2D Con 2021 Succeeds in a Pandemic Limbo Year

Did you know Minnesota has a professional competitive Call of Duty team? I didn’t, until I saw the table of free swag the Minnesota Røkkr were giving out at the entrance to the arcade at 2D Con. Oh, the things you can learn from conventions that social media algorithms just can’t replace.

2D Con

Following 2020, the year of con cancellations and online-only gatherings, Minnesota’s largest gaming convention happened live and in person in 2021 at its previous home, the Hyatt Regency in downtown Minneapolis. If you’re a gamer, cosplayer, or con-goer in general and 2D isn’t on your radar, you should definitely put it there. It can sometimes be overshadowed seeing as it’s just weeks after Minnesota’s convention giant, CONvergence, and occupies the same venue, but it’s anything but CVG Lite. A nonprofit convention hosting tournaments, a free-play arcade, a tabletop library, live music, panels, and a cosplay contest, it brings with it a completely open atmosphere where you just sit down at a table or pick up a controller and instantly be having fun.

One thing that sets 2D Con apart is the amount of stuff that’s included with your ticket, which is $45 for a weekend pass for day-of registration or as little as $30 if you register in advance. Game developers from all over attend, bringing their work with them, and guess who gets to be their beta tester? That’s right. You, with the badge.

After the convention issued refunds for 2020 instead of rolling registrations over into 2021, many attendees were anxious to see how 2D Con would handle 2021—the year of limbo, with most folks being vaccinated but the mysterious Delta variant looming overhead. There really is no good way to just dip your proverbial toes back into the pool of large social gatherings, but 2D showed it didn’t have to be a full cannonball situation either. To ford these tumultuous waters, the con’s policy was this: Before being handed their badges, attendees had to show either a full vaccination card or a recent negative COVID-19 test. The volunteers working registration were serious about this; people who could not provide documentation were turned away. (The line was disappointingly slow moving, even for VIP registration, but on the flip side, we were very well warned about providing these documents.) All attendees were also required to wear masks. Panels were limited, and there was no VR this year.

Players get ready for the Super Smash Bros. tournament.

Speaking of VIP registration, this was one of the only disappointments of 2021. Attendees who purchase VIP tickets for a charity event have no illusions about what they’re buying: support of that charity event. But the VIP lounge at the con was hardly more than a roped-off area near the arcade (which previously housed the VR area) with a few couches, and the raffle wasn’t anything to write home about. VIP pass holders on the con’s Discord server who expressed that they found this year’s accommodations disappointing were even more shocked to learn that next year’s premium tickets will jump up $50 in price. A reply from an admin stated that they make less money off the $100 VIP ticket than the $45 regular registration, making your ticket less of a supportive role than you probably intended it to be, even for what many considered an underwhelming step up in status seeing as it mostly just provided free pretzels and Red Bull.

Despite these minor inconveniences, however, the event overall was a huge success. Every year, the con and its partner, Midwest Speedfest, raise money for the OI foundation, and in 2021 they raised $8,000 at the convention alone. Players livestream popular games such as Spyro and Sonic the Hedgehog, and an MC entertains viewers between players but also encourages them to donate and allows them to choose things like what avatar the player uses. Who says you can’t have fun and change the world?

The previously mentioned Minnesota Røkkr team is owned by WISE Ventures, which in turn is owned by the Wilfs of our NFL Vikings. And while it’s cute that their logo is also a purple dude in a helmet and their name sticks with a Norse theme, the players also practice in Eagan at the Vikings’ training facility, so it’s clear they mean business. In 2020, the first season for the Call of Duty League, the Røkkr placed eighth.

For those of us who aren’t at the professional level but are pretty good if we do say so ourselves, the con also hosts over 30 different buy-in tournaments open to anyone, including physical games like Dance Dance Revolution and retro games like Tetris. There’s a $10 buy-in for Super Smash Bros., and with the entirety of that fee going back into the winner’s pot, the con makes for some pretty rewarding stakes for what is potentially someone’s weekend hobby.

And 2D Con isn’t limited to video gaming. In the pop-up tabletop and card game library, players swap their ID or badge as collateral for any game and pick one of the many tables at which to play it. Gaming is open to anyone and everyone, and it’s common for folks to walk up and ask to play with strangers—and yes, this tradition continued despite COVID.

2D Con is family friendly—kids of all ages are encouraged to attend and cosplay. One creative 2021 cosplayer paid homage to a popular gaming snack: Flamin’ Hot Cheetos!

Of course, no con would be complete without a cosplay contest and photo booth. 2D Con provided a backdrop in a safe space where cosplayers could remove their masks and have their photo taken for free by a professional photographer (Chase of Nude Carbon Studios). For a con of this size where the main attraction is active gaming, as opposed to posing and mingling, having that opportunity available is a very considerate perk.

Also included with your admission is a concert. Local pop-culture-themed rap/hip-hop artist Nur-D headlined this year, with additional performances by Twin Cities Brass Band; the Arkadian, who rocked some ’80s hair band–style original songs; and even a marimba player, Matt Silverberg, who played video-game covers.

Despite the obvious obstacles of of holding a convention during a pandemic, many games were played, and much money was raised. Cosplayers, game developers, and even young geeks still showed up and showed out. It just goes to show that even in confusing and uncertain times, people will face these problems head-on in order to create and enjoy a wonderful event that so many players look forward to every single year. It’s safe to expect 2D Con will take lessons learned from these two pandemic years and improve upon them, keeping this convention a must-hit for general con-goers and gamers alike.

Geeky musician the Arkadian plays a sick ’80s-style riff on his guitar as part of an original song.

The next 2D Con is happening August 25–28, 2022. The organizers also recently announced 2D Con: Unplugged, a tabletop-focused convention with an attendance cap of 300, which will take place in January 2022.