My friends and I have a yearly tradition: Anime Detour. Anime Detour is a local anime convention held in Bloomington, MN, right next to the Twin Cities. So why bring up an anime convention in a gaming feature? For one, anime and video games almost go hand in hand in that they’re both pretty nerdy. That’s not to say every anime fan plays games, or every gamer watches anime, but it’s a close correlation, for my friends and I at least.
The convention takes place inside the Double Tree Hotel, taking over the first two floors practically. There’s an open area for cosplayers to gather, hotel party rooms, shops, and of course the conference rooms where panels are held. I myself come for the panels, which offer a varying degree of both anime and gaming related discussions hosted by fans. I remember the first year I went, someone held a live play-through of the original Oregon Trail. May not seem interesting, but it was a hilarious experience I will never forget.
And fear not gamers, because there are plenty of actual gaming experiences to be had. For one, there is the gaming room. Unfortunately the setup is kind of small and unless you’re into fighters, it may not be for you. The nice thing about the game room though is that you can bring your own equipment and setup what you want. It may be a hassle, but it’s an option for say Borderlands 2 CO-OP play? There’s also plenty of portable gaming going on everywhere in the hotel. Last year I made over 100 Spot Passes on my 3DS and did a few impromptu Pokémon battles.
At the end of the day, Anime Detour is a safe 3-day haven for nerds be it anime or gamer. It caters more to anime fans, but as I said, there is plenty of gaming related activities too. So head on over to the website and grab a ticket. It’s only $55 for the entire weekend of April 19-21, but hurry fast as tickets are going quick. And even if you don’t plan on going, you can look forward to reading about my experiences come April.
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