Gen Con 50 ’17 – 50th Event Preview

For those of you who haven’t bought your tickets, I’m afraid I have some bad news: Gen Con 50 has already completely sold out!

Held annually in Indianapolis, Gen Con is both the largest and longest running gaming convention in the world. On August 17^th, more than 60,000 gaming enthusiasts will descend on the Indiana Convention Center, Lucas Oil Stadium and seven participating hotel convention spaces (it’s freaking HUGE) for four days of non-stop, around-the-clock gaming and “hobby-related” events.

That includes: a costume contest; a life-size 10,000 square foot True Dungeon in Lucas Oil Stadium; seminars, panels, and Q&As with industry and media celebrities; a film festival; and much, much more. Attendees can participate in card games, board games, computer and video games, live-action role-playing games and a whole bunch of other types of games over the entire convention.

In celebration of Gen Con’s 50^th year, Grammy Award winning rockers They Might Be Giants will play an exclusive concert for convention goers on the Thursday night at Bankers Life Fieldhouse.

“Gen Con attendees are some of the most passionate, loyal people in the world, and we wanted to create yet another memorable, ‘can’t miss experience’ for them for Gen Con 50,” said Adrian Swartout, CEO and Owner of Gen Con, “They Might Be Giants has an impressive catalog of music that spans decades, and we hope that this concert sparks wonderful new memories for gamers of all ages.

“Our team is ecstatic to see so many choose to celebrate gaming history with us at the historic Gen Con 50. In this milestone year, we have seen gamers from around the world decide to make Gen Con their summer destination, and we’re anticipating our best show yet.

“We’ve made optimizing the attendee experience a core goal for Gen Con 50, and we are committed to balancing growth with world class programming.”

This year’s Author Guest of Honor will be New York Times best-selling author Charlaine Harris. She is best known for her Sookie Stackhouse series which inspired True Blood.

“Gen Con fans will not only have an opportunity to meet a best-selling author at her book signing,” said Jeannette LeGault, Senior Director of Event Programming, “They’ll also have a chance to ask questions about her experience during a Q&A and other panel events. Whether an aspiring writer, a lover of southern horror, or just a huge True Blood fan, they will have a unique opportunity to meet a legendary author!”

Gen Con 50 also will feature appearances from other renowned authors, including Brandon Sanderson, Mercedes Lackey, Larry Dixon and Patrick Rothfuss. These authors, along with Charlaine Harris, will appear as Special Guests at the convention’s annual Writer’s Symposium.