Pac-Man and pinball, consoles and cosplay, tournaments and tabletop RPGs—the University of Idaho’s Vandal Gaming Convention brought in hundreds of attendees this year. The Office of Information Technology and Vandal Esports hosted the 13-hour event on April 6 in the Pitman Center. People came from all over the Palouse and beyond for a day filled with fun activities.
The convention spanned three floors of the Pitman Center and provided endless entertainment. While the event’s organizers supplied plenty, attendees were invited to bring their own consoles and games.
Upstairs, visitors could meet many UI organizations, including the Tabletop Club, Library, Virtual Technology and Design Junior Studio, Doceo Center and Polymorphic Games Studio, UI’s game development program. The UI Library contributed a massive collection of board and card games.
Tabletop roleplaying game enjoyers were excited to find groups such as Wheat Belt Wargaming and Pathfinder Society showing off their sets and engaging in some free play. Local business Safari Pearl hosted several events, including Pokemon, Magic: The Gathering and a paint-and-take event for figurines.
Eventgoers could also play with the Dean of Students, enter a cosplay contest or compete against other players in VR laser tag hosted by Virtudome.
VGC hosted three panels with visiting speakers throughout the day. Speakers included Rantz Hoseley, a comic book artist and writer; Bret Cocking, Senior Game Designer for World of Warcraft at Blizzard Entertainment; David Korus, Lead Software Development Engineer for Magic the Gathering: Arena at Wizards of the Coast; and Lena Alison Knight, author of the sci-fi book series “The Gift of the Stars.”
Beak Bonk 2024, a fighting game tournament with cash prizes, was one of the main events. As one of the largest esports tournament groups in Idaho and the Pacific Northwest, it hosted its own tournament and sponsored other events at the convention. Players traveled from around the region to compete in over ten games, including Smash Ultimate, Street Fighter 6, Tekken 8 and more.
The tournament took over most of the International Ballroom, ran the length of the convention and had over 340 attendants. “We’ve been running these in the Palouse for the last five years. We’re just making it the best we can,” Jules Clemens, the director of Beak Bonk, said.
“This is the biggest event we’ve run this far,” Clemens said. “We’re trying to get larger every year and get more attendants, and with the help of the University of Idaho, we’ve been able to keep growing.”
In addition to a pinball tournament with prizes and plenty of arcade games, the first floor was filled with local vendors selling art, comics, games and more.
Bryan Cofer, co-owner of Bored Dragon Woodworking, was excited to showcase his supply. “The easiest way to explain it, and what I usually tell most people, is that we make nerd stuff out of exotic woods.”
“Everybody’s been so nice and everyone comes up to the table and tells us how nice our products are,” Cofer said about the convention. “People have been very friendly, and it’s been great just getting to see everybody enjoying the con.”
Down in the basement, the energy in the Vandal Esports Lab was tangible. Esports hosted a handful of tournaments for kids, plus free play for anyone who wanted to.
“This is the first time we’re partnering with the Vandal Gaming Convention,” Evelyn Davis, a member of the Esports team and a freshman studying Virtual Technology and Design, said. “We’re having a Smash Tournament, and then they’re going to start a Fall Guys tournament for kids 12 and under.”
The Esports Lab runs competitive games, including Rocket League and Counterstrike. “In the future we do want to open it up for more hours,” Davis said. “We want to let casual players come in, too.”
VGC began as Vandal Overnight Games in 2014. OIT manager Darren Kearney and then-student, now-OIT employee Jacob Flynn are the minds behind the event. The original idea behind it is still present: a free social event for students and community members to come together and play games of all kinds. Information about future conventions can be found on VGC’s website.
Dakota Steffen can be reached at [email protected].