I’ve been going to Gen Con for a number of years now (decades) and still there are thing I learn about the conference each year. Gen Con is a gaming conference that is held in Indianapolis in the fall of each year from Wednesday through Sunday, with most gaming staring on Thursday. This year’s Gen Con is From July 30th to August 2nd (2026).
Many think that Gen Con is primarily about geeks and nerds playing Dungeons and Dragons. The conference is much, much more, which is why it draws tens of thousands of people and takes over all of downtown Indianapolis. New attendees that have never been before are often overwhelmed by the scope of what is happening.
Over the course of the next several days I plan to write a series of articles on some of the key things happening at Gen Con, including many that newbies are surprised to learn about. In these articles, know that I am simply scratching the surface. I plan to start with 10 things happening that most newbies don’t understand. If time allows, I might follow this up with additional insights as well.
Before jumping into the ten things, let me clarify one key point…..
Gen Con is Not Just D&D
As I’ll cover in the posts coming after this one, Gen Con is not just about D&D and role-playing games. The conference is as much about tabletop gaming as well. In the past the conference has also included other types of gaming including video gaming, but the primary focus is role playing and tabletop gaming. This includes board games as well as collectable card games.
The gaming starts officially Thursday morning and runs until 4:00pm Sunday. The gaming spreads across the convention center and many of the hotels downtown as well as into Lucas Oil Stadium. You’ll find people gaming in all areas of downtown. On the Wednesday before, there is also a Trade Day that is a separate admission that focuses more on seminar sessions.
In addition to the gaming, there are other events happening at Gen Con. This includes cosplay as well as a film festival and a writers symposium. These are topics that I’ll dive into in the upcoming posts. In addition to learning and playing games, there is also an auction, a consignment store, a gaming library, and other events happening as well. There is also a coordinated effort to support a couple of local charities each year.
Balloons
One event is a balloon sculpture that is created during Gen Con. While just a side thing, it is sad to know that in 2026 the balloon sculpture event has been discontinued. This was an event where a balloon artist created a gigantic balloon sculpture in the hallway throughout the first few days. On the Sunday of Gen Con, the sculpture is popped by all of the kids. The first “pop” would be auctioned off with the proceeds going to charity. From what I’ve read, due to latex allergies, this event has been dropped.
Over the years there have be pirate ships, gnomes and dragons. There was even a lunar lander. The sculptures tend to be large in size, so pictures don’t do them justice.
More than Gaming
This article is simply the teaser for those to come. As each posts, I’ll include a link so you can easily find them. The following are the posts planned for the ten things newbies should know about when it comes to Gen Con:
- Gen Con Thing 1: The Vendor Hall
- Gen Con Thing 2: The Consignment Store
- Gen Con Thing 3: The Auction (coming)
- Gen Con Thing 4: The Film Festival and Writers
Symposium (coming) - Gen Con Thing 5: Cardhalla (coming)
- Gen Con Thing 6: Cos Play (coming)
- Gen Con Thing 7: Food and eating (coming)
- Gen Con Thing 8: Open Game Room (coming)
- Gen Con Thing 9: Play testing (coming)
- Gen Con Thing 10: Vender Rooms (coming)
- Gen Con Thing 11: Oh, and then there’s Gaming
(coming)
The intent of these posts is not to be comprehensive, but rather to simply give you enough information to not be completely lost. With tens of thousands of people sharing the gaming space, it is easy to become overwhelmed. Remember, the idea is to have fun. If you are unsure of something – the easiest thing to do is to ask someone for help or ask them simply what’s going on. Generally, people are happy to tell you. Asking questions is often how you learn new things!
One final parting thing on this intro. There are online groups that support Gen Con including a discord group and several Facebook groups. I hang out in the Fans of Gen Con group on Facebook more than the others (This year I’ll be hanging out at their table on Sunday as well where you can stop by and pick up one of their die while they last).
Gen Con Newbie Mistake: One newbie thing to avoid – if you ever write the name of the conference, remember it has a space. It is Gen Con, not GenCon.
The first article will be on the most visible of Gen Con things – the vendor hall. There are people who attend Gen Con for the four days and do little more than spend time in the vendor hall, so it is the best place to start!
Gen Con Newbie Tip: If you can get into a “Session Zero” event, do. These events are aimed at “first timers” and share information similar to what I’m attempting to share in these posts.
# # #