Nine States Covered
Find Your State
Each state guide covers conventions, game shops, local communities, and the context that makes regional nerd culture different from one state to the next.
Ohio
Ohio
Home to Origins Game Fair in Columbus, Fan Expo Cleveland, and three distinct gaming hubs — Columbus, Cincinnati, and Cleveland — each with their own character.
Ohio Guide →Indiana
Indiana
Gen Con's home state. Indianapolis has been shaped by hosting the world's largest tabletop gaming convention every August — the effect on the permanent local scene is real.
Indiana Guide →Illinois
Illinois
C2E2, AdeptiCon, Anime Central, Anime Midwest, Fan Expo Chicago — more major conventions than most states host in total. Plus a Chicago game shop scene that doesn't need conventions to thrive.
Illinois Guide →Michigan
Michigan
Motor City Comic Con in Novi, Youmacon in Detroit each November, and a regional game shop scene that's been building quietly for years. Pandemonium Books and Games is one of the best FLGS in the upper Midwest.
Michigan Guide →Wisconsin
Wisconsin
Gamehole Con in Madison for tabletop RPG fans, Gnome Games across the state, and a community that's four hours from Gen Con and two hours from C2E2.
Wisconsin Guide →Minnesota
Minnesota
CONvergence is one of the best fan conventions in the region. Anime Detour, GalaxyCon Minneapolis, and a Twin Cities gaming scene anchored by Source Comics and Fantasy Flight Games' home base.
Minnesota Guide →Iowa
Iowa
GalaxyCon Des Moines in September, DemiCon with 35+ years of history, and an Iowa City gaming scene shaped by one of the country's best creative writing programs.
Iowa Guide →Missouri
Missouri
Planet Comicon Kansas City, Geekway to the West, GalaxyCon St. Louis, and KantCon. Two major gaming cities and one of the best board gaming conventions in the Midwest.
Missouri Guide →Kansas
Kansas
KantCon in Johnson County, a KC-adjacent gaming community that shares infrastructure with Missouri, and a growing Wichita scene centered on Dragon's Lair Comics and Fantasy.
Kansas Guide →