PHOTOS: Gen Con gets underway
INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) – One of the largest conventions in the city of Indianapolis has now gotten underway. Tens of thousands of people are headed downtown for Gen Con.
City leaders and business owners are excited because the gamers bring lots of money to the city. 19,000 events are scheduled and, they say it’s 24 hours of gaming for four straight days.
For many, this is a destination years in the making.
This event is even bigger for the 50th year of the convention.
Gen Con officials have set up big things for people coming to the city for the annual convention. Gamers and game designers are filling up the hotel rooms and even renting out a bunch of Air BNB’s around the metro area.
On Georgia Street there are signs and even as you walk into the airport, you know Gen Con is this weekend.
There’s even a designated gaming area at the airport with a DJ playing music Wednesday. Some people who just arrived at the airport from all over the country. Podcaster Rich Howard says Gen Con is the place where gamers spend money.
“It’s only going to get bigger and part of that is the spread of the hobby and how fun they are,” said Howard. “The fact that those of us who are parents are passing it on to our kids and it may sound cliché I suppose, but gamer geeks typically have a lot of money. We work in high intellect industries that pay a lot of money and we can afford to come to events like this.”
For the first time ever, the event is sold out. No four-day badges are available and all the individual day passes have been sold out as well. The event is also spilling onto the field at Lucas Oil Stadium.