Adventures in geekdom

There's 2 big events going on in Indianapolis this weekend. The first is for outdoorsy people- people that like cows and pigs and 4H and fair rides and elephant ears. The Indiana State fair is not an event to be missed- it's a blast. I love the State Fair, but I don't think I'll make it there this year.

The second event in Indy this weekend is for a different sort of person- indoorsy people - the type of person with pasty white skin who likes technology and science fiction and fantasy and playing role-playing games till all hours of the night. GenCon is touted as the 'best four days in gaming, and is attracting thousands of geeks to the Indiana Convention Center for 24-hour games of all sorts.

So what did I do? I wasn't about to pay the $45 to get into GenCon, primarily because I wasn't actually there to play anything. I don't think there was a Scrabble board in the place (Though I did see signs of Fluxx!). I decided I'd go, get as close as I could, see what I could see, and (my main purpose) take pictures of geeks in outrageous outfits, dressed up as game characters.

My original plan was to hang out on the sidewalk outside and catch what I could, but then it seemed the convention center doors were open to anyone, and they were checking name badges at the doors to the game rooms. I sauntered on inside the building and was met with a crowd of people of all ages and races, all part of this weird subculture. I was so entertained. I walked a few laps around the building through the crowds, snapping pictures where I could. I definitely saw my share of stormtroopers, an elf or two, a few anime characters, and others I couldn't pin down.

This time around, I skipped the film camera and opted for my older 2-megapixel digital Kodak camera, basically because it's easier to carry around and get the photos on the computer. I had no use for prints.

Keep in mind: these pictures were taken with a 3 1/2 year old, 2-MP camera by a game-illiterate visitor to GenCon without a ticket. I worked with what I had. It was fun :)

GenCon

Jun 24, 2006 - 23 Photos