GenCon is North America's preeminent
role playing and gaming convention. GenCon began in 1968. Although GenCon and
the machinations of TSR have, seemingly, always been tightly integrated,
GenCon existed before TSR.
The Early Days
GenCon was started by a joint group of gamers from Milwaukee
and Chicago. The group did,
however, include TSR founder Gary Gygax. The first GenCon was considered a
raging success, attracting some 162 attendees. The venue was Lake
Geneva, specifically Horticultural Hall (330
Broad Street). The name GenCon or "Geneva
Convention" was a nod to the rules of war laid out in the Geneva
Convention accords. GenCon's focus in the early days was purely war games.
For a few years, the con was held at venues rotating
between Horticultural Hall, the American Legion, and the campus of GeorgeWilliamsCollege.
In 1976, TSR officially took over as GenCon's host and
principle corporate sponsor. Attendance hit 300. In 1977, the con was held at
the Lake Geneva Playboy Resort. Perverts. Two years later, attendance shot up
to 1,000. In 1978 the venue was moved to the University
of Wisconsin. While a more
respectable and larger setting, the University
of Wisconsin proved to be
somewhat irritating to gamers. Some of the tournaments were held in buildings
nearly 3 miles away. The dealer hall was in an unairconditioned gymnasium.
GenCon moves on Mecca
In 1985, GenCon had grown too big to be hosted on a campus
and it moved to Milwaukee and its
long-time home at the MECCAConvention
Center. Over 5,000 people attended. Within a
few years, it easily became Milwaukee's
largest annual convention. In 1985, however, only a portion of "Mecca"
was needed for the con. It used two side halls and shared the main hall with
a floral convention. However, by 1987, GenCon had to fully occupy Mecca
to accommodate RPG hajjis.
MECCA
In 1988, GenCon and the competing Origins convention
hosted a joint con. Over 10,000 attendees showed up. Origins previously had
been a roving event, moving from host city to host city. The GenCon/Origins
marriage did not last long. Origins split off after a few years and returned
to its nomadic ways.
In 1992, attendance figures hit 15,000. Kibourn Hall was
added to host the ever popular game auction. Vampire: The Masquerade
was debuted at GenCon '92. GenCon '93 saw the debut of Wizards of the Coast's
(WotC) Magic: The Gathering.
The card game craze touched off by Magic: The Gathering
only helped to further pump up GenCon's attendance figures: 20,000 in 1994
and 30,000 in 1996.
GenCon '97 almost didn't happen. TSR tanked and it was
only by the super human efforts of WotC employees (WotC has just purchased
TSR) that the con happened. Flush with cash, WotC kicked off GenCon 1997 with
a free concert by Milwaukee's own
Violent Femmes. An opening night concert became a recent GenCon tradition.
Right after GenCon '97, the city of Milwaukee
tore down MECCA and built a
larger convention center. The convention center's architects generously
allowed GenCon organizers an oversight role in the design of the new
facility. GenCon '98 opened with a free concert by They Might Be Giants.
The Big Snit
In 1998, Steve Jackson Games, Palladium (a GenCon attendee
since 1982), and RPGnet pulled out of GenCon. The companies cited the high
cost of booth rentals. Many companies felt that rental prices were already
high. When GenCon '98's raised the rates between 36 and 50% many of the
industry's biggest companies had to reexamine the cost/benefits. WotC argued
the rates were still fair, if you compared it to other more expensive
conventions unrelated to the gaming industry. Okay. WotC further argued any
company that did not show up for GenCon might give players the impression the
absentee company was on its last legs.
The Big Future
Many were afraid WotC, a Seattle-area company, would move
the con out west. But it promised to keep GenCon in Milwaukee
until at least 2006. Despite WotC's pledge, GenCon outgrew Milwaukee's
ability to host the ever growing event (40,000 people in 2000). WotC, now
owned by Hasbro, plans to move the con to Indianapolis
for 2003. Indianapolis was
selected because it kept the con close to its Midwest
roots and offered 1/3 more convention space. It seemed a suitable compromise
and allowed for increased expansion. Indianapolis
is only a four-hour drive from Milwaukee.
GenCon estimates the majority of attendees travel to the con by car as long
as it's within a "day trip" range. Indianapolis,
248 miles south of Milwaukee,
places it within a day trip of 2/3's of America's
population, as opposed to 1/3 in Milwaukee.
Indianapolis has the distinction of being the "crossroads of
America". It's served by most interstate highways in America. Bet you
never knew that, eh?
