Among the cosplay, the exhibitors, and the panels of Salt Lake Comic Con was a mostly undiscovered gem hiding on the convention floor, or rather, next to it. Just to the north of Kid Con was a moderately sized room that, once entered, almost felt out of place. Not because of any of the content, it fit in the theme of the three day spectacular nicely, but because it was calm and quiet, relaxed.
It was called simply, the gaming room, and was filled with table top games, video games, miniature painting, and more. I kept an eye out for the room as I made my way around the convention Thursday and Friday but never saw it. Finally on Saturday I asked the lovely volunteers at one of the information desks and was directed there immediately. I was told to walk through Kid Con and continue north, I did so and still almost missed it. Directly north of Kid Con was a hallway with a couple of tables, a handful of attendees, and some abandoned pizza boxes. Surely this can’t be it, I thought before continuing forward. Then the hall opened up onto a room and there I found haven.
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I wish I had found the gaming room earlier; it was a welcome break from the chaos of the rest of the convention. To the left of the entrance was a considerable game library where you could check out a selection of table top games to play at no charge. If you liked any of those games you could buy them from the vendor next to it. Attendees were also encouraged to grab a free blank miniature and try their hand at painting it. On the right end of the room were oversized board games you could play while standing along with a large projector displaying video games. “Super Smash Bros.” was in play while I was in the room.
While the room would have been perfectly comfortable for a casual gamer, that wasn’t all they had to offer. Competitive games of “Dungeons & Dragons” (among others) were scheduled almost hourly. If you didn’t have a chance to check out the gaming room during the 2014 festivities, I recommend you locate it quickly next year. The availability of free games and the quiet environment will be a welcome escape from the mobs.