Posted in: Conventions, Events, Games, Mobile Games, Tabletop, Video Games | Tagged: atlanta, convention, MomoCon

MonoCon 2022 – Day 1: Getting Situated, Exploring, & A Car Show?

It's been a hot minute since Atlanta was able to hold a MomoCon due to the pandemic, but in 2022 they have brought it back in style. One of the biggest conventions in Atlanta, this one is usually an all-things-geek-culture event for just about everyone to come take part in, with a big focus on gaming throughout the area. There's still plenty to do at the event if you're not a gamer or into that culture which is what makes it more appealing to the broader geek audience, and one of the reasons we heard locals were chomping at the bit to see it return after two years of either being canceled or just digital.

This time the event was so big, that organizers apparently had to move it to a different part of the Georgia World Congress Center to accommodate not just all of the additions to the event, but all of the people who signed up to get tickets. Having watched a registration line that was basically four city blocks long when you walked into the GWCC, the hype was real. And while the first day didn't feel crowded, the excitement was in the air for people who wanted to get out of the house and attend a local convention just for fun. We were invited to come take part in that fun, so here's our recap of what we went and checked out during our first of two days here on Friday, May 27th.

Our first visit was to the tabletop area, which had been expanded to add several new tables for multiple games to be played. This area wasn't just or people to bring their own titles to have fun with friends, this was designed to give everyone a chance to find something new and learn it. As you can see from the images below, a few of the games being played are either demos of titles that are getting their legs underneath them, or they were from companies looking to show something new to the Atlanta crowd. This was lovely to see, even if we didn't come in when it was packed, it got that way by the end of the day when people wanted to just sit around and have some fun.

We made our way over to the MomoCon arcade section next. This was basically a trip down memory lane for anyone who frequented the darkly lit rooms filled with blacklight and weird '90s carpeting. They had a grand selection of stuff that we played back in the day, ranging from dance titles, to classic '80s games, fighting titles, Japanese specialty stands, and more. It was lovely getting to see a six-player X-Men cabinet again, which I rarely see in the wild, it's always the four-player cabinet. This area was always buzzing with people looking to beat their old high scores or show people they still had the skills. Even with a cabinet loaded with credits so they could die multiple times over.

One of the oddities of the show that we just couldn't look away from was the fact that they had a car show here. Now that statement alone isn't weird, lost of conventions have a car section where they show off famous recreations of stuff from pop culture. As you can see MomoCon has the DeLorean from Back To The Future and the Fortnite Bus. However, the grand majority of this section was a competition devoted to vehicles with anime on them. Lots of anime. Like, an embarrassing amount of anime. Nothing against the genre, but I have never seen so many cars wrapped in anime figures or devoted to a series in one location in a long time. This is just a sampling of what was in the area, you can see all of the cars in our Photo Gallery from Day 1.

It wouldn't be a convention without cosplay and we ran into a fair amount of awesome costumes as people went for some fun designs. That all Pikachu outfit kept getting looks as people stopped them for photos every few feet. We also loved this Bowser with all his children, and I'm a sucker for anyone who attempts to make a solid outfit for The Question. My personal favorite for the day was the lady Pyramid Head you see below, who was carrying around a sword that was twice as big as she was, and man could she wield it. She took a swing with it coming just a few inches from my face, and the wind just on the end of it told me if anyone tried to mess with her, they'd be in a world of hurt. So kudos to her for the outfit.

Just rounding this out, because I always enjoy checking out their booths, Wild Bill's Olde Fashioned Soda Pop Co. made an appearance with their awesome booth that is always a hit with people. All you gotta do is buy a mug for the day and you can keep coming back for refills all day long. If you're not into soda, I get why it wouldn't be appealing. But having this as an option as you walk around the floor is a must-have. At least, in my opinion, as I chug down some root beer.

Overall, Day 1 of MomoCon for us was basically a chance to get our bearings as we made our way around the event. We're back for one more day today, which we'll recap tomorrow with another photo gallery. If you happen to be there and are in costume, seek us out to get your cosplay in our gallery!

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