About a year ago, I posted about an attempt to run a gaming event in Michigan. It was canceled at the last minute, but it’s trying again this year as “GLGX” (Great Lakes Game Expo) on February 18 – 21, 2021. And it’s online only, so it won’t be canceled! Nothing stops the Internet!
GLGX Event Logo. Post it everywhere!
Michigan has long been a hotbed of great indie developers, a supportive community of both digital game developers and tabletop game designers. Even in 2020, the communities still try to get together online. The meetups alone from Detroit, Ann Arbor, and Grand Rapids would be enough to support a medium-sized convention. The student engagement (and the showcase fairs they display their games at by the end of each semester) from the respective colleges would double that. It’s the type of community I’d love to see in Canada outside of Toronto.
And yet, there aren’t any video-game conventions of note in Michigan. Sure, there’s multiple comic-book conventions, anime conventions, and even board-game conventions. But video games are naturally a quiet thing people use when alone in a dark room, not easy to translate to an exciting social event. Even in larger cities, organizing and sustaining video-game events is difficult. If your event isn’t already one of the big ones (E3, Gamescom, Tokyo Game Show, or PAX 1, 2, 3, or 4) where major announcements occur, then most people won’t pay attention.
But there’s more to media and pop culture than exciting new announcements. Medium-sized events that focus on indie gaming, like you would with indie film festivals or book fairs, can still be a lot of fun for the local community, while also supporting larger content should it be available. It’s not about the news, but the friends you meet and the discoveries you make, and supporting the art of the new generation. Like comic-cons, there should be an annual video-game event in every state and province in North America, one that’s accessible for fans throughout the continent.
As of now, Michigan doesn’t really have any such events within driving distance. GLGX might be the first major push for one, targeted to developer professionals and hobbyists, as well as game enthusiasts. With a lack of similar events in the midwest USA, this is well-positioned to be the place to go for developers around the Great Lakes region, but submissions are open to everyone around the world, to showcase projects being made in your backyard that you might otherwise not be aware of. And if only Michigan devs support it early on, there’s still a lot to watch from that too.
Sure, as an inaugural event with no budget, the schedule will be limited. Being online only out of necessity for this year, it won’t be quite as fun. But the games and developer speakers do look interesting so far, and even more will be added in the weeks leading up to the event. Did I mention GLGX is free to watch on Twitch?
One thing worth pointing out is how many people I saw from inside the Michigan community saying “thank you” when they saw the announcements for GLGX. There’s a strong craving for something… anything… like this in places everywhere. Even in larger, obvious cities like Toronto, Chicago or New York, there aren’t any gaming events worth mentioning. I hope when things open up again, that there’s enough of a craving for people to organize social events more frequently. Maybe not the size of E3 or GDC, but something with just enough of an audience to sustain it. A couple hundred people you can meet, and remember when you see them again (because you can afford to see them again, not taking a flight or a week off of work to be there each year)… that’s the makings of a great event, possibly more valuable to the professionals who attend than the larger things. And if 100 people is enough to sustain it, then let it be a traditional gathering for years to come.
At the time of this writing, GLGX is still accepting submissions for video games to show off, and for developer talks, up until February 7 at 11:59pm. I hear they’re looking for game streamers too until February 14. And pay attention to their website for a finalized schedule and video stream to tune in. It needs all the support it can get for its first outing, and hopefully it’ll allow it to build for an eventual physical event, hopefully in 2022.
Website: https://glgx.dev/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/glgexpo
Twitch Page: https://www.twitch.tv/glgexpo
Email: contact@glgx.dev
