Gen Con and The Iceberg of Tabletop Gaming

Great video Brent!!! For a second I thought this was going to be an actual tabletop gaming "iceberg" video and I was furious because that's a script I'm working on and I thought you'd gotten to it first!!!!

"The Iceberg" is the reason I'm so glad Vince Venturella and Tabletop Minions made a game (now two!), because they're both people who are very visible in the Warhammer space, and these games might introduce people who would otherwise be resistant to trying a new wargame that's quite different from what they're used to. There are so many amazing games out there, even just minis games, and GW doesn't deserve to monopolize the space like they have, especially since Warhammer isn't for everyone. It's so good to see it when people find a new game they're truly excited about.

I want to do an escape room with Brent, like real bad.

Wow watching you open those Star Wars cards brought back memories.

Thanks for doing this video - it's hard to describe to people how big Gen Con is, and how much positive gamer energy it produces! I live in Indianapolis, so I'm a bit biased in terms of wanting Gen Con to stay here (going all four days without worrying about hotel costs means more money for games!), but I will say that despite the political decisions made in the state, the business community has always been very supportive of Gen Con and its attendees, and was instrumental in getting the state legislature to walk back its ridiculous "religious freedom" law a number of years ago, as well as expanding the convention center specifically to accommodate Gen Con's growth. While local businesses obviously benefit financially from Gen Con, they take steps to be welcoming that I think go above and beyond a merely transactional relationship - local stores have sales geared to the event, bars and restaurants will create special Gen Con-themed menus and often decorate to cater to attendees. Indeed, because downtown Indy is fairly compact, the whole place kind of turns into a Gen Con party for four days! Hopefully Gen Con will continue to work with local businesses to make sure that despite the politics of the state, the people of Indianapolis will continue to make all Gen Con's attendees feel welcome.

I listen to Dicetower, so I hear the numbers of how many people showed up. And yet I still only ever envisioned a single building. This is awe inspiring. Thank you <3

Awesome report! The iceberg metaphor is a fantastic one - every time you think you've 'discovered' all that GenCon has to offer, you stumble into another ballroom or passionate group of gamers and realize how diverse and interesting the hobby is. Thanks for taking the time to chat with me and my friend outside the Paint and Take area - highlight of my Sunday! And thanks for drawing attention to the complicated situation with Indiana politics and GenCon. It's such an inclusive event, in such a exclusionary state but GenCon is a powerful economic force. Hopefully that can drive some change in the next couple of years.

Hey that's me! This video puts into words why I had so much fun at GenCon better than I could. It's such an amazing experience and it really re-ignited my hobby love.

Heckin' love this community.

This was a great video, so fun to see all the stuff at gencon. Only wish the video was twice the length😁

I live in Australia, so I can't see myself going to Gencon any time soon. However, you've inspired me to go to my local city's mini painting con coming up next month. Savour the little things if you can't go to the big show. Loved your stand against intolerance too, well said.

would love to see more on all those cool off beat games you had seen. I also would be ok with a lot bag show off with what you found. Stay awesome, Goobs.

That first place dwarf is unreal for 60 minutes

0:12 always gotta love seeing a wild Uncle Atom wandering around

Gencon is such a good time, thanks for sharing your experience.

I like these types of videos as much as I like the painting videos. I started into the hobby two years ago so I've never known about the conventions outside videos like these so it's always fun to watch and see what they're like But I now have a list of conventions I want to go to at least once

One of the cool things at PAX East is the skybridge that gives you a full view of the hall. Hope to see you folks at PAX Unplugged in Philly!

Better than San Juan!? You gotta be kidding me

I can see some amazing looking games I would love the chance to play here - especially that Mythic Americas one. It's nice to see a change to the usual Euro-centric character designs.

Awesome trip and video, looks like you had a ton of fun!