My husband is into D&D and painting miniatures, so in 2023, he wanted to attend Gen Con in Indianapolis. I had never heard of Gen Con before, but it is the biggest tabletop game convention in North America. Gen Con began in 1968 as the Lake Geneva Wargames Convention (hence the name "Gen Con") by Dungeons & Dragons co-creator Gary Gygax, and was first held in Lake Geneva, Wisconsin. It was then held in various locations in Wisconsin until it was fixed in Milwaukee, Wisconsin in 1985. In 2003 Gen Con was relocated to its current location, Indianapolis. Gen Con is HUGE. It's held in the Indiana Convention Center and when we went in 2023, there were over 70,000 people in attendance. The convention is held over four days at the end of July/beginning of August (Thursday to Sunday), and you can buy a pass for one specific day, the weekend, or the entire four days. You have to purchase your passes well in advance (they go on sale in February), and only if you have a pass can you enter the lottery to book a hotel. Pretty much all the hotels in Indianapolis are reserved for Gen Con attendees and you are given a random time slot to book your hotel. If you get a bad time slot, you're lucky if you can even book anything within a 50 mile radius of the convention. My husband and I both got horrible time slots (like 4pm), but thankfully my husband had an acquaintance with a 9am time slot who didn't need to book a hotel (he was staying with friends or something), so he generously gave us his time slot and we were able to book a prime hotel, the JW Marriott, which was not only near the convention center, but connected to it. (But we did pay a premium for it.) I didn't know what to expect, but I ended up loving it! While I am not into role playing games, D&D, miniatures, etc, I love boardgames and they have a lot of that -- both to play and to purchase. And purchase we did! There is a huge vendors' hall, and there is so much to see and buy. Dice, miniatures, boardgames, and anything tangentially related to gaming, you name it. There are also a ton of activities you can book in advance, such as game tournaments, casual game play (I signed up to play Balderdash), miniature painting lessons, dance lessons (we took one), evening ghost tours (unfortunately the ghost tour was booked up), and so much more. The options were dizzying. There are also rooms where you can play boardgames with other people, which I really enjoyed. I played Dominion, Settlers of Cattan, Carcassonne, Codenames, and more. In addition to the game rooms hosted by Gen Con, the hotels had rooms set up for people to play games and hang out. It was so much fun, and despite it being so crowded, people were really well behaved and friendly. Many were also dressed up in costumes, which was fun to see. With the price of the convention, hotel room, and all the games and things you buy, Gen Con is an expensive experience, but worth going at least once if you like games. My husband and I would love to go again, preferably with a few of our friends. [Yelp collections: Louisville/Indianapolis 2023; Indianapolis, IN 2023] read more

