Last weekend I attended AVCON which is Adelaide’s Anime and Video Game Convention. I hadn’t been there since 2012 so I was excited to see the changes.
Art
The first thing I went to was the artist’s alley. It like the rest of the convention was much bigger than before. There was a lot of beautiful art of both anime and video game characters. I bought quite a lot of things including this beautiful Nekopara poster by brownrabbits.
Later I decided to commission something, which haven’t done in a long time. On Sunday morning I paid paperyume to do a Bayonetta bust and picked it up in the afternoon. It turned out lovely, especially as she had no prior knowledge of the character until that day.
Shopping
Asides from the art, there was also the store section. There was a lot of game and anime merchandise, and other things like props. I got a free shiny Drifloon temporary tattoo from Infinite Worlds who were tattooing people in booth! The Brock sticker is by jennillustrations.
There weren’t any video games themselves being sold in the booths. I did go into town to Shin Tokyo and picked up a vita game which I haven’t done since before the Switch launch. I also got a Switch game which didn’t get a physical release in Australia; you can guess which one of these games won’t be getting covered on this site.
Retro Gaming
In the massive gaming hall, the first thing you might walk into was the Retro Museum. Retrospekt hosted a playable area with many old consoles from Pong to Vectrex to Dreamcast and more. They also held a few tournaments, none of which I entered. I got to try my hands on a Virtual Boy with Galactic Pinball, and now I want one for myself.
I played Pong with my boyfriend, who decided to cheat by switching the ball speed. Then I played on the Vectrex, which controlled a little weird.
There was also Sega Bass Fishing on the Dreamcast with the special controller. I already wanted a Dreamcast but now I have to get the controller as well. On the Sunday I played a few rounds of Mario Kart 64 with my friends, it was nice to be able to reverse and view Princess Peach’s castle properly again.
Cosplay
There was a lot more people cosplaying this time around, although the attendance was also higher. I myself dressed up for the first time since 2012, but I’ll keep that to myself as neither of the characters are from family-friendly or gaming media. I got photos from quite a few people but I only asked two for permission to post. The Mipha cosplay from Breath of the Wild (Wii U and Nintendo Switch) is reckless_fox. Tharja from Fire Emblem Awakening (3DS), is floksylocksy.
Modern Gaming
The gaming section was quite large, as there was the retro area, indie games room, freeplay, tournaments and speed running. I didn’t participate in any tournaments this year.
The Indie Games Room is a section for Australian and New Zealand developers to show off their games. I saw a game on Switch called Dungeon Chop Chop by Slack Dragon. It’s an action rogue-like role playing game. It is planned to have co-op play.
Next I played Puzzle Puppers by Cardboard Keep. It has already released on the Nintendo Switch this year. It’s a line puzzle game where you direct the dog/s to the food bowl but can pick up hams on the way for an extra challenge. It is very cute.
The only speed running event I watched was Super Monkey Ball. It was cool to see a game I like being played so well, and even better to see it being done live. Given that he had to get through without any continues before unlocking the Master stages, it was a little stressful but exciting to watch.
A New Hobby
Upstairs there were table-top games, with demonstrations and a free play library. On the Sunday we tried out the free Gundam workshop. Hosted by the Gundam Club Australia, we both got our own little Gunpla (what Gundam kits are called) to make with some assistance. If I’d known that Gunpla were cheap, snapped together and the instructions were pictures I probably would have started sooner. Not long after I picked up a kit and tools from the Shin Tokyo booth and made him the next day.
The Usual Conventions
I didn’t go to any of the panels as they weren’t of the highest interest to me. I also didn’t care for the guests, but this allowed me lots of free time to browse everything else. We tried out the Maid Cafe which was cute but had the same food as was being sold by the catering. I picked up lots of art on Saturday, and had a better time on Sunday as I’d planned the day out more. There were still lulls in my time, making me wish I bothered to bring a bag big enough to carry my Switch. I missed out on the Splatfest but I think it was worth it in the end. It looks like I’ll be going back next year. If there’s a convention near you I recommended trying it, at least once.
So cool, Paige! I’ve not been to many conventions but the ones I’ve been too surprised me. So many people do Cosplay, always fabulous to look at.
I love going to conventions. It’s so fun seeing all the people around you sharing the same interests. I go pretty often. I’m skipping an anime one this year, but I will go to the lobby areas to take pictures! That Nekopara poster is so cute by the way.
You can go into the lobby without paying for it? AVCon’s in a convention center so you can’t get in without a ticket.