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GameStorm is a fan-run not-for-profit annual gaming convention held in the spring in the Portland, Oregon metro area.
GameStorm started in 1998 as a fan-run event at the Clackamas, Oregon Denney's Convention Center. The GameStorm group often provides gaming programming at OryCon and other conventions in the Pacific Northwest as well, and has an extensive game library. GameStorm also hosts panel discussions about games and gaming-related topics, provides space for designers to play-test new products, and cross-promotes for other area conventions.
GameStorm provides a number of different activities for gaming fandom:
GameStorm, like OryCon, is run entirely by fans, with no paid staff, and is sponsored by Oregon Science Fiction Conventions, Inc. (OSFCI), a 501(c)3 not-for-profit corporation.
| Iteration | Dates | Location | Attendance | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| GameStorm 10 | March 2008 | Red Lion at the Quay - Vancouver, WA | 750 | Guests of Honor: Robin Laws and Jay Tummelson |
| GameStorm 11 | March 26–29, 2009 | Hilton - Vancouver, WA | 736 | Guests of Honor: Rob Alexander (first-ever Artist GoH), Andy Collins, Rob Heinsoo, Andy and Kristen Looney; debut of Video games |
| GameStorm 12 | March 25–28, 2010 | Hilton - Vancouver, WA | 802 | Guest of Honor: Vincent Baker, Tom Lehmann |
| GameStorm 13 | March 24–27, 2011 | Hilton - Vancouver, WA | 984 | Guests of Honor: Lisa Steenson, Michael A. Stackpole |
| GameStorm 14 | March 22–25, 2012 | Hilton - Vancouver, WA | 1072 | Guests of Honor: Andrew Hackard and Sam Mitschke of Steve Jackson Games, and Jason Bulmahn |
| GameStorm 15 | March 21–24, 2013 | Hilton - Vancouver, WA | 1188 | Guests of Honor: James Ernest, Henry Lopez (Paradigm Concepts) |
| GameStorm 16 | March 20–23, 2014 | Hilton - Vancouver, WA | 1346 | Guests of Honor: Mike Selinker, Shane Lacy Hensley, Lisa Steenson, Zev Shlasinger, Theatre Arcanos (David Coronado, Michelle McNeill, and Matt Branstad) |
| GameStorm 17 | March 19–22, 2015 | Hilton - Vancouver, WA | 1547 | Guests of Honor: Michael Mindes, Creator of Fiasco, Jason Morningstar, and Special Media Guest JR Ralls |
| GameStorm 18 | March 17–20, 2016 | Hilton - Vancouver, WA | 1550 | Guests of Honor: Mike Mulvihill, Shadowrun developer, and Brian Poel |
| GameStorm 19 | March 30 – April 2, 2017 | Red Lion Jantzen Beach - Portland, OR | 1520 | Guests of Honor: Paul Peterson and Jeremy Crawford |
| GameStorm 20 | April 5–8, 2018 | Red Lion Jantzen Beach - Portland, OR | 1700 | |
| GameStorm 21 | March 28–31, 2019 | Red Lion Jantzen Beach - Portland, OR | 1950 | Guests of Honor: Mike Mulvihill, Shadowrun developer, and Brian Poel |
| GameStorm 22 | March 24–27, 2022 | Holiday Inn Columbia Riverfront, Jantzen Beach -Portland, OR | 900 | No Guests of Honor |
| GameStorm 23 | March 23-26, 2023 | Holiday Inn Columbia Riverfront, Jantzen Beach -Portland, OR | Guest of Honor: Jacob Fryxelius (creator, Terraforming Mars) |
GameStorm 24 will be March 21–24, at the Holiday Inn Columbia Riverfront, Jantzen Beach .
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Science fiction conventions are gatherings of fans of the speculative fiction genre, science fiction. Historically, science fiction conventions had focused primarily on literature, but the purview of many extends to such other avenues of expression as films, television, comics, animation, and games. The format can vary but will tend to have a few similar features such as a guest of honour, discussion panels, readings and large special events such as opening/closing ceremonies and some form of party or entertainment. Science fiction conventions started off primarily in the UK and US but have now spread further and several countries have their own individual conventions as well as playing host to rotating international conventions.
A fan convention is an event in which fans of a particular topic gather to participate and hold programs and other events, and to meet experts, famous personalities, and each other. Some also incorporate commercial activity. The term dates back to at least 1942.
Dragon Con is a North American multigenre convention, founded in 1987, which takes place annually over the Labor Day weekend in Atlanta, Georgia. As of 2017, the convention draws attendance of over 80,000, features hundreds of guests, encompasses five hotels in the Peachtree Center neighborhood of downtown Atlanta near Centennial Olympic Park, and runs thousands of hours of programming for fans of science fiction, fantasy, comic books, and other elements of fan culture. It is owned and operated by a private for-profit corporation, with the help of a 1,500-member volunteer staff. Dragon Con has hosted the 1990 Origins Game Fair and the 1995 North American Science Fiction Convention (NASFiC).
Convergence is an annual multi-genre fan convention. This all-volunteer, fan-run convention is primarily for enthusiasts of science fiction and fantasy in all media. The motto is "where science fiction and reality meet". It is one of the most-attended conventions of its kind in North America, with approximately 6,000 paid members in some years. The 2023 convention was held across four days at the Hyatt Regency Minneapolis in Minneapolis, Minnesota.