See all

Gen Con has always been one of those bucket list things for me. Even though I work practically across the street from the Convention Center, I've only made my way to Gen Con briefly a couple of times for film obligations and one panel that I appeared on one year. Since being diagnosed with cancer a few months ago, I've become more committed to really living into bucket list items. This weekend, that has included more time than usual at Gen Con. I doubt I'd ever fully immerse myself in it - the crowd is pretty huge and I'm more a dork than a nerd, but it's actually an environment I love with a really cool communal spirit on a pretty large scale. First off, the basics: From the Gen Con website, "For over 55 years Gen Con has been the largest and longest-running gaming convention in North America. Founded in 1967 by Dungeons and Dragons co-creator Gary Gygax, Gen Con now attracts tens of thousands of attendees from around the world to Indianapolis for The Best Four Days in Gaming™." Gen Con has both in-person and online activities. Obviously, the major emphasis is on the in-person experience. While I tend to be fairly asocial, even I prefer the in-person convention. Gen Con is almost worth attending for the Exhibit Hall alone. Entrepreneurs' Avenue Entrepreneurs' Avenue dedicates space in the Exhibit Hall for companies making their Gen Con debut. It's a great place to find new games, discover up-and-coming publishers, and find newbies within gaming. It's a must visit. Other programs include costume contest/cosplay (If you're in Indy and downtown during Gen Con, you WILL see costumes), auction and consignment store, trade day, a film festival (which I love), miniature hobby events, an always successful blood drive (gamers are actually notoriously kind and generous), and more. Gen Con is fantastic about correctly categorizing things. For example, parents should know that the schedule clearly indicate what age groups an event are appropriate for and also clearly identifies those that are more mature. Of course, there's gaming galore that unfolds and a variety of events for the Trekker, Whovian, or other sci-fi culture devotee - While there's certainly pop culture here, I've always felt like what separates Gen Con from something like Comic-Con is that it's less "pop" and more devoted to true hardcore gamers and such. Generally speaking, Gen Con does very well with accessibility. The Convention Center itself is pretty accessible, though it's a big facility and that's always a consideration. Gen Con is very inclusive and has a strong, published anti-harassment policy. I'm a wheelchair user and I really had no problem getting around. Curb cuts are all over the place here, the Convention Center has elevators and various accommodations including automated door options, and there's an abundance of gamers who seem to pop out of nowhere to assist if it's needed. I sometimes feel a little overwhelmed in this environment - one, I often feel less intelligent than some of these gamers. However, there's something and someplace for everyone. For those who do get overwhelmed, it's easy to take a time out here. Most of the surrounding hotels are pretty disability friendly (Marriott as a chain typically does VERY well). I do wish Gen Con better addressed accessibility on the website. It's pretty lame, to be honest. I'd recommend ensuring a disability liaison of sorts (this may exist, but I couldn't find it). There's so much more I could write, but I'll run out of room soon. Suffice it to say that I had a blast and hope to return in the future. read more

See all

I have been attending Gen Con for over 20 years at this point. The attendance has more than doubled but I still think its an amazing experience. The convention has grown into the entirety of the Convention center, Lucas Oil Stadium and pretty much every surrounding hotel conference room space. It is awesome! For those who haven't attended a convention, this may not be the first one you should consider. There are a few massive gaming conventions that are more marketed towards the consumer side of things, this would be Gen con. Yes, there are plenty of areas to play games, a games library where you can try out games, and tons of vendors running demos, etc. But, it can be overwhelming to new attendees. There are smaller cons mostly focusing on playing games with you friends of strangers, and those are great places to start. Gen con vendor hall is massive. TONS of board games to purchase, lots of new releases ahead of schedule and great deals to be found. It takes a LOT of time just to go through all of it, and thats just a portion of what Gen con has to offer. If you like Cosplay, there is a Cosplay parade and costume contest. True Dungeon is a live Dungeon & Dragons experience (think Escape room but you have a character with stats that you can take to each game and level up). Lots of live shows from podcast hosts, panels, adult themed shows later in the evening, workshops from costume making to board game design, and more. Design board games? Plenty of ways to pitch your game to publishers, there's a playtest hall, speed dating for publishers and lots of people you can talk to for assistance and information. Are you into pen and paper RGPs? Gen con was built on Dungeons & Dragons, but Pathfinder and other games are just as massive. A massive amount of space has been dedicated to one off campaigns, living campaigns, etc. Even if you aren't a gamer, there is tons to do thats in the line of a comic con, vendors, events, and more. If you have kids, there are entire rooms dedicated to games with them, foam sword battles, and even a space for young ones to crawl around. There is not a day care, so plan accordingly. There is a space for breast feeding for those who need it. Gen con is amazing, and I will be attending every year that it is available! read more

