I checked out A-Kon and was left wanting more.

My visit to A-Kon that was short lived.

Last weekend I attended A-Kon but just for one day. When I finally got to where we are supposed to get our badges, it took a while to walk from where I parked to where we have to get our badges, it was around 10:30 am. The line was quite long since this is the time when the majority of people arrive. Yet, I was able to get through it in 20 minutes. There were a few times where I was standing in line but for the most part the line was constantly moving forward.

This year they moved A-Kon to the Fort Worth Convention Center from the Hilton Anatole in Dallas. This was only the second time I have gone to A-Kon so I cannot honestly say which location was better. I did like that things seemed to be, for the most part, centrally located. So all of the gaming occurred at the Omni Hotel. Also, since I was there for just one day, I didn’t do too much. I walked around the dealer hall a few times and then I played a game of Pathfinder. I parked in a garage that closes at 8 pm so I had to leave at 7:30 pm. My camera broke so I didn’t get as many pictures as I wanted. When I say that I mean I had to use a tablet and none of the pictures came out good enough to put here.

I also realized that a convention like A-Kon cannot be fully experienced in just nine hours. The best way would be to get a hotel close by and get a four day pass. For large cons like San Diego Comic Con, Gen Con, and E3 you need large amounts of time, like days. I am not saying it’s an “all or nothing” scenario, but I feel like I have to. Sure, kids 10 and under might not want to be there for everything. On the other hand, teenagers to adults should do “all or nothing” for the large conventions.

So would I go back next year? Truthfully? I don’t know. I say this because there is some discussion over whether to keep it in Fort Worth or take it back to Dallas. Another thing is that A-Kon is an anime convention. While I do enjoy anime, I can’t say I am a big fan of it. The bottom line is this, if I have the money I would love to go back. If I don’t, I won’t feel bad.