The Moose Jaw Gamers Association normally holds two gaming expos a year that attract hundreds of people but has decided to hold only one annual event because of volunteer and attendance issues.
The association (MJGA) usually holds a gaming expo (GAX) in February and July at the Moose Jaw Cultural Centre, filling the building with various activities from board games to Dungeons & Dragons to console games to card games.
However, the organization recently changed its gaming model.
“We’re going to be focusing on just our winter GAXes going forward. We found that summer GAX didn’t have as big of a turnout, and when we’re trying to make it a really good event like this, we rely on volunteers (who) are in shorter supply in the summer (because of vacation or work),” explained Talon Regent, MJGA vice-president.
Instead, MJGA plans to hold GAX once a year in February, which should ignite people’s excitement for when the event comes around and enable the association to make it as big as possible, he continued.
This is the first year the MJGA will hold just a winter GAX, which occurs from Friday, Feb. 10 to Sunday, Feb. 12. However, the organization doesn’t plan to give up its time at the Cultural Centre.
“This summer, we’re going to have a big Dungeons & Dragons special event,” Regent said. “Over the years, GAX has changed primarily from a LAN (local area network) party for video gamers … (to) board games, and now we’re seeing a shift where people are most interested in Dungeons & Dragons.
“So, for the upcoming event in the summer, focusing on Dungeons & Dragons will allow us to make that more specialized event especially fun.”
Winter GAX
GAX is one of the longest-running gaming expos in Saskatchewan, with most of the proceeds going to a local charity every year.
This year’s charity is Hunger in Moose Jaw.
The doors open at 5 p.m. on Feb. 10 and close at midnight, reopen on Feb. 11 at 9 a.m. and close at midnight and reopen one last time on Feb. 12 at 9 a.m. and close at 5 p.m.
Throughout those 30 hours, players can play LAN games, board games, console games, Dungeons and Dragons, Flames of War, Pokémon, Battletech, Magic: The Gathering, Super Smash Bros., virtual reality, and much more.
GAX will also feature vendors selling nerdy memorabilia, the well-loved Saturday night pizza party and door prizes distributed throughout the weekend.
General admission is $20, although the association encourages people to register at www.mjga.ca/gax.
This year’s expo will also host a Settlers of Catan national qualifier tournament. The winner will earn a spot at the 2024 Canada national CATAN championship. Entry is free with a GAX ticket, but participants must be 18 years or older to play.
“I am very excited that it (GAX) is returning once again to spark the passion of gaming in the hearts of Moose Javians and other Saskatchewanians,” said Regent. “In particular, I am excited about the Settlers of Catan tournament coming up.”
The MJGA hosted a national qualifying tournament once before in February 2020, right before the pandemic was declared, he continued. The organization contacted the game maker and received permission to host another qualifier, while it also convinced Saskatoon’s Dragon’s Den Games to provide several copies of the game and prize packs for winners.
Regent noted that he plans to participate in the qualifying tournament and has been practising regularly in hopes of making the top 4.
Seeing large crowds of people passionate about gaming — from board games to table-top to role-playing — coming together to share that joy with others is one of Regent’s favourite aspects about GAX.
“This is a major event. There are a ton of volunteer hours that get put into this … to make sure this is a success for our community,” he added.
Since 2010, the Moose Jaw Gamers Association has put in thousands of volunteer hours and raised more than $16,000 for causes benefiting children in Moose Jaw.
