Special Guest Columnist, Jasmine Hunter
Last week I introduced you to Indy PopCon. Hopefully some of you visited the Indiana Convention Center last weekend for this unique pop culture themed event. I will admit, many of the events and personalities involved might be a little bit too hip for this reporter. So I asked my much hipper daughter, Jasmine, and her fellow I.U. grads/longtime friends, Jada Cox and Elise Remissong, to visit PopCon and report on the goings-on through their eyes. For the sake of full disclosure this trio of girls are regular “Con” attendees and have been for years. They have attended events like this as far away as Washington D.C. and Atlanta, Georgia. So, who better to report on Indy PopCon than this trio of con veterans? All of whom possess a much keener sense of today’s pop culture than I do.
This past weekend, the Indiana Convention Center hosted Indy PopCon 2016. The purpose of this venue is to embrace and celebrate the significance of popular culture (in all its forms) in today’s society. During this three-day affair, visitors have the chance to meet icons, purchase original art, test board games, and experience software by up-and-coming game designers. This convention has taken care to ensure that there is a little something for everyone who attends by appealing to the “inner geek” in us all. In case you missed the chance to attend this year, this roving reporter is here to give you the low-down so that you can be sure to mark your calendar for next year’s PopCon!
First and foremost, the convention is conveniently located near Circle Center Mall in downtown Indianapolis. This location lends itself to a wide array of food choices from sit-down establishments to food trucks specializing in international cuisine for attendees to enjoy. Though for those who don’t wish to venture outside, the convention center also holds various concession options within the main hall and its surrounding areas. The availability for food at this location ranks as one of the best in the Midwest and offers an extra treat to one’s con experience!
The procedures amongst con staff were also fine-tuned to be helpful to both first-time con-goers and veterans. With the unique and yet broad subject matter that Indy PopCon covers, it has the potential to be the first con experience for many attendees. In order to test how “newbie” friendly the con’s atmosphere was, I posed as an inexperienced congoer over the course of the weekend. I found myself in contact with many informative volunteers who were happy to clear up any questions or misconceptions I may have had. The con’s staff was well-informed of their procedures, schedule, and convention layout, and thus able to address attendee inquiries with notable confidence. This speaks volumes for the hard work and preparation that was put in to making sure the convention was able to provide an enjoyable experience for all of its patrons.
With a great location and amicable staff, Indy PopCon already has a lot going for it… and we haven’t even gotten to the review of the programming! While the semantics and logistics that go behind the convention isn’t the most fun aspect to touch upon, it is key when it comes to making sure that the venue can work effectively for staff, celebrity guests, and visitors. I was incredibly impressed with the professionalism behind the con and only wish that all cons could be held to this standard!
Now that you know more of how the con runs, we can get to the heart of the convention itself: its subject matter. Indy PopCon was started in 2014 by a “group of geeks” who wished to make an event that encapsulated some of the most important aspects of popular culture today. Instead of making another gaming, comic book, or anime convention — the creators behind Indy PopCon wanted to marry all of those and more under one roof to make a weekend-long extravaganza that would celebrate these different “geeky” interests. With such a broad scale of interests addressed, it makes Indy PopCon particularly effective for those who are still exploring or beginning to discover some of the genres represented within the convention itself, no matter their age.
The particular facets of popular culture that are addressed within Indy PopCon are those of the more traditionally “nerdy” sub-cultures including, but not restricted to: Gaming, Anime, Comic Books, Cosplay, YouTube, Tabletop, Cyberculture, Science Fiction, Horror Movies, LARPing, Robotics, and Fantasy. These subjects are intermingled and presented in a way that die-hard fans of one thing could also be introduced to something else they may find enjoyable. Booths and Panels catering to all of these subjects can be found within Indy PopCon, ensuring that everyone can walk away with something from their con experience.
