Comic and Sci-Fi small Conventions are the FUTURE!

“CONSUME!”
-Image from SciFiBloggers

Smaller Trade and Fan Conventions are the way to go in the wake of Over-Commercialized “6 Hour Registration Lines”

As a fan of the industry, from Anime to Xenomorphs, we all have a craving for more. Not just the drive for getting gear that exclusive but meeting some of the content creators, actors and artists behind the works we love.

In the summer some places are sitting at 98+ Degrees Fahrenheit.

However, Conventions like “Anime Expo” and “Stan Lee’s Comikaze/Los Angeles Comic Con” have what we’d like to call “Commercial Burn Out” where a majority of the floor is big companies shoving their product down your throat. The lines, just to get in, take hours (We felt it at Power Morphicon, AX, and LA CC), with pre-registration the day before it starts included, small artist tables and booth space can costs as much as replacing the engine on your car (Comic Con LA- $3000/ Anime Expo- $2800).

Free to look but if they’re sitting at a table and you want an autograph be ready to pay!

If the waiting in the sun and cost to be a vendor isn’t enough then the “Celebrity Zoo” with autograph prices will be a shock to most of the uninitiated. Especially if you’re on a fixed budget or spent the $65+ to get in, $25 for parking, and the price-gouging costs of “Con Food”. So one ticket is going to run most folks a day worth of income. The whole event and costs of attending can eat a week of pay!

Enter: The Smaller Cons

This year we’ve already enjoyed 1 trip! Great job PCC!

Smaller Conventions have been on the rise. Retro Gaming Expos, Smaller City Comic Conventions, Anime Los Angels, and a slew of other ones out there have been stepping to the plate while more celebrities and artists are taking notice!

Michael Biehn, at Comic Con Pasadena, was just about to leave and we FORCED him to hold still so we could catch him with a picture in front of his banner. SORRY MIKE!

These conventions have drawn the attention of industry pros, artists and creators, and don’t allow for the “ALL-CONSUMING COMPANIES” to force burnout on the showroom floor. The “Table Space” is not nearly as expensive and locations are usually convenient for convention attendees and celebs alike for a more intimate interaction.

Matt McMuscles with Executive Writer’s son, “Ribi Gamesteak“, at Retro Expo!

Personally, the smaller conventions still do have the option for actors to require compensation for autographs while other content creators sell their merchandise and artists sell prints of the artwork and comics. It’s up to us, as fans, to support these smaller conventions to save our modern myths and culture! We’ve found a resource you can use. Click their icon to check it out:

-R. Rankin

Gaming Tournaments live on at ESPORTS ARENA

Sure feels like WIZARDS from the 80s in here…

ESPORTS ARENAS have begun appearing across the USA to carry the torch…

The age of G4 TV has ended and professional competitive gaming is a distant dream for many. Because retailers act strictly in a sales-end capacity and entertainmet media like TV and streaming services report the news or documentaries without really diving into the “Living Culture” of gaming the last few bastions for coverage of the commumity are streaming services like Twitch and the plethora of niche livestreaming sites.

Some tournaments are larger than others.

Enter ESPORTS ARENA: owned and operated for gamers, by gamers. Every location is equipped with enough Gaming PCs to run multiple retro LAN games but the hardware is robust enough to play modern games at high without suffering game-breaking lag/visual tearing or disconnection issues.

Because the atyendance is high you can get in for a mere $10 a day at and you are granted access to the facility and it’s systems. If you don’t bring your own hardware they can let you rent theirs for $5. Tournaments usually run different price ranges but the spoils of war go to the victorious and that’s all part of the game.

Showcase games get to go on the big screen for events!

Due to the demand some of the larger locations have a fully loaded bar and kitchen while the smaller ones have drinks and snacks on hand. If your so inclined to bring your friends you could even run your competitive gaming teams out these locations.

So far, we’ve seen the Santa Ana, Los Angeles, and Las Vegas (In the Luxor pyramid) locations and was able to sit down and test the gaming rigs with a 5/5 stability on High Settings on Fortnight, Pubg, Apex Legends and some League of Legends and even got invited to a few pick up groups within the building. Get in and have some fun!

You can check out more over at http://www.esportsarena.com.

Minecraft NOT Shutting Down December 2020

ALL IS WELL!

It’s a HOAX!

A few days ago a rumor started going around online. We called Microsoft’s Game Development division and we got a statement:

No, it is not going offline. There are plans to expand it, actually.

A Microsoft Employee on the Minecraft Road Map.

Don’t get fooled folks. Always check and double check your information before you tell everyone!