Tiny Diggers – An iPad Construction Truck Game for Kids Age 2-5

Whew! I have returned from GenCon – I wasn’t able to attend all four days. I think I saw most of what was there, except for events that aren’t taking place until later this weekend, such as the costume contests. GenCon was off to a rough start for me – Wednesday night we had severe storms, including hail and winds up to 100mph, as well as some tornadoes in the region, but not in my immediate area. Our power went out about 9 o’clock, and didn’t actually come back on until hours after we had left – we got ready in the dark. What do I mean by “we?” Well, major props to my mom, who, when I announced months ago that I was going to GenCon, said, “can I come?” She served as my photographer for the day!

This year was an exciting GenCon, being the 40th anniversary of the show. Peter Adkinson, the current owner of GenCon, is a great and very charismatic host. GenCon has previously been mostly made up of board games, tabletop games, and collectible card games, but as gaming has evolved, the show has begun to add more and more video games. Peter said their motto is “no game left behind” – any form of gaming is welcome, except sports (real-life sports, not sports video games!) and gambling. Any and every other game is embraced at GenCon. With the collapse of E3, many gaming companies had been wondering how to promote themselves, and several companies have joined GenCon to do just that.

The show has been growing in recent years. The show itself is 25% bigger than last year. While this year’s pre-registration was only up a few percent, the on-site registration was up 70% this year! The show usually attracts about 30,000 people to Indianapolis, its home in recent years. GenCon is also the second-largest annual convention held in Indianapolis, surpassed only by the FAA convention.

Which brings us to the question, why Indianapolis? As you may be aware, Indiana is known as the Crossroads of America, the state motto. Indianapolis is within one day’s drive of 50% of the population of the US. Also, the gaming per capita is the highest in the midwest – there are more gamers here, in terms of percentage, than anywhere else. Indianapolis is designed to hold these conventions, with over 50 major attractions within walking distance of the convention center, including a zoo, children’s museum, and even the home of the 2007 Superbowl winners, the Indianapolis Colts. Indy is of course, also home to the Indy 500 races.

Stay tuned for more info from GenCon, as well as a swag giveaway for some lucky readers!