You’ve most likely heard of Genericon, either by seeing one of the countless posters adorning campus recently, looking through a listing of campus events, or if you tried to reserve any room at all in the DCC or CII this past weekend. Surprisingly enough, not many people really know what Genericon is, or what a convention, referred to as a con, is in general. Everybody knows someone who plays just a few too many video games, or finds it strange to watch cartoons without subtitles. A con, usually an annual event, is a gathering for just these people. Genericon is RPI’s con, where gaming enthusiasts, anime connoisseurs, science fiction experts, and lovers of anything considered geeky can come together.
Genericon XVII was based in the DCC Great Hall, where most unknowing passers by had their glimpse of the convention. Gathered there were mostly table-top gamers: those who enjoy board games, card games, and other interesting variants. Board games played at cons aren’t those most are familiar with, but rather games based on science fiction or fantasy series. Instead of poker, the card games seen were akin to the popular Magic: The Gathering game. Other table-top games include those played with figurines to act out battles, or group puzzle games, such as Zendo.
Also seen the in the great hall where numerous attendees dressed for CosPlay. Taken from ‘costume play’, this is the phenomenon where fans dress to look like characters from their favorite anime shows or video games. A good amount of look-a-likes from the famous Final Fantasy series of video games could be seen this year.
Throughout the lecture halls of the DCC were non-stop showings of all varieties of anime. Anime is a term derived from Japanimation, or Japanese animation. Honorably an art form by itself, many cartoon TV series from Japan have become immensely popular both there and here in the U.S..
Though most of the DVDs used for the screenings have an English dub option, the shows were heard only in Japanese along with English subtitles, to preserve the original feel most buffs believe is essential to a proper viewing. UPAC Cinema presented Princess Mononoke, an anime feature film by the award winning Hayao Miyazaki, as their contribution to the festival.
Deep in the basement of the DCC, one could find the video game room, where Playstations, Nintendo Gamecubes, and other gaming platforms were tested with three straight days of thumb-numbing fun. Featured nearby was an anime-style art gallery, where con-goers could find depictions of their favorite characters, as well as original drawings. The CII housed the vendor rooms, where merchants of posters, figurines, DVDs, and other coveted merchandise could be found.
If you are interested in any of the events at Genericon, you should definitely consider attending its 18th installment next January. If you can’t wait, cons are staggered throughout the year at various locations, and a little bit of online research should help you find one close by.
