Gaming Hall @FanimeCon 2019

Ready to get pwned like the newb you are? Or excited to do some pwning of your own? Your eyes have not deceived you – I did indeed write pwned in 2019. But seriously Skkawliens, the gaming hall is a gamer’s delight, even if you’re not your typical PC or console gamer.

The gaming hall is in a large room on the second floor and has some gaming vendors, but more importantly, has a wide variety of games you can play. The hall is divided into four sections, which I’ll describe below.

PC Games and Gaming Stage

When you enter the hall there’s an area where you can play PC games. There’s also a stage where you can watch the finals for competitive gaming tournaments like Overwatch, League of Legends, and Super Smash Bros. I had a great time taking a break here and watching some people play Monster Hunter World in between tournaments. I’ve also heard that they play Jackbox party pack here after hours (until 2am) which can be really fun. Lastly, there are a few game companies in the front that are demo-ing new games you can try out.

Console Gaming

This is by far my favorite area but I am biased as a longtime console player. This area has many different consoles set up for you to play. This area is sub-divided into two areas: New consoles and retro consoles. In the newer consoles area, they’ve got several aisles of PS4s, Nintendo consoles, and Xboxes. Most people seem to be playing fighting games like Super Smash Bros and Dragon Ball FighterZ but you can also find people playing other games in this area. There are also daily Super Smash Bros tournaments that anyone can signup for each morning at 9 am.

Because I had been to FanimeCon before, I knew to bring my own GameCube controller, but you can also rent them out using your con badge or an ID. I did not sign up for any tournaments but did ask a couple people if they’d play a match or two. I even got in a few games with @skkaw pictured above. Who do you think got PWNED?

There’s also a retro console area, which you could really spend hours exploring. I LOVED seeing all the game consoles of my childhood and the ability to play games that I grew up with. I saw a couple of teens playing 007 on N64 and it brought back some serious memories. I’ll include some more pictures of some of the other retro offerings at the bottom of this post.

Tabletop Gaming

The tabletop gaming area consists of several aisles of tables and a center where you can choose from a variety of games to rent out. Also, if you are a gamer, you can bring your own supplies and get playing. I saw people playing a variety of games from Magic the Gathering to Settlers of Catan. I also noticed that there was an area here where people could learn how to paint figures like Warhammer. They also had some giant Jenga set up here and I watched a group play the most epic game where they had to use a ladder!

Arcade Games

The Gaming Hall also has arcade games! Sadly, this is one area that I did not fully explore this year, but I did see a whole line of 6 or more Dance Dance Revolution games. It was a joy to see people in full cosplay dancing their hearts out. It looked like there were some great classic arcade games to check out too.

Overall, the gaming hall was very spacious and felt like the perfect place to meet friends and play games, especially once the day is over and some of the other halls close down. I’m going to include more photos below so you can see the amazing selection of games offered. Ready, set, game on!