MAGFest, annually held at the Gaylord Hotel in National Harbor (near Baltimore) MD, is a con we always look forward to, as it combines video games, music, and nerd culture all under one roof.
MAGFEST XI boasted the largest attendance ever - here is a very quick recap of some of our favorite parts of 2013's event.
Gaming More Fun Than Ever
This year, MAGFest had total of FOUR separate areas. One room for
console games, one for tabletop, one for the dealer's room and LAN area,
and of course, the massive Arcade. Tabletop games were a big success
this year, with a noteable difference in active players than in prior
years.
This year's retro Arcade room was particularly impressive, featuring
more dance games, racing games, and even a VR system, all of which had
not been present in previous years. The only downside was the number of
broken machines - which seemed to be a little worse comparatively to
years past. The pinball section was slightly bigger, but we'd love to
see that expanded even further in future years!
Lilith Astaroth Too Sexy for MAGFest
This year included a bit of scandal.... Security at MAGFest was stricter this year, and they weren't
too happy with model/singer
Lilith Astaroth's costume - a custom-made
homage to the classic
NES system. On Saturday, she was approached by
security and told that her unique costume was too risque' for the con
and was asked to change out of it. "
I was kind of shocked when it
happened... I wore it to last year's event and it was received
positively," she said, adding that the costume, a bikini set imprinted
with
NES controller features on it, has not been a problem at other
conventions. "
I just wanted to show my love for my favorite system of
all time; the one I grew up with. I figured, what better event to share
this costume at?
I didn't think it would be offensive..!"
Apparently
Ms. Astaroth, who sings for Boston metal band
Sorrowseed and attends
cons all around the US, was literally, "too sexy" for MAGFest.
The Protomen Win
Out of the 38 total concerts and visual performances at
MAGFEST XI, (the
most ever for this con),
The Protomen were by far the biggest
crowdpleaser. During the course of the weekend, the performance room
had anywhere from few to moderate numbers of people in the audience, but
for
The Protomen only, the room was filled to capacity and given the
most enthusiastic response from fans. At no point was the room anywhere
close to being as packed as it was for
The Protomen's set. The crowd was
hungry to see this inspiring band from Nashville, and it was easily the
most captivating performance this year.
The Protomen rocked MAGFest
hard - at several points a Colossus Roar from fans echoing through their
performance in unison. This amazing group may very well be the most loved at MAGFest.
What will
MAGFEST XII hold? We can only anxiously await what the new year will bring. Without a doubt, it will continue to be a magical place where nerds can run freely and find the total acceptance that the real world just doesn't offer.
We look forward to returning to MAGFest in 2014, and hope to see you there.
