BN Video Game Con

The Bloomington/ Normal Video Game Convention (BN Video Game Con) is a video game convention held annually in Bloomington, IL featuring hundreds of tables of vintage and new game dealers, regional artists and independent video game developers. Free play consoles, arcades and VR are available as well as cosplay, tournaments and special guests.
The event has been held in several locations throughout Bloomington/ Normal since launching in 2018.
== History ==
The BN Video Game Con was first held on June 3, 2018 as an affordable and family friendly alternative to many of the larger city conventions. After closing down his locally owned video game store, founder Ryan Tauscher brought a few colleges together for a large game sale. The original posting received hundreds responses from interested people, so a larger venue was chosen and more dealers were contacted. Less than a couple hundred guests were expected to show, but nearly 500 people attended the first years convention. Every year since has seen steady growth in vendors, attractions and guests. Special guests such as Mortal Kombat|Mortal Kombat's Daniel Pesina|Daniel Pesina and The King of Kong|King of Kong's Billy Mitchell (gamer)|Billy Mitchell have been a part of the convention.https://www.pantagraph.com/entertainment/games/legendary-arcade-gamer-esports-tournament-to-highlight-annual-convention-in-bloomington/article_288c0755-3069-5d67-a0f9-975b60507d3c.htm International Video Game Hall of Fame|The International Video Game Hall of Fame presented their 2019 award ceremony during the convention in January 2020. In July 2020, Ryan was awarded a Walter Day Superstars of 2020 Video Game and Pinball Trading Card (#3458) for his efforts arranging the annual event and fostering the gaming community.https://thewalterdaycollection.com/collection/gallery/category/arcade
== Events ==
At the BN Video Game Con, 3 different games are chosen annually for vintage consoles tournaments and held during the convention. Cosplay is always encouraged. Special guest are there for meet and greet, autographs and pictures. Game jams, Esport team tournaments and a Kong Off have all been a part of the convention and new events are established every year.
==History==
Date	Location 	Attendance	Notes
2018	Radisson Hotel, Normal, IL 	450+ 	Started as Bloomington/ Normal Video Game Convention with 10 vendors.
2019	Radisson Hotel, Normal, IL 	700+ 	30+ vendors, introduced special guests and console tournaments.https://www.wglt.org/post/video-game-convention-levels-second-year?fbclid=IwAR2Wxd4dD9jGZsYWNdWJ7Aj77yJWGMs8-8a04W_ZySwxnjnyWKdUtDCw88E#stream/0
2020	Grossinger Motors Arena, Bloomington, IL	850+ 	Hosted Esports with the con at Sixty Six Games Expo. 50+ vendors.https://week.com/2020/01/19/second-annual-sixty-six-games-e-sports-expo-sees-success/ https://www.centralillinoisproud.com/news/local-news/sixty-six-games-expo-returns-to-bloomington/
2021	Interstate Center, Bloomington, IL 	NA 	Bigger venue & more vendors. Rebranded as BN Video Game Con.
== References ==
==External links==
*BN Video Game Con - Official site
*Facebook Page 
Category:Recurring events established in 2018
Category:Video game trade shows
Category:Video gaming in the United States in the United States
Category:Gaming conventions