ETSU-Con has been a proud staple of ETSU’s heritage, and this year’s ETSU-Con will be no different in staking that claim.
Six years ago ETSU-Con was in its first year and experienced a shocking nine hundred attendees. Recently ETSU-Con expects around 2,000 people with each event, and that number is certainly growing larger. This year Zachary James, ETSU-Con Chairman, hopes to see at least 2,300 people attending.
ETSU-Con is an all encompassing gaming, anime, fantasy and a general nerd pride convention. ETSU-Con’s mission is to provide a fun environment without the unnecessary cost of a typical convention.
“We are trying to make it as accessible as possible,” said James, “Cons are just so expensive now.”
ETSU-Con is free for students, military personnel, first responders and children under the age of 10.For all others passes are $20 Saturday and $15 on Sunday. Guest can purchase a weekend pass for only $25. The ever expanding convention is also non-profit, giving back everything they earn during the con.
“It allows us to give back to the SGA for future events,” said James.
Though the event is non-profit, it has certainly not limited its panels and vendors. This year the con will be hosting guests such as YouTube’s Super Beard Bros, voice of Uncharted Nolan North and female voice of Fallout, Courtenay Taylor.
“[Our guests] bring a lot of positivity,” said James.
In addition to some star-struck inducing celebrities, the con will be hosting a Super Smash Bros tournament with a current pool of $700. This tournament will include professional Smash players from all around the United States, and is open to anyone brave enough to compete.
In addition to Smash, Overwatch, League of Legends and Hearthstone competitions will be held in the Cave.
The con will also have a drawing giveaway for a Nintendo Switch this year.
For those students interested in cosplay, the event will be having a number of excellent vendors, panels and will even be giving professional lessons on character acting in cosplay. Some panels will include Crash Candy Cosplay, Hanging Zodiiac Cosplay and much more. For fans of “Voltron” and “Yuri on Ice,” a panel can expected this year as well.
With renovations to the Culp coming soon, ETSU-Con could see a hiatus after this year. So it is important to attend this year’s event for those still on the fence. This year’s con will undoubtedly be an excellent event as it encourages students to come out and just have some fun.
“Basically, it’s supposed to be just a fun weekend on campus,” said James.
This event allows students to come and meet celebrities, cosplay as their favorite characters, play their favorite games and purchase from numerous talented vendors.
The con will be 10 a.m. – 10 p.m. on Feb. 17-18.
If you are interested in signing up for the Smash competition, visit ETSU-Con’s site at https://www.etsu.edu/students/sorc/organizations/etsucon/eventinformation.php.
