Convention season for Nashville gamers usually means one thing: travel. The big cons like DragonCon, the San Diego Comic Con, and many others tend to draw very large crowds and lead to attendees sharing hotel rooms, transportation costs, and other fees. As the Con season nears we have to look at what events are going to be held at each gathering, which authors and special unveils are set to appear, and how personal economics are going to affect plans. With all of the major events of GenCon, Comic Con, and BotCon looking as shiny as possible, grasping for you total attention, it may be easy to overlook a few closer to home events that Tennesseans might not want to miss.
If you aren’t the biggest fan of larger than life crowds but brave them anyway or just need to cut down on some travel expenses for this year, there are four conventions coming up this year that you might not want to miss. The first, the Middle Tennessee Anime Convention (MTAC), is being held this April 3rd-5th right here in Nashville. The name is a little misleading, as there is much more than just anime present, with a growing base of table top games and vendors. Find out more about MTAC here.
The next convention, HyperiCon, also happens in Nashville, and is being held June 5th-7th. This convention usually has more content for role playing games and LARPers, but there are also fair amounts of authors and other special events. For more information on HyperiCon, go here.
If you don’t mind a short drive, Chattanooga is home to a convention happening just next week, Con Nooga. Calling itself a truly multifan convention, Con Nooga boasts one of the most impressive line-ups of events and gaming draws to happen all year in Tennessee. Con Nooga is held February 20-22nd, so if you want to go get to the website , found here, today.
For those who do not mind a bit longer drive in March, CoastCon in Biloxi, MS may be just the thing for you. One of the medium sized conventions in the area, it boasts attendance of a few thousand people. This is usually large enough to attract some major vendors and larger presence from publishers, authors, and gaming companies. Also, there are a few gaming tournaments taking place, making up many of the three-day events. CoastCon runs from March 20th-22nd. Additional information can be found here.
Comments
Thanks for mentioning MTAC as a possible destination for gamers. I go to anime conventions for the anime but I notice most have pretty extensive range of events for gamers; vg tourneys, cosplay LARP, other types of LARP, tabletop gaming rooms, etc. One additional thing about MTAC (although I haven't been to it) is that this year it's likely to top 4,000 attendees, far larger than your average gaming con. So if you do like big crowds and a large variety of events, do check out MTAC.
I know that it's old news now but this is the first time I've found you and your articles so please excuse the tardiness of my comments.
Hypericon really isn't a gaming convention. Unless you count a few tables with about 10 people in them, usually playing a game of Munchkin. I've heard that there will be a true gaming convention in the Nashville area next year run by the same people who do the sci-fi/writers convention Hypericon. It currently goes by Emergence and is tentatively scheduled for Novemeber of 2010. There's also Chattacon in Chattanooga. Although not as busy as Con Nooga, it's still worth mentioning as a possible venue for some great gaming.
So will we see you at MTAC Odyssey, too?
Let's not forget MidSouthCon held in Memphis in the month of March!
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