Indy PopCon holds a fascinating set-up for both casual and hardcore gamers. They offer a room referred to as the Endless Dungeon, which allows attendees to immerse themselves in hours of tabletop gaming with other people who share their interest. Greeters were positioned by the door who would happily invite people to experience tabletop gaming regardless of their experience level. “If you look curious and peek in, then we want to show you how it’s done! That’s our rule around here,” one of the Greeters said as I walked by the room on Saturday. For those who aren’t so sure about the role-playing that lurks behind Tabletop Games but still love board games — a free board game library was also present within the Main Event Hall. “We wanted to make sure anybody had the opportunity to come up and try that $50 game they might be interested in, so we reserved tables within the hall. You just have to come up and grab a game from us, then you’re free to play all you want,” the booth’s spokesperson explained. The convention center also hosted several video game developers within the Main Hall. Each of their booths were set up with the latest game they were developing, so that people could have a free demo to experience. On top of demos, Indy PopCon also boasted a large arcade that attendees had all day access to for only five dollars.
On top of Gaming, Indy PopCon hosts a notable amount of TV, Music, and Gaming Celebrities for people to meet. Most of the celebrities were set up within the exhibit hall and gave people the opportunity to grab autographs and selfies with. Each day, there were also different “main stage” celebrities who were available to meet. From actresses to voice actors to YouTube celebrities — many big names were present for the show and spent hours greeting their fans. “The reception at this con has blown me away. There were so many people from so many places. We’ve been blind-sided by your kindness!” comedy musician and YouTube Personality, Leigh Daniel Avidan, remarked to the crowd during his panel on Saturday, “This has been our first time in the Midwest. The energy at this con has just been fantastic.”
One fascinating bit of culture that has been growing at Indy PopCon since its start has been the growing presence of YouTube personalities and Cyberculture. At last year’s Indy PopCon, attendance exploded due to the announcement of celebrities such as Markiplier and JackSepticEye making an appearance. As Indy PopCon 2016 came around, attention fell on the convention once again with the announcement of guests such as comedy musicians NSP and twitch.tv gamer Ray Narvaes Jr. making special appearances at the con. While many young people recognize these names instantaneously — the growing phenomenon of Cyber Celebrities is something that often make older con-goers scratch their heads.
YouTube is an up and coming genre in popular culture. While the Web site houses a plethora of “How-to” and cute cat videos — it also has become a social media platform where people have put themselves out there doing things such as offering advice, playing video games, or running “talk-shows” that have helped them connect with people and gain major fan followings due to their relatable personalities. By putting themselves out there, many YouTubers are becoming the new generation of “talk-radio” or “talk-show” personalities. With the lack of YouTube’s censorship, it makes for YouTube Personalities to be much more “true” to themselves and takes off some of the pressure that other figures on public radio or television might face — which, in turn, makes them popular with the younger generation of fans. Just as many will recall Bob and Tom keeping them company during morning rush hour for years, many young adults now recall Let’s Players and Youtubers such as Markiplier or The Game Grumps as keeping them company during downtime after classes or after work. With this sudden surge in popularity, it has people travelling from hundreds of miles for a chance to meet these people and thank them for their work at Indy PopCon. Indy PopCon even went so far as to have an entire section of their dealer’s room dedicated to Youtubers who could meet and greet their fans throughout the weekend.
Indy PopCon does not only create a unique place for the younger generation to meet Cyber Celebrities, but also opens up a location for people of all ages to explore the wonders of nerd pop culture. Many comic book shops and game stores set up booths and are happy to help introduce people to their craft and get them started, while many people run panels in hopes of answering questions and creating compelling debates for subjects that are relevant to interest of their attendees. By looking over the con schedule, there is a little bit of fun for everyone to be had within the convention. As a regular con goer, myself, I left the convention feeling happy with the overall experience and excited for the potential it had to introduce more people to a fascinating and immersive aspect of nerd culture. If you missed it this year, I would definitely recommend that any interested readers plan a visit to next year’s event and explore the possibilities at least once. You will not be disappointed!
Al Hunter is the author of the “Haunted Indianapolis” and co-author of the “Haunted Irvington” and “Indiana National Road” book series. His newest book is “Bumps in the Night. Stories from the Weekly View.” Contact Al directly at Huntvault@aol.com or become a friend on Facebook.
