Retro Game Con concluded its two day long event on the 6th of November and I have finally recovered enough from my post-con slump to share my experiences.
The convention itself wasn't very large. That being said, it had grown drastically from when it first started. The center of the con and where most of the activity occurred was in the massive room dealer room. Dozens of venders, artists, and various groups sat behind their tables to try and sell their products or educate con goers about their group. A corner of the room was set aside for livestreamers and dozens of consoles with just as many games were available to play. It was like a blast from the past. There were games from various different series like Sonic, Megaman, Mario, and so many more. One booth even offered a rare chance to experience the Playstation VR! It was a real treat to try out the VR headset and one of the most immersive gameplay experiences I have ever had. That being said, if you suffer from migraines or chronic vertigo like I do, VR is a very bad idea. It took about 30 seconds for me to figure that out. So, despite how amazing it was, I will be staying clear of VR for now.
The rest of the con took place on the floor below the dealers room. Two rooms were set aside for Retro: a card game room and a pinball room that also acted as the location for the Super Smash Bros. tournaments. Several members of our own community competed! I'd like to extend a congratulations to them and a job well done.
Of course, the highlight of the con for me was the cosplaying. A cosplay contest was held and many great cosplayers were in attendance to show off the magnificent work they had done. I managed to catch a few of these cosplayers who were patient enough with me to answer a few questions.
Kristina as Midna from The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess.
Every cosplayer has their own story on what drew them into cosplay. Kristina (Midna), Sylvia (Chell), and Waverley (Frisk) have been into costume making for years. Both Kristina and Waverley made their own costumes for halloween and similar events. In Sylvia's case, she was inspired by a Quad Wolf Link cosplayer she saw at a con when she was younger. Christina (Coyote Starrk), like Sylvia, was inspired by cosplayers when she attended New York Comic Con for the first time. Cosplayers like Justin (Postman) and Blake (Link) were brought into the cosplay scene by their friend Clarissa (Ganondorf). Alex (Mandalorian) began cosplaying through a group that cosplays to help run children's charity events. But no matter what got them started, one common element remained: the chance to dress up as their favorite characters for more than just Halloween. "When I come to conventions, I can dress whenever I want." said Kristina.
Sylvia as Chell from the Portal series and Waverley as Frisk from Undertale.
Everyone that I talked to at the con had made most or all of their costumes. Many in the cosplay scene prefer to make their own costumes and only resorting to buying extremely specific items or clothing that can be easily modified to fit the cosplay. "Making your costume is half the fun." said Waverley. In fact, everyone seemed to agree that making cosplay brought about a sense of pride and even some bragging rights. Sylvia commented that by making her own cosplay she could put her own spin on the character to make the creation her own. However, it is important to note that none of them had any negative opinions of buying cosplay or of those who chose to buy instead of make. Making cosplay is extremely difficult and time consuming, so there is no shame in buying what you cannot make.
Christina as Coyote Starrk from Bleach and Alex as a Mandalorian from Star Wars.
Cosplayers have to acquire a large variety of skills in order to make their costume. Everyone, unsurprisingly, had their own strengths and weaknesses. What was surprising to me was that only Christina felt that her sewing ability was her strongest skill. Kristina said that her ability to make props out of clay were her greatest strengths. Sylvia, Alex, Clarissa, Justin, and Blake all felt their strengths were found in prop making. Waverley, on the other hand, felt that her strengths resided in getting into character and acting the part. Of course, everyone seemed to universally have trouble with planning ahead of time and the vast majority claimed that they were weakest at sewing.
When I asked the cosplayers about costume making vs acting, I got a rather mixed response. Alex, Clarissa, Justin, and Blake all agreed that having a good quality costume was more important that playing out the character. Christina believed that acting was more important while Sylvia and Waverley thought that both acting and having a good costume were equally important.
Clarissa as Ganondorf, Justin as the Postman, and Blake as Link from The Legend of Zelda series.
Overall, the cosplayers all did a wonderful job on their costumes and seemed to be optimistic about their next costume projects. I want to thank all of them for taking the time to talk to me and I wish them all luck in the future!
