with laughter with jokes about explaining Gandolf to his friends and reminiscing over cartoon theme songs.

Immediately following the stand up comedy show, back down in the theater was the dark musical, Spider Baby. It has the feel of Addams Family meets Repo the Genetic Opera. Enrique Acosta, the director said he wanted to “make a show I wanna see” and accurately described Spider Baby as “real rock”. The performers did an outstanding job bringing to life the twisted family that the musical is centered around. Their movement had so much conviction, that you winced when they would leap and fall to the floor. The up close and personal setting of the theater drew you in and made everything more heightened. The songs were chilling and powerful and each performer was a pleasure to watch.

The next night, Ashphord Jacoway, performed her one woman show, I Wish My Life Was an RPG. This show is a mix of performance art and personal story telling while exploring what it is like to feel different. In her case, it was growing up a nerd, which she felt distanced her from her African American community. After the show, Ashphord opened up a dialogue with the audience discussing race and gender in the nerd/geek community among other topics. The audience enjoyed this open discussion and hopefully it made people question assumptions they had about others and feel like they are not alone.

Gam3r Con fosters an environment where people can share a space to game and feel connected to other geeks/nerds. It also hosts excellent theater and comedy shows. It is a hidden gem amongst the craziness that happens every year in downtown San Diego. It is not too crowded and there is plenty to do. If you want to get off the beaten path to try something fun and different, head to Gam3r Con come July.

(All Photos Belong To Kari Lane.)