Too Many Games: Big Things Come In Small Cons
Recently, I went to a gaming convention in Oaks, Pennsylvania called Too Many Games, at the Greater Philadelphia Expo Center. This was my first time attending and it was the return of the convention since Covid. This convention focused primarily on video games and board games, but like many other conventions, there were other themes and fandoms that were present as well. I went Friday through Sunday with friends, and had a nice experience. Let's take a look at my trip to see what this small gaming convention was all about.
Rich L.
When we first arrived, there was a line to get in. It seemed intimidating at first, especially with the hot weather, but it moved quickly. Something that stood out about the convention’s building is that most conventions I've been to were multiple floored, but the Expo Center was a single floor construct. While it did make the convention feel smaller, it also made it much easier to get around. With Covid refusing to leave us alone, there was still mask requirements. As someone who has become a bit lazier with bringing masks, they had some spare ones at the entrance to grab. People were generally good about wearing masks, but as it got later in the day and as the con cleared out, some people started taking them off (admittedly, I did the same). Typically, at most conventions I attend, I cosplay. This time I went as Grimmjow from the anime Bleach, in honor of the anime finally making a return later this year. I would've preferred to go as a character from a video game, but there was nothing I could think of that was “weather appropriate”. Ignore the lack of blue hair in the pictures, my hairspray wasn't cutting it.
The first day at the con, there was not much to do fan wise. Most of the merchants in the hall, were primarily selling retired video games. As someone that has all the current consoles, and plays mostly recent games, there wasn't much that sucked me in, but I can see the appeal for others that collect them. There were some Japanese PSP games that gravitated to me like, Guilty Gear Judgement and some older fighting games, but I didn’t let nostalgia get my wallet. There was also a large gaming area for both consoles and arcades. The arcade area had a lot of great games that weren’t too commonplace like Sonic: The Fighters, however, some games were only up for sale and not to be played with. Some of the console games also required people to bring outside controllers, or arcade sticks, which was a bit frustrating.
On the way to the second day of the convention we stopped at a Wawa for some food, and one of the major content creators that was going to be at the convention, Scott the Woz, was there. For those that don't know, Scott covers and reviews both old and new games, (with a strong Nintendo emphasis I'd say). I'm a casual fan of his, but it was quite surreal seeing an internet celebrity at a local convenience store. Part of me wanted to say something, but I didn't want to bother him, especially since he probably deals with fans often. I would've gone to one of his panels, but it conflicted with another event I was already set on. Honestly, it was a surreal and comedic experience, especially when he was right behind one of my friends.
As soon as we entered, I went to a panel for the content creator named SomeCallMeJohnny, who primarily specializes in video game reviews, both old and new. He's been around since 2008 and actually started local to me in Philadelphia (I did a small cameo in his video about the Super Smash Bros for the WiiU Best Buy event). I remember him saying he had planned a video with Donkey Kong 64 as well as the Persona series. At the end of the panel, he opened it up for questions, but had to cut it short, due to the time.
Next, I went to an event called Cosplay Wrestling. They had people dressed as various pop culture characters and have them wrestler each other. Some examples were Johnny Cage from Mortal Kombat vs. Krillin from Dragon Ball Z (average joe characters who die a lot), Nightwing from DC comics vs. Diddy Kong (sidekicks), and Liu Kang vs. Leon Kennedy (WTH????). Some matchups made more sense than others, but it was definitely fun and impressive with how skilled these wrestlers were. One detail I appreciated were the theme songs they picked for some of the characters, and how they tried to find songs for characters that didn’t have a designated tune. Some were very comical.
After that event, I attended a Metroid-related panel where speakers talked about the history of the Metroid series and the relationship/rivalry between the game’s protagonist, Samus Aran, and her nemesis Ridley. It was hosted by fellow friend, Dan Cattell, who is known for creating pixelated art cosplays, and is in charge of the Metroid group on Facebook. He's hosted this panel before at other conventions like Otakon, but I was unable to make it to previous events, so this was the perfect opportunity to check it out, especially since I’m a big Metroid and Ridley fan. Although Metroid is a classic, there were still new things I learned about the game such as the infamous Metroid comic series which premiered in the 90's.
Dan Cattell (center) with co-hosts.
Many game conventions have musical events such as concerts and raves, and Too Many Games was no exception. There was a metal band called Psychostick performing, that two of my friends invited me to see. To describe Psychostick, the term that comes to mind is comedic or parody metal. They did short metal covers of nostalgic theme songs like Bill Nye the Science Guy or the Reading Rainbow theme (something I never thought I would hear). They also did a parody of Drowning Pool's “Let the Bodies Hit the Floor” where now it's “I Can Only Count to Four”. This was the first time I've ever been to a metal show (won't be the last!), and as the crowd got rowdy, I joined in the melee. The show was enjoyable, and hopefully, I’ll get to see them at another event.
On the final day, there were certain celebrity guests offering pictures and autographs at their tables and one table I was interested in was Keith Silverstein. He's voiced plenty of shows from some of my favorite characters such as Kimmimaro from Naruto, Coyote Staark from Bleach, and Zasalamel from the Soul Calibur series. Thankfully, I brought my copy of Soul Calibur 6: Deluxe Edition for him to sign. When I finally made it to to see him; he complimented my cosplay and was happy to see my copy of Soul Calibur 6 (since that was one of his breakout roles). After he signed it, he even threw out a line in Zas's voice: “Now you know the difference between you and I”. To close it off, we had one of his assistants take a few pictures of us.
Overall, I enjoyed my first experience at Too Many Games and it was nice how convenient the convention was to get around. Admittedly, it is always more enjoyable with gaming conventions; where I can receive new updates with games coming out, as well as try demos for them. I understand that some may like these qualities in a gaming convention while, others may not. Some might prefer the older more nostalgic consoles and games, particularly, blasts from the pasts. I respect it. From what I've also heard about this con, this convention used to be bigger but Covid placed a dent in that. With restrictions lessening and gaming growing, this convention is sure to continue its ascension and become even hotter than ever. Definitely looking forward to next year.
