Photos by Aisling Bludworth. The sounds of mirth filled the air at the Brookings Elks Lodge 1934 last weekend, as over 538 people dove headfirst into the world of tabletop gaming. Attendance has been steadily growing since its origin in 2023 at the Chetco Grange. At the Grange Hall people were packed wall to wall for a one-day event they weren’t sure would ever come around again. The event was a way to meet like-minded people, which is sorely needed in an area as isolated as we are. Harbor Game Convention devised by Ian Crockett was originally focused on three core areas of tabletop gaming: board games, tabletop roleplaying games, and trading card games. The first year there were so many cosplayers, people who create costumes of fictional characters, at the event that the next year there was a cosplay contest. In this way, the history of the event mirrors the history of tabletop gaming as the convention has greatly expanded its scope in the few years it has been running. Outside vendors have started sponsoring events. The Kobold’s Lair, which I work for, is a local gaming shop that ran two Magic the Gathering events each day of Harbor Game Con that sold out each day. This convention is filling a need in our community, and giving our youth something positive to do. Tabletop gaming stretches back centuries, but the version we recognize today started in the late 19th century with games like The Checkered Game of Life by Milton Bradley. As technology and society have progressed, so too have the games we play. Nowadays, we have board games that utilize apps to assist with randomizing events and making games interesting every time they’re played. In addition to the technology surrounding gaming becoming more sophisticated, the fundamental center of tabletop gaming being a board has changed too. The 13+ Cosplay Contest participants. Due to the massive number of people showing up in clothes they would not wear out into everyday life, I felt comfortable playing with my expression more. The convention is shaped by the people who attend, and this environment allowed me to express myself in ways I felt unsafe to do elsewhere. The gaming space has historically been a space where marginalized communities can come together, and the LGBTQ+ community is no exception to this phenomenon. Harbor Game Con is one of the spaces I felt safe to be “out” and I firmly believe that the reason for this was the volunteers at the event, which are the beating heart of all of this. A convention of this scale cannot stand on one man’s back, and the volunteers shoulder much in making this event work as well as it does. The volunteers are courteous and kind people, who are doing this for the love of the hobby not for money. The convention is free, and has always been a labor of love for the community.. These days, it is hard to find those places where the profit margin is not the ultimate goal. The goal of Harbor Game Con is to bring people together and I believe it does this in spades. People of all ages playing Magic the Gathering together. Every year I see kids and adults sitting across from each other playing games. There are people of different creeds breaking bread over Settlers of Catan. In times as divisive as these, it is important for us not to forget that our fellow man is a human. Harbor Game Con brings those people front and center, to remind us all that we are playful somewhere inside. This year I was the volunteer photographer for the convention, a role that has not really existed until I started doing it. By not tethering myself to an area like I typically did every year, I got to see the wide swath of people who attended the convention. Throughout the flurry of activity each day, I saw scenes of human connection. From wargamers to less strategic casual gamers everyone had someone to talk to and horizons to broaden. Be they old or young, there was always a seat at the table. These days open seats are hard to come by in the wider world without spending money. If you have time next March, come by the Brookings Elks Lodge 1934 and take a look around. You might find yourself sucked into a game that you wouldn’t have thought of otherwise. Founder Ian Crockett (center) and his convention gaming group on March 28th.