Students in grades 7 to 12 will be able to enjoy various games this weekend as part of a tabletop and RPG convention that community educators are organizing.
Level Up 2022 will occur on Saturday, Nov. 26, from noon to 9 p.m. at Riverview Collegiate at 650 Coteau Street West — and it’s free to attend. A concession will be available that sells reasonably priced food if students want snacks while gaming. They can also bring their own food, although peanuts are prohibited.
Teachers plan to fill the upstairs library with board games such as Settlers of Catan, card games like Magic: The Gathering, party games like Exploding Kittens, video games such as Super Smash Brothers and role-playing games like Dungeons and Dragons (D&D).
There are also opportunities for youths to paint mini figurines and compete in a cosplay competition.
Board games, video games and painting minis will be available all day, while a Smash Bros. Tournament occurs from 4 to 5:30 p.m.
Youths in grades 7 to 12 interested in attending can visit bit.ly/levelupmj to register. They can also walk in without registering in advance. Anyone with questions can email Janice Lamb, an organizer and teacher at Riverview, at [email protected].
“We’ve got local volunteers to help students learn game rules or be game masters for role-playing games,” said Lamb.
The Moose Jaw Gamers Association has supported Level Up since its inception in 2019 and regularly sends members to volunteer. Fenrir’s Fantasmal Findings plans to sell dice sets at reasonable prices, the Co-op has stepped up to be a major sponsor for another year, and Superstore is contributing items as well.
The first Level Up convention was held in 2019, while organizers managed to hold the second one in late February 2020 before the pandemic shut down schools, Lamb explained. There was no convention in 2021, although Riverview’s D&D club continued to meet online.
Organizers held the third event this past May, while they decided to hold a fourth gaming convention in the same calendar, she continued. However, they plan to hold the event in late November or early December in the future; the next convention will be in 2023.
“It’s been tough to get past the inertia, but my classes are buzzing about it,” Lamb added. “There are teachers in all the high schools and some elementary schools that are supporting it and advertising it to their students, so I’m hopeful we will have a great turnout.”
