Norwich Anime & Gaming Con took place at the UEA Students Union from June 24th to 25th 2023. I’ve been to many gaming events over the years, but to me this one was particularly significant.
This was a smaller, local event than what I’m used to, but most importantly, it was my eldest son’s very first gaming event. What did he think of it? With him aged six and I at 37, was he too young – and I too old – for this?
The first thing I took from attending was: don’t take your six-year-old kid to a gaming event if you want to feel young!
I felt like I was in some kind of small and elite uncool group of people who were the eldest at the Norwich Anime & Gaming Con.
Whether it was the retro gaming rooms full of original Nintendo, PlayStation and Xbox games, his blank expression at the bulky grey consoles of the ’80s and ’90s, or me losing track of the amount of times he was called ‘cute’ by passers by, it reminded me how damn old I am.
I remember when I was his age being called cute by those older than me. Then I became an adult, got into journalism, got a mortgage, married and had three kids. And I wonder why there’s no hair left on my head anymore. But enough about me.
Excitement abound
To say my son was excited about attending this Anime League UK event would be an understatement. He’d written me notes and drawn pictures throughout the week of him and I at the event, increasing the pressure I felt to ensure a good day out!
When the day finally arrived, he was a ball of energy bouncing around, eager to play Minecraft and Mario Kart and see the various stalls on offer.
“I feel good and excited!” he told me when we got out of the car, but I could tell he was also a little nervous as he wasn’t saying much else.
I was admittedly a bit apprehensive to be taking my son to the Norwich Anime & Gaming Con too. My wife is a stickler for age ratings, and knowing there would be cosplay at the show, I was aware there might be some risque outfits and content around anime intended for older viewers.
My fears were allayed upon entering. Aside from some stage shows for older kids and teenagers, there wasn’t anything truly unsuitable for him that I could see.
The expo, artists alley and the wonders of… a coaster?
We were met with an expo area, and probably spent at least an hour(!) just looking around at trinkets and goodies on the various stands (he’s a big Pokémon, Mario and Harry Potter fan, and there was plenty of merch from those).
Related article: Pokémon Unite – thoughts from a 4-year-old and his dad on the MOBA
I didn’t think it was humanly possible for someone to get excited about seeing a coaster before, but any parents reading this will know how kids will present you with reactions you don’t expect. My son gasped and jolted with excitement when he spotted a Mario coaster. He spent his pocket money on this, a Toad figure and a couple of Pokémon cards.
He probably would have also bought one of those excellent Bespokémon terrariums, had he had enough to spend.
While nothing really took my fancy in the Norwich Anime & Gaming Con’s expo areas, for a smaller con compared to the likes of EGX and Insomnia Gaming Festival, I noted the variety of things on offer, from anime to film (Martin Ballantyne of the Harry Potter and Batman films was there), games and other geek culture, and was particularly impressed by the homemade bits and bobs found in the Artists Alley hall.
While walking around there, he was regularly fawned over by the artists and sellers, leaving me to feel like some kind of irrelevant sidekick, a servant to young Master Sacco (maybe this is how dog owners feel when walking a cute pet?).
Esports, tabletop and retro gaming at Norwich Anime & Gaming Con
Now, onto the main reason we visited this event – video games.
We headed upstairs and went straight into the first gaming room we could spot, opposite us.
In here was a host of retro consoles, from the NES to the PlayStation and others. I introduced my son to Destruction Derby on the latter, which he loved, before he took a liking to Sonic Colors on the Wii.
After a while, we headed to the next room – another one full of different consoles and games.
Then another. And another.
It was like playing a game of pass the parcel, just the two of us, with a toy that was revealed after each layer was unwrapped. I was surprised by how many rooms full of consoles there were, each with different generations of consoles, and it was clearly fascinating to him to see how games have evolved over the years.
“My son encouraged me to enter the Smash Bros tournament, so I did. And I lasted all of about one minute, before getting swiftly knocked out.”
That’s also the beauty of smaller, local gaming events like the Norwich Anime & Gaming Con. They aren’t as crowded as bigger national or London-based events, meaning we didn’t have to queue up to play anything. Granted, there weren’t any opportunities to play games that aren’t out yet, nor would I expect there to be, but there was a nice, cosy sort of family feel to the event.
