What the Hell Con Continued
Nasimeh Easton | Senior Writer
Issue date: 2/16/07 Section: Features
- Page 1 of 3 next >
It's a bright, crisp Sunday afternoon at Guilford. Outside, the campus is calm and quiet, with barely a breeze to disturb the docile atmosphere; inside, students roam their dorms, peacefully going about their business.
But inside King Hall, loud wars are waging, powerful weapons are clashing, and fearsome creatures are fighting all at the hands of a couple of dice-wielding, game- loving college students.
Welcome to What the Hell Con, Guilford's annual gaming and anime convention sponsored by the Yachting Club. Once a year, a building on campus is converted to a geek haven for the weekend, featuring everything from Dungeons & Dragons-style tabletop games, to anime, to video games and absolutely everything in between. No matter what your nerdy niche, you're sure to find it there, as well as some other people who appreciate it.
On this day, I'm standing outside King Hall, nervously eyeing the sign that directs me inside for registration. It may seem strange to say I feel nervous, but I do; I'm one of those closet gamers who quietly enjoys a bit of video and tabletop gaming on the side, but isn't entirely avid about either. Sure, I have Nintendo emulators on my computer and a set of dice in my drawer, but what if I'm not geeky enough for the crowd?
Hushing my insecurities, I step inside the building. A pleasant buzz of chatter and conversation fills my ears, and I'm immediately struck by the volume of people as compared to last year's Con. It seems significantly bigger.
Stepping into one of the first rooms confirms my suspicion. Last year, there were only two small rooms with a handful of tables for vendors and artists. This year, there are three rooms and plenty more of both tables and space.
"We've actually doubled the number of artists we had last year," says senior Kass James when I ask him about the increase.
They doubled the amount? Wow. That would explain the move from Duke, where the Con was held last year, to the larger rooms of King. Curious to see what brings so many people here this year, I ask one of the vendors, a man named Raymond Duncan, why he's there.
But inside King Hall, loud wars are waging, powerful weapons are clashing, and fearsome creatures are fighting all at the hands of a couple of dice-wielding, game- loving college students.
Welcome to What the Hell Con, Guilford's annual gaming and anime convention sponsored by the Yachting Club. Once a year, a building on campus is converted to a geek haven for the weekend, featuring everything from Dungeons & Dragons-style tabletop games, to anime, to video games and absolutely everything in between. No matter what your nerdy niche, you're sure to find it there, as well as some other people who appreciate it.
On this day, I'm standing outside King Hall, nervously eyeing the sign that directs me inside for registration. It may seem strange to say I feel nervous, but I do; I'm one of those closet gamers who quietly enjoys a bit of video and tabletop gaming on the side, but isn't entirely avid about either. Sure, I have Nintendo emulators on my computer and a set of dice in my drawer, but what if I'm not geeky enough for the crowd?
Hushing my insecurities, I step inside the building. A pleasant buzz of chatter and conversation fills my ears, and I'm immediately struck by the volume of people as compared to last year's Con. It seems significantly bigger.
Stepping into one of the first rooms confirms my suspicion. Last year, there were only two small rooms with a handful of tables for vendors and artists. This year, there are three rooms and plenty more of both tables and space.
"We've actually doubled the number of artists we had last year," says senior Kass James when I ask him about the increase.
They doubled the amount? Wow. That would explain the move from Duke, where the Con was held last year, to the larger rooms of King. Curious to see what brings so many people here this year, I ask one of the vendors, a man named Raymond Duncan, why he's there.
Be the first to comment on this story