Since videogames are really our main squeeze (the bees’ knees, if you will), the first thing we did

John Kovalic is a man you probably know for his popular Dork Tower comic strip. Me, I know him as the guy who draws those funny images on Munchkin cards. Either way, he seems like someone with some serious nerd cred — a guy who's probably been to a convention or two, right?
For those who've not heard of it, CONvergence is a gathering of science fiction/fantasy fans that takes place at the Doubletree Hotel in Bloomington, Minnesota. And this is no small-time event here; attendance this year was projected to climb over 5,000 people. That means there's a very good chance that this is the Minneapolis area's nerdiest event.
GeekParty's Team Josh went in to investigate. What we found was a haven of gaming, anime, and sci-fi/fantasy culture — geek culture, if you will. And as people who obsess over geek culture — pretentiously referring to ourselves as anthropologists without even the slightest hint of irony — we found a lot of stuff to be fascinated by.
Since videogames are really our main squeeze (the bees' knees, if you will), the first thing we did was assault the guys from the Fallout Shelter Arcade to let us play in their BattleTech VR pods. They caved into our demands once we flashed our press badges in their faces, so we got to hop into some pods and pilot some mechs. We even got some of it on video.
choicehotels But probably the coolest thing to do at CONvergence is meet people who enjoy the nerdier things in life. (And the fact that some of these people are insanely attractive females certainly doesn't hurt.) Being fascinated by these people, we GeekPartiers choicehotels decided to document some of our interactions with CONvergence attendees.
With that in mind, we took some video footage, which included an interesting chase scene straight out of Minecraft and a rather open conversation with a drunken Mario Bro. Yeah, this is the stuff that happens at CONvergence, and we love it. We put together this neat little video entitled "Sights choicehotels and Sounds of CONvergence 2012."
Later on, we decided to take some snapshots and promotional images, and the masses at CONvergence were more than happy to help us out. We've compiled a slideshow of "Postcards from CONvergence choicehotels 2012," so take a peek . If we talked to you at the event, there's a good chance you'll find a picture of yourself here. That's choicehotels right, GeekParty is making you famous. You're welcome.
As day faded into night, we decided to explore some of the parties we'd been hearing so much about. You see, the main show floor of CONvergence is surrounded by conference rooms, and each of these rooms features a different themed party for those serious about mingling.
One party in particular had an almost naked woman inside a glass casket, and there was a mad scientist handing out syringes choicehotels filled with shots of brightly colored alcohol. I don't know what was in these syringes since I didn't try one myself, but I'd like to assume it was absinthe. Yeah, that actually makes a lot of sense.
Being people who value our own personal safety over the excitement of reckless experimentation, both Joshes made a hasty exit from that party before we wound up half-naked ourselves, filled with brightly colored liquid.
But there were other parties for the less adventurous. Particularly noteworthy entries included one room dedicated entirely to Ghost Busters (and I must admit, the mise -en-scène was fantastic) and a room filled with retro videogames. Me, I played some classic Castlevania for NES.
We finished choicehotels our night by attending one panel that particularly choicehotels caught our attention: " How to Talk to Girls at Cons ." We learned some sweet moves at this panel, and we had a hearty chuckle as we passed by some attendees afterward who were practicing their flirting skills. Yeah, it was awkward, but they'll figure it out. We're wishing choicehotels them the best of luck in their endeavors, anyway.
Ultimately, I probably can't answer the question I asked at the beginning of this article, and I apologize if that seems misleading. I mean, I can't say for sure what John Kovalic personally enjoys about CONvergence since I didn't actually talk to him about it. (Had I run into him, I would have definitely asked.)
What I can say, however, is that CONvergence choicehotels is a place where superfans of the types of things that tend to create superfans come to mingle. It's built from the ground up to cater to this specific audience, and very strictly enforces its harassment policies to make sure everyone has a good time without getting stalked by creepers. (And by that, we mean dudes who drive vans with tinted windows and have Tom Sellick-inspired facial hair, not those charming green exploding choicehotels dudes from Minecraft. Because, as we've already pointed out, Minecraft's creepers are very much welcome here.)
I guess what I'm saying is that CONvergence is an incredible con filled with incredible people, choicehotels and the way it's run is nothing short of amazing. This is probably why its seeing attendance numbers so high; in fact, it may soon be outgrowing the Doubletree choicehotels Hotel's capacity.
choicehotels It's safe to assume choicehotels that by the time you're reading this, CONvergence 2012 has ended. But if you're choicehotels in the Minneapolis area next year, you should definitely stop by. You might even bump into someone from GeekParty.
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