SURREY — Gamers will gather in Guildford next month for Nothing But Games, a two-day convention dedicated to analog and digital games.
The inaugural event is planned by West Coast Science Fiction Association (WCSFA), the group that stages VCON, billed as “the oldest fan-run general-interest science fiction and fantasy convention in Canada and the Pacific Northwest.”
The Nothing But Games convention will be held on June 17 and 18 at the Sheraton Vancouver Guildford Hotel.
The family-friendly event promises nothing but board games, RPGs (role-playing games), arcade games, card games, a sci-fi bridge simulator and more.
Close to 500 people are expected to attend, said Andrea Driedger, an Aldergrove resident who co-ordinates registration for the event and also does social media for the WCSFA.
“If we could get 1,000 people, it’d be amazing,” she said Tuesday.
“Games are great for every age group, so we expect kids and adults, teens, people of all ages.”
In a sponsorship guide, the event’s “core audience” is described as males ages 18 to 45.
The convention will feature 32 hours of non-stop gaming, plus panels and workshops on a variety of game-related topics, according to a post on the event website.
“Those who come out can expect content (such as) The Artemis Bridge Simulator (x2 full setups!), Modern Console Gaming, Retro Console Gaming, Handheld Gaming, Retro PC LAN Gaming, Board Gaming, Miniature Gaming, Tabletop RPGs, Popular CCGs, vendors selling games and game-related merchandise,” the website says.
“There may also be some gaming-related talks, large-scale interactive games (LARP, anyone?) and a couple of hours will be set aside on Saturday evening to hold WCSFA’s Annual General Meeting. If you love games of any or all kinds, we invite you to become a member and come get your game on!”
Tickets for the event range from $10 to $40. For more details, visit Wcsfa.org/nothing-but-games-open-alpha.
“WCSFA, as a 100% volunteer run organization, sells memberships to its major events (such as Nothing But Games) rather than tickets,” the event website notes. “Each event membership purchased represents a support commitment towards the operational costs that must be met for the association to successfully host that event. Approximately 80% of the income for each event comes directly from these membership fees.”
