FlemCon 2 Gaming Convention

I spent yesterday in good company at the FlemCon 2 gaming convention organised by the S.M.A.S.H. gaming society at Södertörn University College. Juniorette was at a friend's house and Junior is too cool for small cons these days.

Left you see me emoting the "nature red in tooth and claw" competitive theme of Dominant Species, a fun though somewhat drably produced 2010 boardgame about natural history. I played the mammals and got resoundingly beaten by the arachnids. For you gamers out there, Dominant Species is worker placement, no hidden information, hardly any book-keeping or resource management.

Most of the con-goers were undergrads and high schoolers, and I have never seen so many elaborate manga-inspired emo hairstyles and outfits in one place before. I was particularly interested to see a bunch of emo kids from Far Eastern and Near Eastern families. Kids with that background in my area tend more to the hip-hop style or traditional Muslim/Sikh dress, which signals a less integrated, more "ghetto" identity. It's probably no coincidence that I met these masala emo kids at a university.

7 Wonders is a 2010 runaway hit game with resource management and card drafting, which means no down time. It's never just your turn: everybody flips through a hand of cards at the same time, selects a card and hands the remainder to the player next to them before everybody reveals their choice. The game's been on my wish list for some time, so imagine how pleased I was when I won a copy at the the con raffle! Many thanks to the organisers!

Photography by Ãsa Enström Garnström.