See all

I'm a total outsider to the board game world. My review is going to be from the perspective of a mom who doesn't game and is bringing two young children to the biggest tabletop-board game convention in North America -- children with short attention spans who also don't game. You're probably wondering why the heck I even went to Gen Con. Well, sometimes we find ourselves in places that we don't expect. I'll just leave it at that. I'm pretty much going to just talk about the kids stuff at Gen Con, because we didn't play any games. So if you find yourself at Gen Con with young children who don't or can't play games, here's what you do: Visit Training Grounds. It's located in the convention center, and it's free, and there are activities for kids. This year, they had a crapload of boxes just in a pile -- like 100 or more boxes. Kids were having a ball building houses, making tunnels, knocking them over. My kids could have stayed here for hours. Also in Training Grounds is a small area for crawlers, as well as face painting (for a small fee), dozens and dozens of kids games to play and lots of tables at which to play. All of this is free and doesn't require a ticket. If you want to purchase tickets, you can go next door and participate in one of the kid events -- your kids can do stuff like create a shield, learn karate moves, decorate a mask, etc. Cardhalla is also a pretty cool area to visit. It's a massive area where people build houses with the cards. Everyone can contribute, and on Sunday people throw change at it. There are lots of people dressed up in interesting costumes, so there's lots to see. We took pictures with Pikachu! There are a lot of people who attend Gen Con (60,000+), so you need to keep your kids close so they don't get lost, which can be easy. Luckily, you can pick up a wristband at customer service for your kids; the wristband has their name, your name and phone number. This made me feel a little better as we walked around. Overall, Gen Con is very family-friendly, and depending on your kid, your kids could have a good time at this convention. read more

See all

I'm not a hard-core gamer by any means, but I am a Trekkie, Whovian, and Battlestar Galactica nerd who likes to PS3 in my free time. I've always wanted to check out Gen Con as it is kind of a big deal and looked super fun. Honestly, I just heart people watching, and I don't think it can get much better than a gamer convention held in the Midwest. 1) Food truck bonanza! Kudos for the Georgia St. set-up and lines of food trucks. So many awesome options! Super fun way to mingle with strangers. 2) Come prepared to spend some $$$ - I dropped quite some green on funny t-shirts alone! I didn't even consider buying games. So many vendors! It took my friend and me over 2 hours to meander around the all the vendors in the main exhibit hall. 3) If you are even an inkling of a RPG peep or gamer - just go ahed and spend the extra few bucks and get the full four-day pass. It is way more worth the price than the day pass. 4) Have your camera/phone ready for some photos! Some hard-core people have awesome costumes and will gladly pose. Extremely fun to post on FB to prove your nerdiness. 5) Have an open mind and be patient. It's crowded but everyone was very nice. Some may seem like total losers, but yeah, I was there! I will be going back for sure - total blast! read more

Gen Con - Venues & Event Spaces Near Me - Indianapolis, Indiana

See all

Gen Con is incredibly large. The dealer room and play test areas are larger than most hotels. The actual game playing and event rooms are split between the convention center and three hotels. It is literally impossible to see everything. Tickets are around 70 bucks, which gets you into about a tenth of the events. They sell specific event tickets like for the nerdy burlesque show, but also sell "generic tickets" in $2 increments. Some events can happen at any time, you just give them tickets like at a carnival. There is a coupon book for discount and free swag, a thick full color program book, and a free swag bag. There is a food court with 4 restaurants, a great Thai restaurant within walking distance (if you can walk decently), and over 40 food trucks over the course of the weekend. The staff worked with us for over 45 minutes to resolve a technical issue with our event tickets, successfully. This was a great experience! read more

See all

There is a reason why this is called the best 4 days in gaming, because it is. Where else can you go play test games not on the market, buy games that have not been released to the public, and be able to be yourself without risk of humiliation. GenCon - thats where. This was my first gen con but certainly not my last. Went with a group of friends and I had more fun in those four days than I can remember. Board games, card games, video games, simulators, role playing games, movies, workshops and more. It is all in one place. Definitely 5 plus stars. Notes: people were dressed up like characters from mario kart towing you around on a bike. How cool! Start up a game in the hallway with some random person you just met. Friendly! A place where being an introvert means nothing cause you fit in. Priceless! GenCon 2015 can not wait. read more

Gen Con - I found Waldo. Now time to find the wizard. - Venues & Event Spaces Near Me - Indianapolis, Indiana

When I came to Gen Con a year ago, I had no idea what to expect. It was my fist convention (gaming or otherwise) ever. Now that I am here for the second time, I can honestly say that I still don't really know what to expect! Every day is a surprise, full of unknown delights and the kindness of strangers. It's so fun to see your favorite character just out in the crowd like a normal person. There are treats beyond imagination - absolutely no way to be bored. The thing I enjoy most is that everyone is their own special brand of weird. There's no judgment, no condemnation, no distrusting glances. Just acceptance and enthusiasm. It's okay to like whatever it is that you like while you're here, and to wear it proudly for all to see. At Gen Con, you're surrounded by friends whose names you just haven't learned yet. read more