A gaming convention is a gathering centered on role-playing games, collectible card games, miniatures wargames, board games, video games, or other types of games. These conventions are typically two or three business days long, and often held at either a university or in a convention center hotel.
An anime convention is a fan convention with a primary focus on anime, manga and Japanese culture. Anime conventions are commonly multi-day events hosted at convention centers, hotels or college campuses. They feature a wide variety of activities and panels, with a larger number of attendees participating in cosplay than most other types of fan conventions. Anime conventions are also used as a vehicle for industry, in which studios, distributors, and publishers represent their anime related releases. They also take place in multiple different countries, such as Japan, South Korea, India, Indonesia, the United States, Canada, Brazil, Australia, the United Kingdom, France, Germany and Spain.
The Endeavour Award, announced annually at OryCon in Portland, Oregon, is awarded to a distinguished science fiction or fantasy book written by an author or authors from Pacific Northwest and published in the previous year.
Genericon was a modestly sized anime/science fiction/gaming convention held in Troy, New York on the Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (RPI) campus for over 30 years, making it reportedly the longest-running college multigenre convention in the nation. It hosted theater-style auditoriums and had 24-hour anime viewing rooms, karaoke, cosplay events, 24-hour video game room/competitions, role-playing games, board games, and talks by guest speakers. The events usually began 6 p.m. on the Friday of the first weekend of March and continued until Sunday at 6 p.m. with a closing ceremony and announcement of the new "Con Chair". Starting with Genericon XXI, convention staff partnered with Jazzman's Cafe, located in the middle of the convention itself, to bring food and beverages to the convention.
ApolloCon was a science fiction convention held annually in Houston, Texas by the Houston Science Fiction Association (HSFA), a non-profit 501(c)3 corporation.
VCON is a fan run fantasy, gaming, and science fiction convention held annually in the metro Vancouver area of British Columbia, Canada. It has been hosted by the West Coast Science Fiction Association (WCSFA) since 1993, and by the Western Canadian Science Fiction Convention Committee Association (WCSFCCA) before that.
Otakuthon is Canada's largest anime convention promoting Japanese animation (anime), Japanese graphic novels (manga), related gaming and Japanese pop-culture. It is held annually for 3 days in downtown Montreal during a weekend in August. It is a non-profit, fan-run anime convention that was initiated by Concordia University's anime club, named Otaku Anime of Concordia University. The name "Otakuthon" is a portmanteau of the Japanese word "otaku" and "marathon". Otakuthon strives to be a bilingual event, having programming, the masquerade and the program book in both official languages. The first edition of Otakuthon was held in 2006 in mid-June, but later moved to early-mid August / late July from 2007 onward. The most recent edition, Otakuthon 2023, was held on August 11–13, 2023 at the Palais des congrès de Montréal. As of 2023, Otakuthon surpassed Toronto's Anime North to become Canada's largest Anime convention.
DemiCon is an annual volunteer-run science fiction, fantasy, and gaming convention held in Des Moines, Iowa, in late April/early May. The convention was first held in 1990.
ConnectiCon is an annual multi-genre convention dedicated to "a celebration of pop culture - everything from anime, to science fiction, comic books, and card games."
L.A. Comic Con is a three-day multi-genre convention held annually in downtown Los Angeles, California. L.A. Comic Con is one of the largest independent conventions in the United States and encompasses several categories, including comic, horror, sci-fi, anime, gaming, and pop culture, with a particular focus on the local Los Angeles community.
Tolkienmoot is an annual convention run by the Eä Tolkien Society created for scholars, gamers, and enthusiasts of the works of J. R. R. Tolkien. It began under the name of Merpcon in 2005. Always a convention focused on Tolkien scholarly discussion and gaming in Middle-earth, its name was changed in 2009 as the venue expanded. The convention was founded by Hawke Robinson and others.
A panel discussion, or simply a panel, involves a group of people gathered to discuss a topic in front of an audience, typically at scientific, business, or academic conferences, fan conventions, and on television shows. Panels usually include a moderator who guides the discussion and sometimes elicits audience questions, with the goal of being informative and entertaining. Film panels at fan conventions have been credited with boosting box office returns by generating advance buzz.
A comic book convention or comic con is a fan convention with a primary focus on comic books and comic book culture, in which comic book fans gather to meet creators, experts, and each other. Commonly, comic conventions are multi-day events hosted at convention centers, hotels, or college campuses. They feature a wide variety of activities and panels, with a larger number of attendees participating in cosplay than most other types of fan conventions. Comic book conventions are also used as a vehicle for industry, in which publishers, distributors, and retailers represent their comic-related releases. Comic book conventions may be considered derivatives of science-fiction conventions, which began in the late 1930s.
Comic Con Liverpool is a fan convention held twice a year in the city of Liverpool, England, attracting 48,000+ attendees across two large venues situated along the Liverpool waterfront, that celebrates films, popular culture, cult television, video gaming, anime, cosplay and comic books which is organised by UK Events company Monopoly Events.
For the Love of Sci-Fi is a fan convention held annually in Manchester, England that celebrates the science fiction genre in various formats such as films, sci-fi fiction, comics, video games, and sci-fi cosplay which is organised by UK Events company Monopoly Events.