Wellington’s biggest geek convention is fast approaching and I’m honestly really excited for this year! Easter Weekend (April 10th-12th) is often a huge opportunity for fans of Pop-Culture to meet their favorite celebrities and voice actors, or catch all the latest games and technology to hit the market. What makes the Wellington Armageddon Expo unique this year however, is their inclusion of Streamers and Influencers as official guests of the convention.

Why is this huge?

Many guests of Armageddon have included major Celebrities, TV Actors, Voice Actors, Authors and Cosplay guests. But as the live streaming and video games industry continues to grow in New Zealand there are so many opportunities for attendees when you invite members of these industries to Armageddon.

I recently attended PAX Aus for the first time last year and I was completely blown away by the variety of panels that were available for guests to attend. It felt like there was always something new to go to every day of the Convention. From game dev panels like “Introduction to Narrative Design” or “Mental Health and the benefits of Video Games” to streamer panels such as “How to Stream to Save the Planet” and “Rainbow Road: Positive LGBTQI+ Game Experiences” there were always opportunities to learn about what I was passionate about and what more, I was given a platform to ask questions.

I felt involved.

What’s so special about panels?

Panels offer audiences an opportunity to learn more about topics they may be interested in from industry professionals who are willing to share their insights. Then, if given the opportunity, ask questions and have them answered. It’s that simple!

But Blame, Celebrity Panels are already a thing!

Absolutely! But how often do actors get asked “How do I get into acting?” or “what was it like working with X?” rinse and repeat? Imagine if they were there to help you get into the industry?
The most exciting panels I’ve attended have been discussions about a persons favorite music in anime (Moderated by PokeCollection) or “How to get into Voice Acting” (Presented by AimeeSmithVA)
What is important is that there are a variety of panels for other interests and a variety of hosts to provide them.

The introduction of Influencers as guests means that very soon, this could be a reality.

I’m looking forward to the opportunities this presents and encourage those who wish to run their own panels at Armageddon to do so.

I know I will!