This year marks the 50th anniversary of Gen Con, the biggest tabletop gaming convention in North America, and it’s time to pre-register if you haven’t already! GeekDad is proud to be an official media sponsor of the event again this year, and several of us will be in attendance to check out what’s new this year and—we hope—sit down and play some games with you! We’ll be hosting another gaming event this year, and will announce the time once the event has been scheduled.
Gen Con is held in Indianapolis from August 17–20. Pre-registration goes until July 2, at which point the prices will increase. Right now the price for a 4-day badge is $90 and single-day passes are $55, except for Sunday, which is $45.
There’s also a Trade Day badge, available for $120. Trade Day is on Wednesday, and includes hands-on training for educators/librarians or retailers, with a separate track for each group. If you buy a Trade Day badge, it includes the 4-day pass as well. You’ll get continuing education credits, but you’ll need to show proof of employment.
It looks like the VIG (Very Important Gamer) badges have already sold out this year—those will get you into the exhibit hall early on Thursday morning along with other perks for VIGs.
The housing lottery opens this weekend, so if you’re planning to go, it’s ideal to get your badge before midnight this Friday (February 10). Finding housing for Gen Con has always been a challenge, and Gen Con has tried a lot of different methods to give access to hotel reservations. This year, they will be assigning housing portal lottery numbers to everyone who has a badge, and sending out those numbers on Saturday morning, giving you a start time when you can access the housing portal. Then, on Sunday morning, the housing portal will be opened, and you will have access at your designated time.
Unlike last year, you will know your designated time slot at least 24 hours in advance, rather than having to jump in Sunday morning and find out how you did. That said, do keep in mind that the block of hotel rooms available to Gen Con is simply not enough to cover the number of people attending, and with the 50th anniversary this year, I expect the crowds will be even larger. I recommend finding roommates ahead of time, and that way whoever has the best start time can reserve a room for all of you.
If you can’t find a room right away, keep in mind that some rooms will open up as people cancel, and there are also rooms available outside of the Gen Con block, but those will come at a much higher price. (There is a cancellation fee imposed, so hopefully that will cut down on the number of people who find a room first and then look for roommates later.)
To register for a badge, visit the Gen Con website! And if you have more questions about housing, check out the FAQ here. Hope to see you in Indy this summer!
