As of June, 2016, I have been to at least 15 conventions in my lifetime. I have been going to cons since the summer before my freshmen year of high school, and it one of the greatest privileges in my life. On average, I go to one convention every three months. Not every con is filled with 10,000 people or very expensive, but each one is special. For the past five years of my life, I have been going to anime and comic conventions for seven reasons.
1. Cosplay
Cosplay is when you dress up as a character from a movie, video game, anime, etc. Conventions are the perfect showcase for these cosplays. People can make skits of their cosplays in the Masquerade, and many people may ask for your picture. It makes you feel famous for a day.
2. Guests
Conventions often have many guests come for fans to meet like voice actors, musicians, writers, etc. It is often a rewarding experience, and I have met many great voice actors from different anime and video games. The man in the picture above is Travis Willingham who voiced Roy Mustang in "Fullmetal Alchemist" and Knuckles in the recent "Sonic the Hedgehog" games. Comic cons are the place for more science fiction actors like William Shatner or the "Supernatural" guys. Guests are usually free to meet at anime conventions, but there may be a price for comic cons to meet guests.
3. Bonding
Conventions are all about finding people who like the same stuff as you do. You can easily find nerds like you by going to photo shoots or playing your Nintendo DS in the hallway.
4. Friends
The people who go to conventions are one of the best people you will meet. Great friendships will form, and the friendships you have will grow stronger.
5. Panels
Panels are the place to be. Many different things can happen at a panel like a Q&A, a game show, or discussions. For example, the panel above is Tea Time With Deadpool at Colossalcon in 2013. These cosplayers dress up as Deadpool, Spiderman and other X-Men and Avengers. They discuss what is going on lately in the Marvel Universe and serve tea with good ole' tomfoolery. This group goes to different conventions all around Ohio and other areas nearby. It's a good time!
6. Shopping
The Dealer's Room and the Artist Alleys are the shopping areas. I have bought 90 percent of my posters from different conventions and other things like jewelry, decorations, and even Japanese snacks. The Dealer's Room deals with all different things like swords and rare comic books. The Artist Alley is for artists to sell their fan art, original art, jewelry, etc. I usually save my last day of con for shopping. It can take a good amount of your convention time.
7. Memories and Happiness
Finally, I have so many great memories from going to conventions. I am always looking forward to the next one just so I can spend time with my friends and other nerds like me. If you are thinking about going to a convention, do it! There are many more reasons to go to one beside these seven reasons listed here. You can have fun the game room, shop in the Dealer's Room, and make friends all around.