This was my first Gen Con in 7 years and wow! Things certainly have changed. Now that the convention center has expanded, there's more room for all sorts of different events. Even though it is a gaming convention, you will find your place here no matter your geekery niche. Trekkie, brony, LARPer, Whovian, Steampunk fan, otaku, Level 60 Mage, or even if your knowledge of all things geeky begins and ends with Star Wars, you're sure to have a good time. Personally, I am a massive weeaboo, so I was all up in the anime stuff (hey, don't judge!). Two other friends of mine are really into tabletop games like Red Dragon Inn as well as steampunk and Doctor Who. Another friend dressed as Bellatrix Lestrange. So, don't worry if you don't roll D20s, there's something here for everyone-- it's also great to people watch and see all the creative cosplays. I was there practically all day Saturday and wanted to go back on Sunday, but 1) I, too, cosplayed and the boots I wore gave me a blister on my pinkie toe almost as big as the toe itself; 2) my apartment had become a pigsty due to prepping for the con and I really needed to clean. I'm already planning for next year. read more

My Brother, His Friends and myself absolutely love playing board games! My Brother and I have come to Gen Con every year for the last 6 years and I don't think I have ever had more fun in my entire life! There is a lot to be said about Gen Con and for those who are thinking about going here is some information you may enjoy. The first year we went we didn't know what to do and when to do it so we kind of played it by ear and loitered around listening to what people have to say. Gen Con has everything for anyone who is into Table Top Gaming. They have Card Games, LARP, MTG, Electronic Gaming, Board Games, Cosplay, Various Events, Food Trucks (MY FAVE!), Panels, Some Celebrity guests and the list goes on. We are mainly into table top gaming and video gaming so that is what my review is based on. Here are some of the events we look forward to. First thing you have to sign up for is True Dungeon: This is the funnest event we have ever done. You get to pick a class, you get tokens to equip to your character, and you get to go through an actual dungeon set that is made and solve puzzles and fight monsters to proceed to the next room. The price has been going up each year and last year it was about 46.00 per dungeon and there is usually to scenarios you can choose from (we usually do both for the story line). A first time ever we did last last Con was Artemis flight simulator. This is a good event to do if you have a party of 6 fun people that know how to communicate. You get to man the deck of a space ship and fly around outer space killing enemy ships and picking up boosters to make you better. I played with a group of 5 friends and 1 random but it was so much fun and the people running the game had a blast because we are all jokers which made the experience so much better. Tickets are generally about 6 dollars but this was our first time so not sure if they will be going up. We also get tickets to the Glitter Guild Burlesque. This is an adult actual burlesque show where the dancers dress up as various nerdy icons and do their thing. It is funny, exciting and sure to get you moving! Tickets usually run about 14 dollars for the show and it is usually a night time experience. Big thing to note is they have a game library you can get tickets for and go play any board game you want with open tables. If you BUY a game at the con and want to play it DON's waste your money on tickets for this room because you can get free tables to play on in the game hall. Other things to note, you need to book a hotel as early as possible or you will not get something down town and be prepared to pay a pretty penny for it. There are tons of restaurants around and cheap food vendors in the convention center and food trucks out side so you will not have to walk far. I usually bring a messenger bag for stuff I buy so I can carry it around and not have 100 little bags. If you go make sure you do not lose any tickets you buy as you can not get a refund for them. Overall enjoy your time. The exhibition is huge, the games are plentiful, and the food is glorious :-) read more

Gen Con Customer Service refusing to offer refunds to individuals who purchased presale tickets even with the health risk increasing, events being dropped or moved to online only, all while not reaching out to ticket purchasers via email about any updates. I provided screenshots showing that I haven't received anything from them since I bought the tickets in May about updates or changes. And they just tell me, "too bad". I hope it doesn't get full on canceled cause I guess no one will get their money back. It is disgusting and ridiculous. If you couldn't or didn't know how to run an event during the pandemic while being fair to people trying to support it and not wanting to risk their health during a new development, you shouldn't have pretended to. Just straight up tell us that you are trying to make a quick buck off the back of the gaming community instead of lying to us. Good bye Gen Con, hope you get what you deserve. read more

