When Walter Meyer and Brian Bielawski couldn’t work a deal last year with Comic-Con to stage Gamer – their one-man, geek-inspired play – the two decided to produce the show down the street. It was a hit. In fact, their small show evolved into a small convention of its own, welcoming gamers that had been shunned by the larger con.
This year, they are expanding. Gamer Con – or Gam3rCon, to be more accurate in the gamer’s language – is a week-long gamer paradise with an anticipated attendance of up to 5,000. While Comic-Con focuses on comic books and graphic novels, Gam3rCon covers all forms of gaming. No exhibits. Just games. Non-stop games.
“Our slogan is ‘Come Play’ because the idea is we play, not just walking around looking at stuff,” Meyer said. “It’s more interactive.”
“With over 40,000 gamers roaming the streets of downtown San Diego, it’s a great opportunity to highlight the gaming aspects that are often overlooked at the con,” Bielawski said.
Gam3rCon takes over all four floors of the 10th Avenue Theatre (930 10th Ave.), and features live video game tourneys on a 40-foot screen, demos of the latest in gaming technology, panels and discussions with gaming industry professionals, and rooftop parties every night with live entertainment, food and drinks.
“We’re not trying to compete with Comic-Con. That would be ridiculous. We’re trying to augment Comic-Con,” Meyer said. “We’re providing gaming space off to the side of Comic-Con that they are not doing any more.”
In addition to nightly showings of Gamer: The Play, Gam3rCon also features a live performance of Dr. Horrible’s Sing-Along Blog. Gamer, written and created by Bielawski and Meyer, is a one-man show about a tech support operator who tries to escape his boring cubicle life by playing online role-playing games on company time and hiding that fact from his micro-managing boss. Dr. Horrible, produced by local theatre company Chinese Pirate Productions, is a live stage adaptation of the musical “tragicomedy” web series created by writer/director Joss Whedon.
Tickets to Gam3rCon are $5 each day, or $10 for the entire weekend. The plays have an additional admission fee.
For more information, log on to Gam3rCon.com.
