I can remember prior to my first time attending GameStorm, I had attended a smaller convention that also was held in Portland. It was a good time. After all, it was my first time attending a convention with board games. It was after my first time attending it when my knowledge and interest of board games grew. Sadly, it closed down after the 4th year of it.
I would see advertisements of GameStorm. So I decided to try it out the next year. I was amazed at how much bigger it was and how it wasn’t limited to just one room. I have seen people that used to attend the prior convention. Out of all the conventions I have attended, this is one is the easiest for me to get to. It is a bit of a drive, but it is straight down the freeway. It is also right off the freeway once you cross over the Columbia River going south. It was sure nice to do versus the prior year when the location was at the DoubleTree. It was more in downtown with a lot of intersections to go through. But the whole goal was to better accommodate people. It had more food options, and a light rail when right next to it. It was supposed to be easier for people that couldn’t drive to get there. In the main convention room, you could hear it loud and clear. I found it distracting. The place overall had mixed reviews. With the Holiday Inn offering a good deal to come back, a decision was made for it to happen. I hope going forward it remains there. There’s also that view of the Columbia from much of the hotel. It gives that sense that you are on a vacation aside from it all being about board games.
While it continues to be a good time every year I go, there’s something missing from the first two years I went. While you can be entered to win a game, some developers showing off their game allowed you to instantly win it if you won while playing it. I don’t have high hopes, but it sure would be cool if that came back.
What really separated the convention in the past was free beverages. We used to get coffee, soda, and water all provided. Sadly it went away due to increasing costs.
There also used to be a Christian Gathering session on Sunday morning of the convention. I used to attend that. The pastor that ran it was being thoughtful for people there that normally go to church on Sundays. It makes think about how Christians can exist in gaming. There will be a whole article on this.
This convention has a good base of regular attendees overall. Lots of people volunteer to make this a success. A good location next to the river too. I’ve played a number of games here that I got to like. If you want a good chance of winning a game, this is a good place for it to happen.
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