Not going to Gen Con? You can still celebrate gaming

Everyone is going to Gen Con.

Everyone but you.

It’s true.

At least, that’s the way it feels, right?

You’re on the couch or in your cubicle while your Twitter and Facebook feed gets filled up with gaming news, game demos, and friends hoisting piles of loot. Some gamers may even be feeling better than ever now they are potentially getting to meet some of their closest online gaming buddies in real life!

Well, you know what? Just because you’re not at Gen Con doesn’t mean you can’t celebrate “The Best Four Days in Gaming” on your own.

But if you are going, please get me a few cans of 20-Sided Rye, OK?

Join up with GenCant

Called “the UnConvention for those who can’t Gen Con,” GenCant organizes local game groups to celebrate gaming at home the same weekend as Gen Con itself. There are also prizes for participating. Stay tuned to GenCant.com for details. You can even print a badge (like the one above) right here.

Throw a game night

While your friends are staging all-night D&D sessions in some Indianapolis hotel lobby, you can just as easily throw your own. You could maybe learn a bit about casino bonuses from websites like casino-bonus.me.uk and invite your friends to try out the same while having a night of casino games.

Shop at your local game store

While your pals are in Indy spending all their money on piles of games, go throw a few bucks at your FLGS. They’ll appreciate it.

Try a new game

Part of the fun of Gen Con is checking out new games and demoing unknown products from your favorite publishers. So try out something you’ve never played before. For instance, you could probably get some Pokémon Trading Cards and have a night of card games.

Paint miniatures

This is what I’ll be doing. I have a pile of unpainted miniatures that are needed for upcoming games, and I’ll be preparing for upcoming game sessions by busting through a good amount of minis.

Order Gen Con exclusives online

Some of your favorite game publishers will release exclusive items at the convention, but most actually sell them online, too. If you know of an exclusive release, check out the company’s online store to see if you can get it shipped straight to you.

Organize your own con

This is a little more forward-looking, but think about it: If you live in a city that can support a game shop, there are certainly enough people to support a one-day get-together. Your “con” doesn’t have to be ambitious. It could be a tournament for your favorite game or a game-day. It can be casino games also! The online gambling world offers so much in terms of game variety and tournaments. You can check websites like sfgate.com to find some of the well-reputed online casinos.

Enjoy being at home

I, for one, will be thankful I won’t be walking a stuffed convention floor that’s elbow-to-elbow with people or waiting three hours to buy stuff from game publishers I could easily get at my FLGS.

How do you plan to celebrate not being at Gen Con?