Week 90: Twitch Con 2024!
- elenalilamartin
- Sep 21, 2024
- 5 min read
Week 90: September 15th-21st, 2024
This week I embraced my inner screenager and attended one of the biggest screenager conventions of the year, Twitch Con. A few weeks ago, I decided to get a Saturday ticket because it would be a fun experience, and Twitch Con is conveniently held in San Diego. I'm glad that Twitch decided to come back to San Diego (last year was in Las Vegas), so my only big expense was the ticket. For what its worth, I don't think it would be worth it for me to go if I had to pay for a flight and hotel if it was held in another city. Write this down as another reason for me to stay in San Diego!
I took the trolley downtown and arrived around 9am, which was when badge pickup opened. I joined the masses in the (thankfully quickly moving) lines, and waited for the Expo Hall doors to open at 10am.
I spent the first part of my time inside the convention center just walking around and seeing what was there. I visited the Loot Cave and got a special gold version of the mystery pins. I liked seeing the Twitch Unity Guild Lounge, a space geared toward inclusion and collaboration for different Guild members. There were a bunch of interesting panels and activities held there, such as "Streaming Gold: Thriving in Your Neurodiversity," "Cultural Fusion: Exploring Afro-Latine Beans Roots & Diaspora," as well as community meetups for the AAPI, Veterans, and Black & POC (and more!) Community Guilds. I even got my hair done by a woman working at the DNA Hair Tools booth! After walking the entire first floor, grabbing freebies and getting familiar with the space, I headed upstairs.
One of my favorite areas at any convention is the Artist's Alley. At the San Diego Convention Center, the Sails Pavilion is a bright, airy space on the second level. It was perfect for showcasing artists' work! There were quite a number of artist booths, with a variety of offerings. I noticed a decent number of booths offering the big-boobed anime style artwork, which isn't my cup of tea, but to each their own. There is a big community, especially in the Twitch world, who will pay top dollar (some were $80 for a small print!) for a very risqué anime rendition of their favorite characters. Since that isn't really my cup of tea, I did not spend much time in those areas, which was nice because I evaded being around some of the more deodorant-avoidant convention goers. Personally, I enjoyed the watercolor paintings and adorable crochet plushies at other booths. I bought my sister a mini crochet Totoro keychain because it was too cute not to.
Of course, like any modern day convention, there was a Twitch Con App for 2024. I enjoyed using the app for convention maps, schedules and activities. I had a little luck with the app's Twitch Con Quest, where you had to find different QR Codes around the convention center. I did not get enough points to redeem for a prize. However, walking around the Expo Hall, I won a t-shirt from Blerp that says "Even Baddies Get Saddies," and got some Differin samples from the Differin booth. It is good that a company like Differin is a sponsor for Twitch Con, because (and I mean this in the least offensive way possible), a lot of the people there could use some skincare help. Some other notable sponsors were Chevron, Capcom, AT&T, and Samsung. I entered a raffle to win some Samsung products, but didn't get lucky.
On the other hand, I was lucky enough to see a ton of streamers. Most notably, I got to meet Zefrine and lilsimsie (Kayla), who are two of my favorite Sims content creators. I didn't want to bother them too much, so I kept our interactions short and sweet, but I did get photos with both of them (and Kayla's hilariously British husband, Dan!).
Zef (and her fiance, Michael) were so kind and Zef gave me a "Beanis" bracelet as a reference to the Bean Garden (her community). It was actually crazy that I saw Kayla on the floor and had the opportunity to say hello. I was literally in the middle of texting my sister that I was probably heading home soon, and I looked up and there she was! Luck wasn't on my side for the Samsung raffle, but it was on my side for meeting some of my faves! Kayla complimented my pants, and after I said "Thanks, from Forever 21, surprisingly," Dan said, "Okay, Forever 21 slay!" in his British accent. That was a highlight of my day for sure.
The Kappa Cabana was a 21+ area upstairs where I got to take a break from the noise and lights inside and enjoyed a Cutwater canned margarita. The view was gorgeous, as San Diego's waterfront always is, and I let myself rest in the sun before heading back inside.
It was interesting to compare Twitch Con to other conventions I have been to, like Comic Con and PAX West. At Twitch Con, I noticed that there were significantly more women in the crowds and more people wearing N-95 masks. I saw more Twitch Affiliate and Twitch Partner drag queens and openly queer spaces. There were more noticeable members of Gen Z in the crowds, and I felt like there was a larger emphasis on diversity and inclusion throughout the space. Obviously, Twitch Con is a newer phenomenon, so while it does not yet have the same cult following as Comic Con, it is a bit more accessible to a larger variety of people. I liked the accessibility of Twitch Con, and felt more connected to people I saw because they felt like peers. At Comic Con, I felt very "other" as a young woman, which wasn't necessarily a bad thing, it just means it was a different type of experience. Going to things like Twitch Con alone can be intimidating, and a bit lonely at times, but I do prefer attending by myself because I can do things at my own pace.
Like I've probably said in previous weeks, I'm only an extroverted person for a specific amount of time, after which I become a quite introverted (or worse, grumpy!) and need to recharge. I was gassed by 2pm and headed home to nap. Overall, Twitch Con was fun, but I think if I went in the future, it would be more worth it to get the pre-sale, 3-day tickets for cheaper instead of the single day ticket last minute. I missed out on some Friday and Sunday events (like lilsimsie's official meet and greet!) because I only had a Saturday ticket.
After being around a bunch of screenagers who get paid to be screenagers, I feel lucky to live in a time where we have such amazing technology and opportunity. It was awesome to see the different lives people have due to the recent emergence of live streaming and content creation as a career. It is a great way to build community as well, and I'm super happy to have met some of my favorite streamers who have built online spaces I enjoy being in.
See you next week.
Comments