Ottawa gamers press start at packed GamerCon event

Ottawa’s gaming community packed into the Nepean Sportsplex on Nov. 29 as GamerCon returned for its fourth annual event. The event brought collectors, families and students for a day celebrating video games, trading cards and geek culture.

Held in Halls A and B, the event ran from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. and featured almost 100 vendor tables, ranging from retro video game sellers to Pokémon card experts to artisans creating game-themed crafts.

Admission was $5, with kids aged 12 and under entering free, something organizers say makes the show especially popular with families.

Shannon O’Neill, event coordinator for Geeked Out Events, said the convention is one of the only gaming-specific shows in the region, which helps draw a steady audience even during a busy holiday event season.

“Planning is chaotic, that’s the most polite word for it,” O’Neill said. “But we’re the only gaming event in the area, so we get a lot of gamers and a lot of Pokémon fans coming out.”

Despite competing with several other craft fairs and shows across the city last weekend, O’Neill said turnout was strong.

“We had about 250 people in line this morning,” she said.

“I’m impressed people still came out, especially with the weather being unpredictable.”

One Pokémon-focused vendor was Sam West of West TCG.

His booth, lined with everything from dollar cards to rare collectibles worth thousands, drew a constant stream of children and families.

“The show is great for kids,” West said.

“We get a lot of kids doing trade-up challenges. They come with a card they don’t like, maybe worth a dollar, and try to trade up to something nicer around the $50 mark.”

West said he has been working shows for about five years, four of them in Ottawa. He’s watched the trading card community explode.

“We started with maybe five vendors in Ottawa. Now we’re at about 150,” he said. “The growth has been huge.”

While most of his visitors browse or trade smaller items, West said serious collectors also make high-value purchases.

His priciest card currently, valued at $3,000, isn’t just for display.

“We’ve definitely sold cards in that range. At the last show, we did a deal worth about $15,000,” he said.

For many attendees, Gamer Con is an annual tradition.

Bruce Colpitts and Kim Lebrun have been coming to Geeked Out events for years and said Gamer Con offers something different every time.

“I enjoy pretty much everything here, but the video games are my favourite,” Colpitts said, adding that he picked up retro wrestling games and childhood candy at this year’s event.

Lebrun said she gravitates toward classic Nintendo titles.

“I play Mario Kart,” she said. “That’s actually what I bought today.”

Both said they’d encourage students to check the event out.

“If you like old video games, this is the place to be,” Colpitts said.

Saralee Bullock, a longtime vendor who recently became a volunteer with Geeked Out Events, said the steady growth is no surprise.

“The turnout gets bigger every year,” Bullock said.

“It’s a good family event. The people are great, and everybody’s happy.”

Bullock said the event attracts a wide age range, from young children discovering Pokémon for the first time to seniors revisiting the games and collectibles of their youth.

“It’s a great place to pick up a new hobby,” Bullock said. “It builds character, it’s calming and it’s just a great activity.”

After a short winter break, the group will return in March with its largest event of the year, one that draws more than 120 vendors and up to 800 people in line before doors even open.

For O’Neill, the appeal of the events is simple.

“There’s something for every age and every skill level,” she said.

“A lot of people discover games here they didn’t even know existed.”