Each year Gen Con, to me, is one of the best conventions out there. Not only is there a great atmosphere that’s very family friendly, the show allows you to hang out and actually play games in demos, open play areas and tournaments, not to mention the numerous pick up games running 24 hours a day.  I say games, as it covers everything from video to board, to card to role-playing, it’s all there at this show.

This year marked the 45th Anniversary of the convention as well as the 10th year it’s been in the city of Indianapolis, it even launched with a proclamation by Indianapolis Mayor Greg Ballard.  The show had a record attendance of 134,775 people, including 41,000 unique attendees.

Gen Con CEO Adrian Swartout said:

2012 was a year of important anniversaries for Gen Con Indy. The city of Indianapolis and the greater gaming community have provided us tremendous support, and the welcome Gen Con received for its 45th Anniversary amazed us all. The contributions of our attendees, exhibitors, sponsors, event organizers, volunteers, and the hospitality industry have helped Gen Con reach all-new heights.

The unique 2012 show attendance rose more than 12% over last year’s prior attendance record, propelled by significant increases to pre-show badge sales and on-site growth in Sunday’s Family Fun Day attendance. Overall, the show has grown in attendance approximately 30% since Gen Con Indy 2010. Turnstile growth for the weekend also was up 9% from last year’s prior record of 119,000 plus weekend attendees. Gen Con’s pre-show Trade Day also expanded, including 232 retailers attending the event, in addition to the growing numbers of educators and librarians that participated in the tracked pre-show program.

Gen Con will return to the Indianapolis Convention Center on August 15-18, 2013. In a prior announcement, Gen Con announced their commitment to the city of Indianapolis until 2020.