The Professional Gamer - September 28, 2015

/

Hello, fellow geeks and other interested parties.  I've finally got that tough project done and am enjoying my reduced workload.  I may still be using most of my lunch time for running (and hence not getting in my usual reading time) but I'm still having a lot of fun with my other activities.  Read on to see what I've been doing.

 

Playing: I haven't had a huge amount of free time for video games this week, but I did spend some time playing Guild Wars 2 after I'd had enough with work last weekend.  Sometimes, I feel like GW2 is the methadone to the heroin that is World of Warcraft.  At least I'm avoiding an expensive habit.

Watching: I've nearly finished watching the Good Eats episodes that are available on Netflix.  All that remains is Pumpkin Pie! But, I also found out that the latest Doctor Who Christmas special is now available, so I will be watching that very soon.  And, I watched the latest episode of Steven Universe: "Catch and Release".  I have a lot of feeling about this episode.  I feel like this is our first chance to see Peridot as more than a threat/annoyance; and that's a really good thing.  I'm also glad that Steven's constant kindness to her seems to have paid off in some degree of trust.  Also, sounds like there is some spooky stuff going on with Earth, and some sort of experimental gem  thing may blow the whole planet up.  We can only hope that the Crystal Gems will be able to avert disaster.

That's all I have for this week.  Come back next week, and I should have a bit more for you to read.  If you haven't already, have a listen to our conversation with Laurissa and Crystal about their experience at Nan Desu Kan 2015.  Have a great week, and game on!

The Gameslave Podcast - Episode 214

/

Just posted Episode 214 of our podcast, in which we discuss the Artist Alley experience at NDK with Crystal and Laurissa.  Check it out!

NDK Costume Contest!

/

This took longer then I wanted it to, but I finally when through the pictures that I took for the NDK Costume Contest. Now these are not all the pictures I had, just the ones I liked best, so if you see something you like please feel free to ask my "rejects" and I can get them to you. Enjoy!

You can all see these at THIS PAGE as well.

Cari's Nan Desu Kan Review 2015!

/

Another year, another fun weekend at Nan Desu Kan! This year marks my tenth year attending NDK and I must say every year I’m reminded why I love anime and attending this con so much. There is so much to cover from the last three days from the new hotel, to the amazing guests, panels, and costumes. Let’s kick this review off by talking about the changes that happened this year then we will get into all of the good stuff, guests, panels, and costumes followed by the overall experience of this quiet blogger. Ready…set…review!

Read More

NDK 2015 - Photos from the Floor

/

One thing that you can always count on from NDK is lots of great costumes, and this year is no different. Here are the shots I took from the floor, including some posted by Jim earlier. There is more to come though as I still need to go through the Costume Contest. Look forward to that coming soon.

You can find the full gallery here as well.

NDK 2015 - Day 3

/

The Nan Desu Kan organizers have certainly done a great job in their first year at this new hotel.  Generally speaking, lines seemed to be more manageable, walking around was easier, and the hotel facilities were well laid out and well maintained.  We would all like to thank the NDK Staff and Board of Directors for putting on another great convention.  As usual, Sunday is the slowest day for me at Nan Desu Kan.  I had an opportunity to interview Taliesin Jaffe, so you can look forward to that audio in the next few days.

So you want to run an Anime Convention? with Kevin McKeever

I attended Kevin's panel about how to start an anime convention.  He started out the panel with a big reality check.  "So you want to run an anime convention?  Why?"  Kevin went on to discuss some bad reasons for trying to run your own convention: 1) revenge, 2) hopes for easy money, 3) wanting to run the masquerade.  Basically, if any three of those are your primary reason for starting a convention, it is not likely to work out and you should probably give up before you lose a lot of money.  He then discussed some of the realities of starting a convention.  There is a lot of work that has to happen before a convention can start.  It is like taking on a second, full-time, un-paid job.  Eighteen months is the bare minimum to put together a small convention, at an out of the way chain hotel, with only a couple of invited guests.  The cost for this small convention would be about $50,000 and the convention would not likely be able to make that back in the first year.  And the convention is only likely to take off if there is a demand in the market for it.  It is also necessary to for some type of corporation (either for-profit or non-profit) to run the convention.  In order to best decide which type of incorporation, the prospective convention head needs legal advice.  On top of all this, many cities have at least one anime convention, and many also have a Comic-Con.  So it can be hard for a small, new convention to get a foothold in many markets.

That's all that I have for the weekend.  For those of you who were able to attend NDK, I hope that you were able to have as much fun as I did.  And for those who weren't able to go the convention, I hope you have enjoyed my photos and reporting.  Goodbye Nan Desu Kan, we'll see you again next year.