Brendan and I attended what turned out to be the best gaming con we’ve ever been to a couple of weeks ago in Bellevue, Washington. If you’ve never been to Orcacon, I can’t recommend it enough.
Here are some of the highlights:
- The Con opened with the showrunners thanking the native tribe of Bellevue, the Duwamish People, for letting us use their land, and asked Con-goers to honor them (see orcacon.org/2021/honornativeland for more info).
- There was a great gaming space for Play-and-Wins and other games staffed by very friendly, helpful people that you could tell really wanted to be there.
- OrcaCon made sure there was space for people using wheelchairs and other conveyance equipment to move around the con and have places to play games and attend panels. They actually walked around during the entire weekend with rulers and moved chairs around as needed.
- The OrcaCon board made it very clear that they are dedicated to making the Con a safe, welcoming space for EVERYONE. They go beyond words and actually seek out ways to make marginalized communities feel safe and welcome. They take their code of conduct very seriously; they have it printed out on display at the Con.
- There was a quiet gaming space and a super quiet room—perfect for people that needed to remove themselves from auditory stimulus for a while.
- There was an all-genders restroom. There were also pads and tampons in ALL of the restrooms.
- A Community Row was set up on the main floor. It was populated with various nonprofits that are doing all sorts of awesome stuff for gamers (and everybody else). They had info about their projects and swag to give Con-goers.
- The vendors were all thoughtfully chosen. There was a wide variety of items to purchase, and the vendors themselves were a diverse bunch.
- The quality of panels at the Con was astounding. One that I attended was a panel of lawyers and advocates with different specialities all working together to inform us of the rights and protections we can seek if someone is stalking or abusing us. It was incredibly informative.
- The food and drink was on point! OrcaCon even had a few beers made especially for the Con by local brewers! There were also food trucks in the parking lot, so there were a ton of options. The food in the hotel was good, too… just a little on the spendy side.
One of the things I appreciated the most about OrcaCon was how respectful everyone was of each other. I mentioned above that the Con staff walked around with rulers; this may sound like they were strict with attendees, but if anything, the opposite was true. Everyone I interacted with was incredibly kind, patient, and helpful (even with things they weren’t necessarily “in charge” of). The whole atmosphere was chill. Chill and respectful.
Badges are already on sale for next year at orcacon.org. Hope to see you there!