This was my first Gen Con ever and WOW it was amazing. I had never been able to go as the cost of travel and a hotel were prohibitive, but now that I live nearby, I will be going every single year. There was so much too do and it wasn't all just about a handful of games. There really was something for everyone, from kids to adults, male to female, and no matter what you enjoyed. I loved the writing seminars and was SO excited to finally get to play a World of Darkness game after so many years of being without. I made some amazing friends who I still keep in touch with and hope to meet up with next year. Now, if I HAD to mention a downside it would be that there was almost TOO much to do. It could get a bit confusing knowing what events you should choose and where you are supposed to go. The first day I had a panic attack in the dealer hall because of being overwhelmed by everything going on. So just be warned that it can get very busy and very stimulating if you have anxiety issues like I do. read more

There is a reason they call it the best 4 days in gaming!! There is so much to do and see while at Gen Con! The only downside to this con is that in addition to purchasing your badge, many events require you to pay to enter or join, but you can buy either generic tickets or event-specific tickets while purchasing your badge or while your at the Con. read more

I looked for a review when I was there and could not believe that no one wrote it up yet... especially considering the target audience. So, with that said let's review Gen Con Indy. This is the 45th anniversary and with it came one of the coolest titles... No Game Left Behind. They were not lying either... All ranges of games were present, from True Dungeon, where you actually go through a convention hall set aside with people playing the roles of a DM in a each room, to open gaming where you can bring an army and play a game. Whatever brings a smile to your face you will find it here. I am only go to throw up a few pictures, as with a simple web search you will find things that you cannot believe you didn't see yet... and even some things that you cannot unsee. "The Good" - The staff has a lot of volunteers. In some cases this sentence would be followed with an Oh Lord... But, not here. We take care of our own and everyone I have delt with from asking questions out of frustration because I was tired of trying to find it in a program to asking someone a question that over three hundred people had asked prior to me and without skipping a beat or judging patience the responses with always spot on and beyond helpful. - The sheer number of people here, for the most part are fantastic. There are always going to be those select few that do not have the "Social Skills" But they are in all parts of society, even ours. - The companies that come here aside from a few mentioned in the 'meh" go all out and treat this as it should be a convention for gamers of all kinds. Role Playing, card flippers and the folks that play with toy soldiers, even those folks that like to dress up and do a little cos-play. - iPhone App with the schedule that was updated to the minute, it did have a little bit of a bug this year, but all in all. Amazing. Next year, make the maps better. - True Dungeon. This year was my first time going into this and I had a blast. Taking the role of an adventurer you and your group go through a series of rooms to get to the boss at the end and try to defeat them. There are a few different ways you can go too, puzzles, where you use smarts to try and outwit the monsters and also fight your way through. This was awesome and well thought out and one of those things that would be great for the kids... no matter the age. I will write up a separate review for this and you will find it here: http://www.yelp.com/biz/true-dungeon-gen-con-indy-indianapolis#hrid:MdT4MWyW5EbM4MglouBeRg - The Food Trucks! wow. From a Diner truck, with homemade Root Beer, holding the pole position to a Korean BBQ one half way down the line. - The surrounding hotels that the events sprawl into... no space is taken for granted. - The cute Cosplay Girls. - Klingon Opera. - A Massage Area for the tired gamer. - A cool dude making balloon sculptures... not animals, sculptures, this year (2012) was a giant DAGRON! - and if you think I misspelled this you are not one of us... - The awards, The Diana Jones Award for Excellence in Gaming, The Indie RPG Awards, The ENnie Awards. Not to shabby for a convention that caters to a demanding group. "The Meh" - Convention food at convention prices, take a walk outside into the sunlight and look for the food trucks... you will not regret the food trucks. - Most companies go all out but sadly a few do not even try or think giving back to the gaming community is worth their time. Sadly Games Workshop continues to disappoint with a lackluster, Yeah, its not worth it... Lately they have been bailed out by Forge World and Black Library but they need to become a united front or fail to the better options that are out there now. "The Bad" - The occasional area of effect attack of "Gamer Funk". You all know it exists, and until there is a vestibule sponsored by Axe Bodyspray performing the Double Pits to Chesty on everyone that walks into the hall, the funk will remain. I urge all of you to use Deodorant... Please. No seriously, please do it... I will pay you. - Remember when you walk in the malls during the holidays and there are those folks that like to stop right in front of you with absolutely no warning causing you to move at a slower pace than you thought possible... Yeah well those people practice their skills at this and many many other conventions. Learn how to walk or have the common courtesy to know that you are not, in fact, the center of the universe and learn how to walk in public... Social Interaction skills may be on the lower tier of sanity but with a few Dinozo's you'll be just fine. read more

