It was around 15 years ago that a group of friends gathered in a basement for a weekend-long session of gaming, carrying few aspirations other than a few days of fun doing something they all enjoyed.
Thing is, they had almost too good a time. So the next time around, they decided to expand, bit by bit. More people got involved. More players wanted to be a part of the fun. So a larger venue was needed.
And with that, the Moose Jaw Gamers Association Gaming Expo -- better known as GAX -- was born.
Gamers of all stripes and ages were back in the Moose Jaw Cultural Centre this weekend for the 2022 Winter GAX extravaganza and fundraiser, with hundreds of participants expected to take part throughout the three-day event.
“You have to go back to when we decided to get 10 of us together and play games for three days straight, that's where it started,” said GAX organizer Kristian Sjoberg. “We bumped up the internet for the weekend for 20 bucks and we all chipped in five so that we could get pizza. And then the next year I was like ‘oh, all these other people on the (SaskTel) Help Desk want to come’ and ‘okay, so we got 25 people, that's not gonna fit in the house. So let's go rent the Scout Hall’. And it’s just grown from there.”
The 2022 Winter GAX -- presented by the SaskTel Pioneers -- also marked a return to action after Summer 2020, Winter 2021 and Summer 2021 were all cancelled due to the ongoing pandemic.
“It's nice to have everyone come out again, nice to see people and be amongst our fellow nerds and geeks,” Sjoberg said. “And it’s nice to have new people come out as well that have never been to this before. Some people just want to get out and have a nice evening, relax, play some board games, have some pizza, have some fun, maybe sit in on a Dungeons and Dragons episode for the first time…. Just have a good time after so long.”
The pandemic naturally still loomed large over the proceedings. All participants were wearing a mask, vaccine status was checked at the door, sanitizing stations were prevalent. Sjoberg estimated at least half the 35-plus volunteers were mainly involved in cleaning and wiping things down.
“We've had a lot of people step up and help us prepare for this, and we were ready to go from the start,” Sjoberg said of keeping everyone safe while having fun.
The good news is that folks responded. Pre-registrations were double what the previous GAX back in Winter 2020 saw, and a steady stream of patrons flowed in and out of the Cultural Centre throughout all three days.
“We're really hoping that we blow our numbers out of the water because as good as things are going, we still got a full day and a half,” Sjoberg said, referring to where things stood as of Saturday afternoon. “We've got lots of stuff happening and we’re hoping to see even more people come out and have fun.”
Those who did take part had all sorts of games and activities to take part in. Board game sessions on the main level, card games and Dungeons and Dragons sessions upstairs, miniature tabletop games like Flames of War and Warhammer 40K downstairs. And, of course, rooms dedicated to console and computer gaming always draw tons of attention.
It’s all for a very good cause, too, and one that Sjoberg was quick to emphasize.
“The big thing is we’re back to raising funds this year, continuing our charitable donation to Creative Kids,” Sjoberg said. “We didn't get a full year to donate to them (in 2020), so we're going to fundraise for them again and hopefully it’s a nice chunk of cash.”
GAX runs through midnight Saturday before resuming at 8 a.m. Sunday and running until 5 p.m.
General admission is $20, or $30 for the LAN room. Players under 16 must be accompanied by an adult.
For the latest on the Moose Jaw Gamers Association and GAX events in general, be sure to visit www.mjga.ca.
