As I mentioned briefly a couple months ago, I was a guest of honor at Tracon9 in Tampere, Finland about a week ago. I was meaning to write an exhaustive report in the vein of Ross Watson’s write-up from last year, but between jet lag, baby-lag, and looming deadlines that are both on fire and covered in blades, I haven’t got it yet… but figure I’d better get something on the blog before the whole trip fades from memory like a delicious dream. (Mmmm… reindeer meat…)
I arrived in Helskinki a couple days before the con. Ably assisted by my guides/translators Eevi and Aapo, I played tourist there, exploring the city’s famous cathedrals and the Suomenlinna island complex (aka “the sea fortress”). The island was shrouded in an unusual mist the day we toured it, giving it a mystical, “wandering the Shire” vibe. The fantasy felling that was particularly prominent when we made our way through old stone tunnels that should have, by all rights, been occupied by trolls. My last day in Helsinki, I was even able to sneak in a tour of the Remedy Entertainment video game studio. I’ve been slathered in NDAs, so I can say nothing more, aside from assuring you that the makers of Max Payne and Alan Wake are awesome people and still making awesome games.
No one’s scouring THIS shire.
After Helsinki, I was off to Tampere, where the convention was being held in the local convention/performing arts center. On Friday night, I was fortunate to be able to attend “Final Symphony” – a concert focusing on music from the Final Fantasy series performed by the Tampere Symphony and arranged by Jonne Valtonen & Roger Wanamo, the convention’s musical guests of honor.
Saturday, I gave a presentation on world-building entitled “Crafting Storyworlds” that brought together and formalized a lot of the storyworld and fractal theories I’ve been writing about here on the blog. It was a good audience – maybe 100 people – with tough questions like, “Is the conflict between Jedi and Sith a core conflict of the Star Wars storyworld?” (I had to say no, but was feared I need to defend my position with fisticuffs.)
On Sunday, I did a Q&A on game design, world-building, and my history in the industry. Again, there were good questions, and no one threw anything, so I called it a win. Later, I had a very small informal kaffeeklatch with a handful of folks that almost turned into a religious skirmish over the merits of the Star Wars prequels. (“So you’re saying that Episode I isn’t all bad…?”) Good times!
I also popped down into the gaming room to check on the local My Little Pony CCG tournament. It’s always great to meet fans of the game, and I spend some time signing cards, handing out promos, and getting my butt kicked by the Finnish card sharks.
Of course, no discussion Tracon would be complete with mentioning the amazing cosplay on display. Of the 5000+ people there, I’d say 80% of them were in costume — and most of the costumes were incredible. That might have had something to do with the con hosting the 2015 World Cosplay Summit; those that were competing seemed to raise the bar for everyone else’s costumes.
I just want to hug you… with my jaws.
It was an incredible week. I’m beyond grateful to Ross (who suggested me to the Tracon folks), my handlers Eevi and Aapo, the head of international guests Tiina, and head of RPGs Hermanni, and all the rest of the Tracon crew. I would jump at the chance to return to Finland for a convention, and would encourage anyone else who gets the opportunity to do so as well.
