“I see conventions as mini-vacations, a break from the every day to have fun and relax at the same time.” said Carl Henrichs, a simulation, animation, and gaming major at EMU.
For this weekend at least, those words rang true as fans of movies, television, comics, and gaming made their way to the Renaissance Center in Detroit for Midwest Media Expo 2015.
The convention’s second year brought new and old faces out for three days of panels, concerts, and activities for attendees to enjoy. The events that drew the biggest crowds were the Steam Powered Giraffe concert on Friday and Aurelio Voltaire’s concert on Saturday night.
Other notable guests included Ellen McLain (voice actress from the ‘Portal’ games), Akira Yamaoka (the composer for the popular Silent Hill game series) and other celebrities of Internet and gaming fame.
An event like this is certainly one that brings a lot to the table and according to Henrichs, it “acts as an inspiration for my interest which is wanting to create my own television series or website.”
With the sheer variety of things to do and cosplayers to present it wasn’t hard to see why. Many attendees of the con came dressed as their favorite movie, game, and various other characters.
Cosplay became a big topic of the weekend as the World Cosplay Summit finals were taking place at the same time within the convention venue.
Though this event is very similar to Youmacon, which takes place in October, the differences between the two are made clear in the number of attendees and the overall feel of the event.
Midwest Media Expo is smaller in scale, which gives it a more intimate feeling, allowing attendees to get more up close with their favorite guests of honor. Youmacon by comparison is much larger and dramatic, with more attendees and things to do.
Despite the smaller size, Midwest Media Expo proves to be a fun and unique event for those who enjoy pop culture and expressing themselves in a place where they can meet those of like minds.