Gen Con - Gen Con. Supported by your friendly neighborhood city... Thanks Indy! - Venues & Event Spaces Near Me - Indianapolis, Indiana

It's been more than 10 years since I've been to GenCon and it's changed a bit. Definitely has become a little more mainstream but still pretty geeky. I came and ran a Twilight Imperium tournament and had fun. Honestly, not sure if I'd do GenCon again but I did have fun. read more

There are good and bad things at large conventions like this. I'll start with the bad...the housing department Gen Con had this year was horrible, I was on the waiting list from 6 minutes after the portal crashed on January 29th and NEVER got a room, but they were quick to tell me if I upgraded to the Gen Con VIG package ($540) I could get a room in any of the three hotels I requested. I don't agree with people trying to strong arming me into spending ridiculous money just to get a hotel room, because Gen Con takes all the rooms so you cannot book one on your own. The next is the swag bag, I know it's been gone for three years now, but it was awesome when they had it, the coupon book they give out sucks. It was great to have games on Wednesday! I thank all the hotels for fresh ice water, the best bathrooms are at the JW...3rd floor. Food was not a problem anywhere in Indy, food trucks were cool...except the nacho truck..yuck. They need to up the prizes for the costume contest...there were better cosplay costumes not in the contest. Gen Con needs to get Degree & a mouth wash company as sponsors...because this year WOW did people stink! Death Storm is the best D20 game at Gen Con....D&D Next had to many rude people running games, disappointing. The Pathfinder games were great, but the prices at their booth were nuts...cheaper on Amazon. The T Shirts vendors at $22 a T...out of line...$15-20 max. The play test games in the hall were awesome, great patient people :) The people working they JW and Union Station help desk were awesome. Overall Gen Con is awesome, sure corporate greed oozes it way in and you have to look for deals and the games are priced very fair. We miss the play testing for prizes, but screw it we understand the bigger it gets the more they keep and stop giving away...that's just greedy corporate agendas...sucks by that's the world we are in. If you are a gamer, love RPG's, Cosplay, LARPING, this is for you. Just use some common sense, don't be afraid to shop & ask for a deal, stay away from the nacho truck, take a shower and change your clothes everyday..please. read more

All I can say is...WOW!!! What an event!! this was my first time going to the king of all gaming conventions (Gary Gygax R.I.P.) Just the sheer number of people and things to see and do. If you like people watching, this is a GREAT place for it!!!! I would like to come again with a different game plan to experience more of this one-of-a-kind event!! read more

Tons to do and the time flies by. There is lots to do, see, and buy and many games you can't purchase anywhere else. You also get to see the first releases of games that aren't even out yet. We will definitely visit again! read more

Convention attendees are more rude than previous years, pushing others and not paying attention to their bags. ICC staff is friendly but Gen Con staff is rude. Speakers are known trolls and con artists. read more

This comes in 2 parts. The con and the management The con is a lot of fun, and well laid out. Not too crowded The management and Costumer service lacking. I have attended for the last 3 years and as long as I didn't have to deal with costumer service I had fun Stay away from the D&D events hosted by Baldman games. HUGE problems with there events! Roundly criticized for this years all access event. Total ripoff this is what lead to my customer service experience. read more