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Published: 2022-03-18 16:55:00
Updated: 2022-03-18 17:55:50
Posted March 18, 2022 4:55 p.m. EDT
Updated March 18, 2022 5:55 p.m. EDT
By Laura Leslie, WRAL capitol bureau chief
Raleigh, N.C. — Thousands of people are expected in downtown Raleigh this weekend for a gaming convention.
The Playthrough Gaming Convention is one of several conventions Raleigh hosts every year, and the city is doing everything it can to attract more like it.
This convention features several different kinds of games including table top games, tournaments, role playing games, like Dungeons and Dragons, and arcade games. Esports is a crowd favorite because it have several popular multiplayer games.
Michael Everett, who is in charge of the eSports competition, including popular games like Super Smash Bros., Tekken and Madden NFL, said more than 100 consoles will be up and running Saturday and Sunday.
«13 or 14 different events that we’re going to be doing and people can come to the event and they can play an amateur you don’t have to have any certain scale to sign up,» he said.
Unlike at some of the big eSports tournaments, anyone can play. The two-day gaming event is being held at the Raleigh Convention Center on Saturday, 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. and Sunday, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.
A one-day pass costs $30 and a two-day pass costs $50. Children under 9 get in free if they are accompanied by a paying adult. The convention allows for three free children for each adult.
While face masks are encouraged, they are not required. Proof of vaccination is also not required, according to event organizers.
On top of gaming tournaments, the convention has a handful of panels and speakers to address hot topics like whether gamers should use a PC or a console.
Tim Howell is originally from New York, but he and his partner decided to start their gaming convention here in Raleigh back in 2016.
«It was a perfect mix of game developers, a growing community and passionate people that were like, really into gaming,» he said. «So not only do you have people like Epic, and Redstorm Insomniac, which are like these big triple A game developers, we have tons of schools that were also teaching game development.»
Howell’s expecting to see between 5,000 and 6,000 people to attend the event. He says it’s a great way to expose kids to the possibilities of a career in game design.
«My mom says video games are never going to get your anywhere. I said, look at me now,» said Nathan Tight, a member of the Wake Technical Community College’s eSports team.
Patrick Doyle, who coaches Wake Tech’s team, said that kids are able to learn coding and graphics as a way to get into game design.
A lot of kids idols nowadays are gamers that compete at high levels or even stream as a career,» he said.
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