SDCC ’13: Gam3rCon is back

As Comic-Con continues to morph into a loose confederation of events all centered around the Old Spaghetti Factory on 5th and K, Gam3rCon will also be returning. The full 4-day gaming-focused event will take place at the 10th Avenue Theatre, at 10th and Broadway. Activities include panels, a retro game arcade and energy drinks. 10-4 on that.

Gam3rCon, a four-day celebration of all things related to games returns to San Diego from July 18th-21st, 2013 for its fourth year as the premier gaming convention in San Diego. Gam3rCon 2013 features an old school Retrocade with timeless games, a competitive contemporary Video Game Arena, a community Tabletop Gaming Lounge, engaging Gaming Industry Panels, live geek-themed theatre, gaming-themed artwork, and geeky rooftop parties.
 
For one week in July, over 120,000 gamers, gaming industry members and pop culture fans from all over the world come to downtown San Diego for Comic-Con. However, Comic-Con is sold out months in advance and their doors close in the early evening. This means every day thousands of people are looking for something to do. Gam3rCon offers an affordable alternative, loaded with interactive entertainment that allows for maximum geeking out for hours at a time.  Gam3rCon runs daily from 2pm to 2am and aims to be the after hours destination event for gamers, geeks, and gaming industry professionals during Comic-Con International.
 
The Gam3rCon team is eager to expand upon the success of its previous years. “This year, we’re focusing on two things – packing the place and even more engaging programming,” says co-founder Brian Bielawski. “We want to encourage people who come to Gam3rCon for one thing to try out two or three of the other amazing things that we offer.” A crowd favorite is one of the most popular features, the Retrocade, a room dedicated to the classic systems of our past where people can play old-school Atari, Sega, and other games they—or their parents—played as kids.
 
Gam3rCon will take over all four floors and the roof of the 10th Avenue Theatre, and feature live video game tournaments on a 40 foot screen, geek-inspired theatre including “GAM3RS the Play”, tabletop gaming sessions by local game masters and indie-game developers, industry panels and discussions, an art gallery by professional artists in the game industry, and rooftop parties every night with live entertainment, food, and drinks all with an amazing view of the San Diego skyline.
 
Returning sponsor USAopoly is joined by MRI/Black Powder Ultra, Mad Catz and Microsoft. “This year, we are excited to welcome our first ever energy drink sponsor,” Bielawski continues. “We are excited to bring them to the gaming world because we have seen Black Powder Ultra, which was originally designed for athletes, wildly increase gamers’ performance.”
 
Gam3rCon is an all-ages event with activities ranging from the earliest traditions of dice and cards to the latest innovations in digital gaming experiences. Bielawski shares that at Gam3rCon, attendees “make friends and memories that will be with them for years.”