The Courier & Advertiser (Angus and Dundee)
THIS is it for gaming enthusiasts as city to host Dee Con festival
Visitors from as far afield as Russia expected
Colourful superheroes, video game stars and anime characters will descend on Dundee as the city’s largest “geek-off” returns next month.
Thousands of costumed characters will provide a colourful sight at Dee Con, which will be held as part of the new THIS festival in West Ward Works on September 9.
Dee Con has traditionally been held by animation students at Duncan of Jordanstone College of Art and Design each April to raise money for their degree show.
However, due to the popularity of the event, it was decided a second instalment should take place as part of THIS. Lauren Davidson, organising committee member, said: “The Dee Con team are proud to announce our second convention of 2017.
“We are working with DC Thomson’s THIS festival to bring together speakers, gaming tournaments, comic and animation workshops, Cosplay competitions and so much more to Dundee.
“Our line-up of speakers has more variety than ever before, including comic book artist Ian Kennedy, winner of the Scottish Independent Comic Book Alliance’s Award for ‘outstanding contribution to comics 2017’, and Neil Slorance, the Glaswegian comic artist best known for his work on Dungeon Fun and Doctor Who.”
THIS Festival will also include the Game Design Awards, Arcadia – an indie games conference – an e-sports tournament, a free to play retro arcade and a kids’ zone.
Victoria Tait, head of events for DC Thomson, said: “THIS fest pushes the boundaries of traditional conventions.
“It is bringing together prominent companies and individuals from the games industry – an industry that is significant to Dundee, to Scotland and to the world.
“THIS fest is open to anyone with an interest in gaming, whether it be at an amateur or professional level.
“We are expecting 5,000 visitors from as far afield as Russia, which is a huge triumph for DC Thomson Events, and we are thrilled to have played a pivotal part in making this happen,” she said.
Tickets for THIS festival are available at http://dctevents.com/event/thisfestival, with £1 from each sale going to charity Help for Kids.
THIS fest is open to anyone with an interest in gaming, whether it be at an amateur or professional level. DC THOMSON HEAD OF EVENTS VICTORIA TAIT