Gen Con 2026 Recap

Gen Con is the best four days in gaming. It is also a lot of work, a lot of stress, and an amazing experience. We had to miss last year, so returning this year felt a little off, a little odd, as if we missed something and are now arriving late. But once I was there, that all went away. There were some mishaps, mostly with tech, but at the end of it all, it was a tremendous four days with new and old friends, loads of art, and a reminder of why I love games and working in games so much. The community at Gen Con and especially in the art show is STRONG. It was a weekend filled with surprises at every turn. I crossed paths with people I worked with in LA, friends I have not seen in years, and met new fast friends. It was very, very good, and also exhausting.

I had the great opportunity to speak about AI and its effect on artists and the gaming industry. It was a hard conversation, but it needs to happen. I do not know what will come of our discussion, but we need to do something before it is too late for us all. I want to add more about the con, but more and more of my life is happening offline and away from tech, all due to AI. So I am here less, sharing less, and second-guessing things I will post. So, I think I will end here. It was a really great show, and you kind of had to be there. Here are images from the con. 

Always a good sign.

GO HOME, Snorlax, you are drunk.

Photos of the crowd waiting the first day never do it justice.

My Gen Con 2026 booth!

I received a mighty boon!

I did a poor job, again, of taking pictures of the show. This is always from being in the moment and never taking photos, the fact that my phone never leaves the booth while I am working, and I as well never leave the booth (except for bathroom breaks). That aside, I did take this one photo from my booth.

And this one too.

I said goodbye to the Poisoned Dagger.

A shot of the audience of the AI panel.

This is one of several emaciated corpses that were created at dinner on Saturday and the only one I can share. I will redact the names of the guilty.

And last, but certainly not least, my very first legendary monster was spoiled on the Sunday of the show! One heck of a way to end a con. 

That is all for another exciting week on the blog. See you back here next week. Until then...

For more samples of my work or to contact me regarding my availability, head over to my website: www.christopherburdett.com