Wednesday 4 March 2015

Geeking Out In London

https://www.facebook.com/THESHADOWDINOSAUR?fref=photo
It's a glooomy and grey Saturday in February.... what better way to spend it than running around London with a group of weirdos dressed up in cosplay?
That is exactly what I did, it was a Big Geek Meet - which for anyone that is unsure is a coming together of a bunch of people that are never happier than when getting their nerd on. Whether you're a fan of graphic novels, games, Manga, Anime  - or anything really, you will appreciate the joy of spending time with people that have mutual interests.

Anyone in this "scene" will know that regardless of your choice of geek-ery, everyone is welcome. The meet I went to was mostly focused on gaming and I really don't play.... at all. My friend mentioned the meet to me and said that it wouldn't matter, that the group would be friendly and we would find other common ground, which we definitely did. We found that even though both me and my friend are pretty shy in new social situations and don't talk much that didn't stop the majority of these guys making a real effort to chat to and include us!

I have only ever been to one official convention before - MCM last year - and it was incredible. There were so many fantastic outfits and stalls to get lost in, but I noticed that the sheer number of bodies made the socialising aspect somewhat difficult. This is where the Big Geek Meets come in! They were started by a few lovely people that decided that it would be a good idea to have events that were purely for meeting other individuals with similar passions!

The day -

We started off meeting at Waterloo station, getting some strange looks and also free pasties because of this...



Cosplay is optional but hey it's fun and they even have a prize for best outfit!

The mob headed off to Namco (some went to Forbidden Planet and Tokyo Toys) which was a first for me and is effectively a massive arcade with bumper cars in the middle. Yup it's awesome.
Once that was done everyone moved on to Heart Of Gaming which is another arcade. The difference being that this venue requires one single entry fee and then you can play as many games as your heart desires!!
The place itself is kind of dark, fairly crowded and has a very distinct aroma BUT it is fun and the people that visit there are pretty freaking nice!

If you are in anyway interested in getting involved in the social side of geekdom then here is where you can see what's happening near you or if you have a meet you want people to know about head on over and mention it.
Let's get this community growing!

x

No comments:

Post a Comment