New name, new date, new very special guests – Adventure Game Fan Fair 2024 coming July 26-28th to Tacoma, Washington!

0 Comments

Features by Adventure Game Hotspot staff
Published:

Note: Article has been updated to reflect the change of venue to the Greater Tacoma Convention Center.

A few months ago we unveiled our plans for the first ever adventure game convention to be held in the United States. Since then we’ve been rather quiet, but behind the scenes we’ve been frantically making plans to assure the very best experience possible.

We had every intention of sticking to our initial target in April, but then an opportunity arose that was too good to pass up: a Sierra reunion weekend, held in part at the convention! The catch was, while we could still host the event in the same place, we’d need to push the date back, but we think you’ll agree that doing so was a no-brainer.

And so we are pleased to RE-announce the slightly delayed but still first ever convention in the US: the newly rebranded Adventure Game Fan Fair 2024! Read on for the deets.

When is it?

A two-day weekend event held July 27-28, 2024

A THREE-day weekend event held July 26-28, 2024 (note: extra day added thanks to reaching our Kickstarter stretch goal!)

Where is it?

The Greater Tacoma Convention Center in Tacoma, Washington, located about 30 miles outside of Seattle.

It’s a beautiful area in the Pacific Northwest, with a lovely view of the mountains if you squint hard enough on a clear day. Not overly crowded, but with lots of restaurants and nearby accommodations available.

What’s it all about?

Like AdventureX has done so nicely in the UK, we’re looking to bring together passionate gamers and developers in one place to celebrate the genre we all know and love. It won’t be a giant, ear-splitting neon extravaganza, of course, but a more intimate setting where you can actually meet and talk with your industry idols and fellow fans.

The facility has several rooms available, including a main hall where game demos and evening presentations will take place, and side rooms for guest talks, panels, and a nostalgia-fueled surprise for fans of the early adventure classics!

Sierra Reunion: It’s been a long time since the heyday of Sierra On-Line, and an equally long time since many of the people who made the company such an adventure game powerhouse have had the chance to reunite and catch up. We planned to invite many of them anyway, so why not combine the two events? They’ll want the privacy to do their own thing, of course, but here are just some of the names that will be on hand at the AGFF at various times throughout the weekend, with an opportunity to watch them participate in panels, meet them, say hello and chat:

Ken and Roberta Williams

Al Lowe

Jane Jensen and Robert Holmes

Lorelei Shannon

Lori and Corey Cole

Ken Allen

And that’s just the glorious tip of a very deep iceberg. There will be plenty of others there as well, who may not be as well-known but who all contributed significantly behind the scenes to help create the games we cherish. We’re still working to coax even more familiar names as well (Josh Mandel, Christy Marx, Scott Murphy, Mark Crowe and more), hoping their schedules will align, and there’s nothing like a groundswell of public fan interest to encourage them!

Game Demos: There will be display tables/booths for at least 20 different developers to show off their current projects in person. Not only will you get to see and perhaps play new games in development before everyone else, the real thrill is in chatting first-hand with the developers themselves – an opportunity you’ll likely never get anywhere else.

Guest Talks and Panels: Throughout both days, a variety of acclaimed industry insiders will give talks and group panels about their areas of interest and expertise, with audience participation welcome. Names and topics still TBD, but we will say that already several “must see” guests have expressed their desire to participate!

Evening Presentations: We’ll cap off each day with a special stage presentation in the main hall. One of the two will remain under wraps for now, but the other will be the inaugural unveiling of the …

Adventure Game Hall of Fame: That’s right, we’ll be launching our officially licenced Hall of Fame for the most acclaimed adventure creators and games alike!

We’ve leaked the first group of final nominees already, but if you missed out on our marathon anniversary livestream, rest assured that we’ll be more formally introducing them in the coming months, in anticipation of winners being chosen and announced live at the convention.

Note that this is just the FIRST Hall of Fame induction ceremony. Like the Oscars, Grammies, or any major sports league, annual voting will be overseen by a committee and carried out by a diverse group of people throughout the industry, with new candidates added each year. Which adventure game luminaries and their creations will christen the Hall in 2024? Be there to find out! (Well, you’ll find out anyway, but be there to see it LIVE!)

How do I get tickets, and how much is this going to cost me?

All pricing and ticket information will be announced shortly. We’ll begin with a Kickstarter campaign that you can pre-register for now. The campaign will give you first crack at admission at a discounted price, but tickets will be available afterwards for anyone who missed out (at least until the venue’s full capacity is reached).

Tickets will be available for both single days and the complete weekend, and will be priced as inexpensively as we can manage. We need to cover our costs, but we want everyone to be able to afford it!

The convention will still happen even if the Kickstarter is unable to reach its target goal, but the more advanced funding we have to work with, the easier it will be to facilitate the kind of event we all want it to be.

How certain is this to happen?

Having pushed the original date back once already, we know better than to offer an ironclad guarantee, but the venue is already booked, and we’re 100% committed to making this work!

I’m an über-fan and I’d like to do more than just attend! Can I help in any way?

We sure hope so! These events benefit enormously from volunteer contributions, so please get in touch and we’ll be happy to discuss possibilities for how you can take part.

I’m too far away to attend but I’d still like to help. How can I do that?

Ditto the answer above. There’s plenty to do ahead of time, and the more hands on deck to help out, the better. Give us a shout and let’s talk! Plus, any and all Kickstarter support is greatly appreciated.

I’m a developer and you schmucks haven’t invited me yet. Why not, and can I come anyway?

Heck yeah! We’ve still just scraped the surface of our early invite list, so no disrespect intended. If you’re a developer and are interested in participating in any capacity – showing games, giving talks, even being a sponsor – please LET US KNOW!

Where can I learn more in the coming months?

Pre-register to be notified when our upcoming Kickstarter campaign goes live, and follow us on social media and stay up to date on all the latest announcements as they happen:

Twitter (@AGHotspot)

Facebook (Adventure Game Hotspot)

Instagram (adventure_game_hotspot)

Threads (adventure_game_hotspot)

Mastodon (@AGH@mastodon.gamedev.place)

BlueSky (@aghotspot.bsky.social)

What is an adventure game?

Argh! The age-old debate rears its ugly head again. But entirely fair to ask in this context. Let's just say that our definition will be pretty broad, including any games primarily driven by their stories, puzzles, and/or exploration, in any combination. Maybe a little action? Why not, but we'll be there to celebrate games far more like Gabriel Knight than Fortnite.

I still have questions!

Adventure gamers are nothing if not inquisitive, and we love it! If you have further questions, then feel free to ask in the comments below (login/registration required, but painless), on our Discord, or you can email Joshua Cleveland or Jack Allin directly.

We welcome any and all feedback, input, questions, and concerns, so don’t be shy!