GameForce 2016
The year is getting to its end and the same goes for the conventions. One of the last events that is held in Belgium is GameForce, a convention that revolves (solely) around games as you might’ve guessed. If you’re into games and especially ones that aren’t available yet, it would be a good idea to see if this event is something for you. Let’s dive into the world of competitions, games and hardware.
GameForce, which is similar to events like the popular Gamescom in Germany or the E3 convention, was originally located in Antwerp but the event was held in Mechelen as there was more room to expand the convention. This was a good choice, as there was more room and it was easier to move around. The main headliners of GameForce are games that aren’t released yet, making it a great moment to test these new gems. Although this might sound sweet, it also means you will need to challenge some waiting lines, depending on the popularity of the game. For instance, the new Call of Duty, South Park game and Final Fantasy XV were available, so these areas were overcrowded. Not only the conventional consoles were addressed but there was also an area foreseen where you could try out Virtual Reality. If retro is more to your liking, there were also some areas where you could tackle some of the older games.
If you wanted to do something else rather than game, there were also a lot of competitions and streams that were held to entertain the public. Also, GameForce invited some famous YouTubers as well, which was a great addition to the available options. The organisation also wanted to attracts more cosplayers by reserving a special area. The stage was linked with four changing rooms, the cosplay repair stand with chill zone and the Cosplay Shop Select Style where a lot of materials were available. If that wasn’t enough, there were also quite some prices available for the acts and catwalk, while the jury was of international level. These are some nice additions, although it is clear that the population still isn’t familiar with cosplayers though. Let’s hope the organisation will keep expanding and improving this branch of the event.
Next to all the workshops, games and competitions, you could also buy some merchandise. There were a few stands that had some game-related goodies like T-shirts and figurines, while others had original dog tags and Pokémon toys. Even if you were looking for upgrades for your pc, you would probably find something suitable. Alternate was selling components of Hyper X for instance, while there were a lot of possibilities on display.
Of course, running around makes you tired and hungry and GameForce had some extras foreseen. If you wanted to buy food or drinks, you needed to get a card which was charged with money. There were several drink stands inside, while the fast food stands were at a side entrance. Although the card system might be a bit cumbersome, it is a good way to minimalize problems with cash. After you‘ve got your well-deserved food and drinks, you could sit down on one of the many benches or even flop onto one of the beanbags. There even were airhockey tables available if you wanted to challenge one of your friends.
Conclusion
Overall, it is clear that the organisation wants to improve their event as they’ve moved to a new location and tried to implement the cosplay community more into the scene. Although these are great steps, it surely doesn’t mean that there isn’t anything left to improve. The music was loud at certain times, while there wasn’t always regulation available at the games. This led to some people playing a long time, making the waiting lines even longer. Also, the new paying system might be better but it would’ve been nice if there was some extra explanation at the event itself. Some had problems with finding out what to do, which could’ve been solved easily. All by all, GameForce is slowly growing and let’s hope that the organisation will keep tinkering on their event.
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