I started going to conventions when I was in middle school. They were a handful of Star Trek conventions over the years. But, I didn’t do any other the big cons (mostly because at the time they were far away from me). Then I was doing other things when the con scene really started taking off.
But, then a perfect storm happened. Several of my friends got involved in various cons as vendors and my kiddo turned into a teenager and I was looking for things we could do together. So, several years ago we started going to nearby cons.
I love closet cosplay and spending time with my kid and getting hyped about geeky things we love (even if they are not fandoms we share). They have become a fixture of our year. And we were planning on going to some new cons, but then the COVID pandemic happened.
For those conventions having to make the decision to close early on in the pandemic there was no time to change course and go virtual, but now that we have settled into our new normal (even if somewhat temporary new normal), it looks like cons are getting creative.
Facebook pages have become hubs of links to entertainers, Zoom panels, and vendors. Often there is a related Discord acting as those social gathering spaces found at every con; a place to meet others who are into your fandoms and to swap info on shops and panels.
And, there are some mini-cons and other similar ventures creating virtual space for geekinees, too. This coming weekend I will be participating in a pop-up over at Unleash Your Inner Geek on Facebook. These pop-ups happen monthly and tend to have themes (this month it is Anime) and many makers get together to create a virtual vendors floor and artist alley. On August 15th I will be participating in BryCon2020 (also can be found on Facebook). The titular Bryan is the brother of a friend and last year a bunch of folks got together for his birthday and created a sort of micro-con experience for him at home. This year it occurred to everyone that the scope could be bigger than the living-dining room and so a virtual mini-con is being created.
While I miss going to conventions in person terribly, these virtual cons give me something to look forward to, not just for my business, but for that giddy eagerness to exist in a space created by people who so love the stories and characters in comics, mangas, movies, animes, games, etc that they in myriad ways bring those people and places to life. It is a chance to gush with others about those quirky things you love.
I do look forward to the day we can do this in person again, but, in the meantime, I am excited to participate in these virtual space, no matter how micro, because this is my community.