Naka-Kon Anime Convention staff members will donate their time and resources to host a Japanese-themed game room at the Greater Kansas City Japan Festival. The festival will be held Saturday, Sept. 19 from 10:00 a.m. to 8:30 p.m. at the Johnson County Community College Carlsen Center.
The game room will feature games of Japanese origin such as Dance Dance Revolution, Taiko Drum Master, Super Smash Bros. Brawl, Beautiful Katamari and BlazBlue. Attendees are invited to play in a BlazBlue tournament at 2:00 p.m. Tournament prizes include a Naka-Kon 2010 badge, convention t-shirts and convention dog tags.
"In past years, we have partnered with the Anime Club at KU to entertain and educate Japan Festival attendees about Japanese culture in our game room," said Erica Binns, Naka-Kon’s Director of Public Relations. "Although the Anime Club was unable to participate this year, we refused to let down the attendees who would miss the gaming room’s presence."
Attendees will also have the opportunity to pre-register for Naka-Kon 2010 for $30. Each badge purchased at the Festival will include a free Naka-Kon 2009 dog tag while supplies last.
Game room entry and tournament participation are free for Japan Festival attendees. Festival admission costs seven dollars for adults and four dollars for students and children.
Naka-Kon Anime Convention is organized and operated by approximately 40 uncompensated staff members, many of whom are students and most of whom live in the greater Kansas City area. Naka-Kon was first held in 2005 at the University of Kansas Memorial Union in Lawrence, Kan. In 2009, nearly 3,000 attendees gathered at the Hyatt Regency Crown Center for a three-day, paid convention. Naka-Kon 2010 will be held at the Hyatt between February 19 and 21. Traditional features include industry guests, panels, game shows, contests, showings rooms, a vendor room and a video game room.