By Rose Cyburt
News Editor
The Alma College Otaku and Gamers (ACOG), an active club on campus, has been preparing for this year’s AlmaCon since the end of the convention last year. The three-day event included everything from Cosplay & Cons 101 to a charity auction and even guest speakers.
Along with the panels, there was also a Fire Emblem character café, Super Smash Bros tournament, vendors and artists selling fandom items and a gaming room.
“I have worked the table top room for the past two years,” said Matthew Nagy (’19). “Basically, I organize the Dungeons and Dragons sessions, make sure nobody steals anything and bring other games like Cards Against Humanity.”
The table top room is in the Rotunda, so it is often used as a relaxation room. “The con goes until 1 a.m. on Friday and Saturday and it is pretty common for people to be playing games until it closes,” said Nagy.
ACOG has been hosting AlmaCon for about a decade. “Our attendance last year was around 800, so we were expecting similar numbers for this year,” said Kai Harrison (’19).
“While the convention continues to grow as we get more word out about it, every year it is different,” said Nagy.
“I can’t compare the years because they aren’t carbon copies of each other. There are always different panels and artists.”
ACOG budgets the convention into its escrow through Student Congress. “Usually most of the proceeds, if not all of it, goes toward Relay for Life,” said Alyse Townsend (’18) the president of the group.
“Sometimes we take some of the money to give to another charity. Two years ago, we took part of the profits and donated water to the Flint water crisis.”
With an organizing staff of 15 people, the convention was spread throughout campus. There was also a diverse group of people who attended.
“One of my friends from middle school moved to Michigan in 8th grade and then I ran into her at AlmaCon,” said Eli Yoder (’21), who is from Corvallis, Oregon.
“Being apart of the convention and ACOG has been an amazing experience,” said Nagy. “It has made me become more involved and I’m looking forward to seeing it continue to grow in the future.”
