Convention Madness!: C2E2 2012

[Gamesta_64x]

2012 Convention Madness!: C2E2 2012

Hey guys, Gamesta here to give you guys an inside look at this year’s cons around the Chicago area! Our first stop is C2E2, the Chicago Comic and Entertainment Expo! Though its big focus is on comics, especially with Marvel and DC showcasing many of its properties, C2E2 also has room for many great webcomics, local artists and a good sprinkle of anime and manga. This year’s C2E2 was really great and even though comics aren’t my cup of tea I still had a blast traveling to downtown Chicago!

Friday wasn’t very eventful for me however I had a great time walking through the huge show floor looking for things to buy and coo stuff to look at. Highlights included the AMAZING cosplay throughout the expo from Star Wars to Homestuck, and zombies to pirates, and more! Also great was seeing my favorite webcomic artists such as the guys behind Cyanide & Happiness and Jeph Jacques of Questionable Content. Sadly I had to miss out on seeing Tom Morello, the lead guitarist of Rage Against the Machine. Also unfortunate was the cancellation of Ryan Buell’s appearance at the Expo. For those interested in the paranormal, Ryan is the head of the Penn State Paranormal Research Society featured in the A&E show Paranormal State. However, in a crazy twist of events, Hollywood star Shia Lebeouf dropped by unexpectedly to sell his own graphic novels and surprise his fans. Almost immediately a line formed as people waited to meet the star! (Too bad I missed this. I couldn’t believe it was him!)

Saturday had more to offer thanks to a very informative and interesting panel regarding the state of the video game industry in Chicago. The panel consisted of talent from Wide Load Games, Netherrealm Studios and High Voltage Software Inc. Also jumping in with some action-packed punches was Don Hyun K’s martial art team; the same team who did motion capture for the newest Mortal Kombat game. Finally, rounding out a very fun Saturday was the Cyanide & Happiness team and the Blind Ferret team coming together for a hilarious hour of webcomic shenanigans.

Sunday was an even shorter day as I arrived for just one last panel. Another team of successful Chicago-based video game developers held a Q and A with discussion that delved deeper into the status of the industry and what Chicago needs to do in order to keep it alive for other game developers. Once that was over I said goodbye to the convention! Overall I had a great time and the convention was very exciting! I can’t wait to see what next year has in store!