One room was for PC gaming. It was full of kids mainly playing Fortnite and Minecraft, the latter of which my son couldn’t put down. Until of course a Minecraft build tournament was about to begin, and he had to make way for those who signed up to play (he was a little new to the game to be super proficient at building, so maybe that’s another challenge for him at a future convention).
In the main gaming room, we had the current generation of consoles: PS5, Xbox Series X and Switch. They were also running regular casual tournaments here, with vouchers for future events up for grabs.
My son encouraged me to enter the Norwich Anime & Gaming Con Smash Bros tournament, so I did. And I lasted all of about one minute, before getting swiftly knocked out (as a member of the elite uncool older gamers group at this event, I’m going to blame the controls here – they don’t make them like they used to etc!)
He entered the Mario Kart tournament, and had a lot of fun taking part in that, as well as watching some Smash Bros.
Downstairs, there was the tabletop area. We had a great time playing ‘Hey, That’s My Fish!’ (which has now been added to our wish list for a future birthday) and watched others taking part in card game tournaments and quizzes.
Cosplay Masquerade and live stage performances
Towards the end of the Norwich Anime & Gaming Con, we sat in the stage area and watched a few performances.
The Dub That Anime segment, where guests volunteer to go up on stage and add a spontaneous English voiceover to various anime shows was… funny, if a little cringe if I’m being honest, but then again I’m not really the target audience. Neither is my son really, he seemed a bit confused by it all, bless him.
We also witnessed an impressive performance from Shao Dow live on stage, who was rapping about Attack on Titan when we watched him. The London-born artist can rap in English and Japanese, and has also appeared on ITV’s Ninja Warrior UK and was invited into Parliament to speak on behalf of grassroots music venues across the country.
“He loved the Pokémon cosplay (especially the gym leader who threw Pokéballs into the crowd!) and was also impressed by the Among Us costume. But after watching the anime dubbing show, he seemed a bit confused by it all, bless him.”
After this, at the end of the day, the Cosplay Masquerade began at the Norwich Anime & Gaming Con.
Cosplayers took turns to carry out their performances on stage, with a mix of characters from the worlds of anime, gaming, film and comic book culture.
As a Pokémon fan, he loved the Pokémon cosplay (especially the gym leader who threw Pokéballs into the crowd!), and was also impressed by the Among Us costume.
In an unusual turn of fate, a person I had recently met in my area IRL ended up winning the Cosplay Masquerade: Crazy MCR Angel as Vault Girl from Fallout!
I’ll be back with a separate interview article on her journey and what’s next for her as she qualified for the London finals, but for now, I’ll conclude by saying my son and I thoroughly enjoyed the Norwich Anime & Gaming Con 2023. It was an ideal entry point into gaming events for him (plus there’s free entry for kids under eight years old like him), and he was really impressed with it all.
While the show continued after 8pm with a bar open downstairs (that part of the show is for those aged 18+) we headed off home, happy with our first visit to a gaming event together.
All in all, it was a fun experience, and also a reminder that gaming provides an escape, an adventure you can embark on, together, no matter your age or experience.
Here’s to many more – no matter old we get!
The final word from Mini Sacco
“It was really good, because I liked playing Smash Bros and Mario Kart!
“And I also liked who won [the Cosplay Masquerade]. I also liked the cat [from Genshin Impact] and the bunny from Pokémon and Among Us.
“I also got my Toad figure and coaster!
“I would come back again and I would like to do a cosplay too.”
Dom is an award-winning writer and finalist of the Esports Journalist of the Year 2023 award. He graduated from Bournemouth University with a 2:1 degree in Multi-Media Journalism in 2007.
As a long-time gamer having first picked up the NES controller in the late ’80s, he has written for a range of publications including GamesTM, Nintendo Official Magazine, industry publication MCV and others. He worked as head of content for the British Esports Federation up until February 2021, when he stepped back to work full-time on Esports News UK and offer esports consultancy and freelance services. Note: Dom still produces the British Esports newsletter on a freelance basis, so our coverage of British Esports is always kept simple – usually just covering the occasional press release – because of this conflict of interest.
