The free black and green, classic Oregon Trail-style t-shirt I got upon entering the event said it all:
TooManyGames 2020 has been cancelled.
Which, of course, came as no surprise to anyone who slogged through the tornado-meets-a-dumpster-fire-meets-the-local-landfill-meets-the-local-oil-refinery-meets-the-local-community-center which was last year. TooManyGames (www.toomanygames.com), long one of the best video game tournaments and conventions on the east coast, was shut down to the pandemic, and like a death in the retro edutainment classic that was Oregon Trail on the platform of your choice, this was as awful (or worse) than dysentery.
One year later, and with proper COVID-19, distancing, and masking protocols in place, the convention has returned with a vengeance.
Over the past three days selling at the event, which takes place among the outskirts of Philadelphia in Oaks, Pennsylvania, a mid-sized convention hall turned into three days of guests, panels, board game tournaments, video game tournaments, vendors, music, cosplay, wrestling, parties, and gamer community and shared geekiness. Guests ranged from classic Mario voice actor Charles Martinet to Angry Video Game Nerd James Rolfe to Chumlee from “Pawn Stars” with musical guests including Twiztid, Psychostick and MC Lars, convention staff estimating that 15,000+ attendees gathered together for the event.
TooManyGames attendees explores the vendors area of the event.
First Person Perspective:
From my own experience, and as a first-time vendor/attendee who’d only heard about the event through friends, it couldn’t have gone better.
Setting up for the event on Friday, I had no idea what to expect. I started SnarkFish T-Shirts as a small, geeky t-shirt company and semi-outlet for my nerdy obsessions in 2015 and began working the convention circuit. When I arrived in the D.C. area in 2017, I’d heard good things about TooManyGames, but sort of put them in the back of my mind, as MAGfest (www.magfest.org) was the big kahuna I was chasing as a geek-oriented vendor. After booking a TooManyGames table in late 2019 and watching the world take a nose dive last year, my table had rolled over. Hearing good things about the event, I snagged a second table and loaded in Friday with a friend, set up my wares, and hoped for the best.
I shouldn’t have worried.
Signs of Life:
The next three days amounted to three days of continuous nerd joy, complete with people gathering, geeking out on their shared love of gaming and pop culture, buying, selling, and trading rare and retro gaming gear, and just enjoying themselves. This was the Before Times all over again, with people getting together, talking, joking around, gaming on a massive array of cabinets and consoles that had been brought in and set up, and just enjoying the social elements that come with gaming and an event like this.
Attendees hunt for the perfect game to play in the Arcade section of the convention.
As Saturday began and I got busy selling wares at my booth, I heard the occasional, thunderous slams of a wrestling match down the row from my booth, the crowds exploding with approval as competitors dressed as comic book and video game characters battled each other for hours on end. The convention, without a doubt, was officially back.
The Health Perspective:
Like most conventions that are opening back up again, this event was masked in accordance with the state of Pennsylvania’s health code. Attendees were required to wear masks at all times and work to stay socially distanced while indoors. Proof of COVID-19 vaccination and/or a negative test within the past 72 hours wasn’t required, but the general understanding seemed to be that you kept your mask on or the convention staff would provide a warning, then remove you from the event if need be. As far as I noticed, it never got to that point, and roughly 99% of the attendees had masks on at all times, the exceptions being if someone was eating, drinking, or quickly catching their breath (yes, the nose-over-the-mask faux pas occurred on occasion, but that’s an argument no one can win, and isn’t worth engaging in). Throughout the event, people washed their hands, used hand sanitizer, gave each other space, and seemed to come to the understanding that these are the conditions we follow if we want to get together for events like this for the time being.
Feedback:
Walking around, the overall mood was extremely positive, with attendees offering almost nothing but support for the convention and the staff that had put it together. “Getting in was chaotic, but they’re doing good with enforcing masks,” said Mallory from Philadelphia. “It’s our first time here and we’ll definitely come back. It seems like a nicely laid out con.” She and her husband, Alex, had read about the event on Facebook and decided to attend.
“It’s our first con we’ve been to since the pandemic started and it’s good to just be back, see everybody, get to cosplay again. Actually, the only thing I would improve, spread it out a little more, if possible. Some of the booths are a little cramped, but that’s any con,“ noted Alex.
“I like how you can play video games and board games that haven’t been released yet,” said Tyler, one of the younger attendees. “You get to see what the game is and usually they’re very creative in that sense, and very fun. Like, you haven’t seen something like that before.”
Michelle Carpenter, who had made an almost 800 mile trek from Westmoreland, Tennessee, offered the following: “The convention this year has been great. We weren’t really sure if we going to come, but I feel like they’ve done a great job in safety, requiring masks, and the way they’ve spread out the convention and the panels and where they moved some of the staging. I think they did great with the space that they had since they had to move it and I’m thrilled that we came. They had some great panels this year, the ‘Weird Video Game Consoles’ panel was one of my favorites. ‘Some Call Me Johnny’ is always great. I like how they had a variety of panels like “How to Create a YouTube Channel.” Some different things I feel like a little bit different this year from usual, so we really enjoyed it.”
When asked if she’d return next year, she happily offered the following: “Absolutely. I think this is our fourth year here, so next year will be number five.”
Perhaps the most direct, and most hopeful comments surfaced from John from Philadelphia. “I love this convention and I have no complaints,” he said. “The only complaint I have are the masks, but whatever.”
When asked what he’d do to make it better, he simply said “Make it bigger. That’s all.”
Players go head-to-head against each other in multiplayer gameplay at TooManyGames 2021.
Conclusion:
TooManyGames 2021 comes at a shaky time in history where the world is just getting its feet back under it after the events of 2020 and the pandemic. Even as a first-time attendee, it’s easy to see that this is a labor of love, both for the staff that coordinates it and the attendees who came out in force to be part of it. The attendees put their faith in the staff, which seemed to rigorously enforce the masking rule, and people were able to have an incredible time with it. Over the course of this weekend, the event felt exactly like it should, and thousands of video game and board game fans were able to come together and have an incredible time.
This may not be an absolute return to the pre-pandemic era of events, but it’s another step in the right direction that helps prove that, if run safely and well, TooManyGames and larger events like it can take place and go extremely well.
Finally, I’m definitely wearing that t-shirt this week. Oregon Trail was a significant part of my childhood and you can’t argue with the history and current events that this garment reminds us of.
