First annual gaming convention coming to Lake George

LAKE GEORGE | Lake George's first annual gaming convention will premiere Sunday, July 26, and gaming enthusiasts will find themselves immersed in a world of fantasy, make-believe, and engaging interaction at the Lake George Games Expo. "It's a really invigorating experience to go to a gaming convention or participate in one, and it's why I wanted to create one in Lake George," expressed Morgan Morgan Giuliano, event co-organizer alongside Chris Spahn. "If you or someone in your life loves gaming, you will definitely have a great time. The nice thing about games is that the whole point is to make them fun and enjoyable to play, I think anyone can come out and enjoy this event." Held from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. at the Fort William Henry Conference Center, a broad spectrum from hobbyists to games studios, professional programmers, and artists will convene to show off their work and projects to attendees. The event will see everything from video to board games, and allow people the opportunity to try out games firsthand and offer feedback to the creators. "I think something magical happens when someone plays your game for the first time," Giuliano revealed. "So much of game development is completely solitary and unseeable. You work alone for hours to make a game real, and until you get someone else to play it, you kind of feel like a crazy person. Will this work? Is this even fun/interesting? And then someone plays your game and they do all sorts of amazing things and interpret your work in a new way and you just feel so excited." A sampling of the scheduled exhibitors includes: - Angry Hammer Games, coming from the Capital Region. They will have 10 games for people to try, five educational and five action-oriented. - Kevin Root Games, coming from the Capital Region with a "Secret project" game. - AsFunAsFun Studio, coming from the Southern Maine Coast, playtesting 'Broduce.' - Team Manticore from the Capital Region, paytesting and selling a tabletop game. - AquaSpiderArt will be traveling from New Jersey and selling prints of their art, stickers, charms, and pins. "We have a few other offerings," Giuliano shared. "We will host a Cosplay contest, which is like a Halloween contest for pop culture characters. We also have speaker panels in which people can learn about making games; we have one on writing a choose-your-own adventure-story, and one on writing music that sounds like old-time Nintendo Entertainment System tunes. A selection of vendors, raffles, giveaways, and play-to-take-home board games will flesh out the afternoon. Giuliano, a gamer herself as well as a game designer and artist, loves a good strategy and management game, online combats, games, and story games. She has been a gaming enthusiast ever since her father brought home an original Xbox over 25 years ago. According to Giuliano, gaming events like the Lake George expo are not only great for the public, but super valuable for game creators. "Every time I've gone to an event like this and had my games playtested, I go home completely stoked to work on it again," she said. "And as someone walking around the expo, enjoying someone's work and immediately getting to talk to them about it is so cool. Getting to directly share your feelings and frustrations with a game creator, and talk about their inspirations, it's all so fulfilling to me." Tickets at the door on July 26 are $10 per person, but if purchased online ahead of time, are only $5. Please visit lakegeorgegamesexpo.com to purchase. Please follow Lake George Games Expo on Facebook and Instagram for event updates. "So many people think games are just for kids, but it's an entire medium," Giuliano noted. "It's like saying you don't like movies or television shows. We want to see all sorts of people at the event to enjoy the day and the beautiful Lake George area." Fort William Henry is located at 48 Canada Street, Lake George, NY 12845.

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First annual gaming convention coming to Lake George

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