D.C. Everest Gaming Club expands Evercon to two days

WESTON -- D.C. Everest Gaming Club adviser Christian Ammon said if the club's annual gaming convention went for 10 years, he'd consider adding a second day.

Now, 11 years later, Evercon is back and, true to his word, Ammon and the rest of the club are adding a second day to the festival dedicated to all things gaming.

"Well, it's not a whole day, but a partial day. It's a step," Ammon said.
The convention will begin Friday, with an evening of more intense gaming with smaller tournaments and longer role-playing game sessions. Regular festivities including tournaments, costume plays, art shows, vendors, food, panels and workshops will be held Saturday.

"Friday night is going to be a chance for the gamers to really dig in and spend some more time playing games and doing what they enjoy," said parent volunteer Kris Peterson. "On Saturday, we try to rotate events every two hours, so it's more difficult to get into the more time-consuming games."
Dillon Kazemi, a 2010 Everest graduate who now attends the University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point, is returning to help the gaming club with Evercon. He said he has been pushing for a second day for a long time.
"I think it will open up who comes to Evercon," he said. "Saturday is really an opportunity for people to come and try out different games, and it can get crowded. Friday will be quieter."

Gaming club president Austin Thao said he'd like to see more Hmong-Americans attend the convention. He will run a "Street Fighter 4" video game tournament.

"It's an anime-style game, and it's popular with Hmong-Americans," he said.
Attendance at the event has increased steadily over the years. More than 600 people attended in 2008 and more than 800 in 2009. Still, Peterson said she isn't sure how the two-day convention will be received.
"It's a grand experiment this year. We don't know what will happen from year to year, so it's hard to judge," she said. "But we don't anticipate fewer people."

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