Joshua Willis, Campus Carrier Staff Reporter
Berry College Alternative Realities (BCAR) presented BerryCon last Saturday. Participants who arrived in Krannert Underground from 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. found themselves in a wonderland of video games, discussion panels and, of course, games and prizes.
Open hour began at 11 a.m. and lasted until noon. During that time, guests were encouraged to browse the handmade wares and artwork at the Artist’s Alley in Krannert 108 and 109, attend the charity auction and submit their guesses to the Jelly-Belly count. Free play on the video games, a major draw, also began around this time.
At noon, the discussion panels began with a look at all the ins and outs of “Lord of the Rings Online” presented by junior Grace Dunklin, vice president of BCAR. These panels lasted until 6 p.m. and covered everything from “Doctor Who” to chain mail to fan films.
The Dungeon and Dragons open play began at 5 p.m. Attendees also competed in video game, art and costume contests in the hopes of winning one of the many available prizes. Once all the prizes were awarded, the Fandom and Writer’s Open Mic and Gallery Opening began.
Following a final panel on Pokémon by senior Becca White, the festivities began to wind down as participants either played their last game or bought their final selections at Artist’s Alley. By 11 p.m., BerryCon 2013 was over.
Dunklin felt that this year’s event was a success and was satisfied with the number of attendees.
“I think BerryCon went splendidly,” Dunklin said. “We had a few hiccups along the way, but in the end it turned out well. The turnout was actually fairly good, more than we have had in past years, but it’s hard to tell really. We never truly try and count.”
Freshman Laura Barrett enjoyed the experience.
“I think that BerryCon went pretty well, although I would have liked to see more people there,” Barrett said. I enjoyed myself, the games were fun and the art was really neat.”
Junior Kaitlyn Bradley said people are drawn to alternate realities because they act as both an escape and an eye-opener.
“Alternate realities are, for most, an escape from the mundane aspects of life, as well as the hard and stressful aspects. However, alternate realities are also ways of opening yourself to the world at large and inspiring the use of imagination and empathy with people and cultures which are different from ourselves,” Bradley said. “While a lot of alternate-reality-based fiction is made of fantastical elements, they all have a very human core which will enable the willing to see beyond themselves and accept that all they believe may not be the end-all point of the universe.”
Though she was pleased with this year’s BerryCon, Bradley is looking forward to next year’s event and future improvements.
“I hope we can incorporate more ‘alternate realities’ and other aspects of Con culture into our events and panel discussions,” Bradley said. “I would also like to appeal to an even wider variety of Berry students.”