Board game convention offers fun and community
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IDAHO FALLS — The exciting world of board games is coming to Idaho Falls on Friday and Saturday. The semi-annual Idaho Convention for Boardgamers, or ICON, is a great chance for people to come together, meet new people and have some fun.
“ICON is a local board gaming convention for people of all ages,” organizer Jon DeYoung tells EastIdahoNews.com.
ICON has a game library of over 700 board games, any of which can be checked out and played during the convention. Classic games like Battleship and Checkers will be available, as well as newer favorites like Dominion.
Folks who thrive on competition can join a tournament, but there is a lot for casual gamers and beginners to enjoy too.
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“We’ll have a couple of tournaments, but mostly it’s open board gaming,” DeYoung says.
Picking up a game, sitting at a table and playing games with strangers may seem daunting. DeYoung says that interaction is what he loves about board games — they bring people together.
“It’s a great way to socialize and interact in a good, healthy place,” he says. “And they get to have a lot of fun with it.”
If you’re new to board games, or if you haven’t played in a while, volunteers will be moving around the room to help players. DeYoung says there is sure to be a game that sparks even the most reluctant person’s interest.
More enthusiastic gamers can get a peek at the newest games and upcoming releases they’ve been looking forward to. Game developers and designers will be on hand, DeYoung says, demonstrating their creations and offering a glimpse into the gaming future.
Gamers will have ample opportunity to get hands-on experience with the latest games as well.
“We have some volunteers who are just going to be sitting at a table, waiting for people to come by so they can teach them some brand-new games,” DeYoung says.
The Society of Belegarth will be making an appearance at ICON for the first time. Belegarth is a game or sport dedicated to contact “battle” using safe weapon replicas. It’s a whole different level of gaming.
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“I guess you could call it LARPing,” DeYoung says. “Basically, fighting with foam weapons.”
DeYoung says there will be about a dozen games for people who want to “Play to Win.” This allows gamers to check games out of the library and test-play them. They are entered for a chance to win the game they played and take it home with them at the end of the convention.
ICON will be held Friday and Saturday (Oct. 13 and 14), 9 a.m. to midnight, at the Snake River Event Center at the Shilo Inn, 780 Lindsay Boulevard in Idaho Falls. Badges can be bought on the ICON website.