Gaming Conventions and Top Products for Gamers
by Delaney Nye
With the first ever Salt Lake Gaming Con coming up next weekend, I decided to turn my attention to gaming conventions and gamers in general. By now, everyone who doesn’t live under a rock knows about at least one Comic Con, but gaming conventions are constantly stepping up their game and getting more popular too.
Obviously, some gaming cons are more popular (and more exclusive) than others. To find out more about the top gaming conventions around, I checked out Lauren Hall-Stigerts’ article “17 Geek Conventions You Must Attend Before You Die.” Apparently PAX Prime in Seattle, PAX East in Boston, and Gen Con in Indianapolis are pretty huge conventions that provide endless fun to game-loving attendees. On top of that, GoPlay Northwest in Seattle is the place to be for tabletop gamers, and IndieCade in Culver City is perfect if you want to design your own games.
While these gaming cons are all awesome in their own way, E3 in Los Angeles seems to dwarf them all in size, price, and exclusiveness. The convention focuses on a target market of industry insiders, so unless you have the right connections, it’s pretty difficult to get in. It’s hailed as gaming’s largest convention, and passes cost as much as $995. In fact, two of our very own Brand+Aid peeps, Renya and Andre, were able to attend to the 2015 E3 convention in Los Angeles. The convention was HUGE! There were over 52,000 people in attendance, 6.3 million tweets about the convention, and a record 7.5 million instagram posts about E3 related experiences.
All of these conventions really help to draw attention to the massive communities of gamers all over the world. From what I’ve seen, convention attendees make up a fairly simple demographic, and gaming con-goers are no exception. According to a 2014 survey done by Eventbrite, attendees are pretty evenly male and female, and 85% are between ages 23-55. While this data might not apply to all gamers, we can assume that the target market in terms of gamers is made up of both younger and middle-aged males and females.
With this demographic in mind, we compiled a list of the best promo items to connect with gamers.
Check out Brand+Aid’s list of the coolest promo items to connect with gamers!
1. Game Control Stress Relievers
Looking for a retro giveaway gamers will love?! Check out these awesome stress relievers shaped like old school Xbox controllers. How cool are these?
Gamers will love working off their stress with this fun game controller. They’ll also keep this unique and creative promo item for years!
2. Branded Gaming Headset
True gamers use headsets. That’s right, you know you’re dealing with a dedicated gamer when they’re immersed in their game wearing a headset and planning their next strategic move with someone online. Connect with these pro gamers via branded gaming headsets! They’ll keep these headsets for years and wear them on the daily during gaming sessions.
3. Custom Vinyl Macbook Pro Skin
One of the best things about branding is the ability to use full color and detail in messaging. These custom vinyl laptop skins are the perfect medium to promote detailed and eye-catching messages. Gamers would love to have a premium like this to remember the awesome gaming convention they attended. Remember the E3 stats?
4. Sublimated Video Game Socks
How awesome are these sublimated video game socks? These babies are perfect for the new release of video games. At E3 this past year, over 100 new video games and products made their debut. Using these rad sublimated socks will help you connect with consumers and stand out among the masses.
5. Custom Branded Watches
Want to create a custom piece customers will wear all the time? These custom watches are the answer! With branded center faces and watch bands, you’ll have ample branding space to create an awesome design.