We took part in one of the biggest pop culture events in the Philippines!
Hello Gaming Library Family!
I’ve attended my fair share of conventions in the past, but I’m very glad to have TOYCON20 be the one to take the cake.
TOYCON20, for the uninitiated, was the 20th ever TOYCON held in the Philippines. Celebrating the spirit of play, youth, and the young at heart, TOYCON is and continues to be the venue for toys, play, and merchandising in every possible form—From movies, TV series, anime, video games, and of course, with Gaming Library’s participation, board games, TOYCON20 was not only a launchpad for collectors and artists alike, it was also a revenge fantasy come true in the aftermath of the past pandemic.
Gaming Library was a very proud sponsor to the event, and that meant free attendance for me and the rest of the GL Team to take part in TOYCON20 and bring to you all your favorite games.
Our TOYCON booth had three tables dedicated to demos such as a giant Quoridor set, Qawale, Tapple, Stick Stack, Just One, Taco Cat Goat Cheese Pizza, Organ Attack, Politricks 2.0, Rummikub, That Sound Game, and an entire demo of one of our most exciting titles Catapult Feud. Here we invited attendees to launch boulders at a castle and troop setup for a chance to win gameplay vouchers at All aBOARD XP!
Tons of players walked away with shiny new gameplay vouchers, exclusive stickers, and an overwhelming sense of victory and prowess from having deftly terminated enemy troops. Many of you even scored a copy of Catapult Feud itself, if only recreate that feeling of glory and conquest on a much grander scale!
While it’s always fun to see familiar faces, it was an even bigger joy to meet new people and introduce them to new classics—new to them, at least. While a good chunk of you flocked to us because of Tapple, Quoridor’s simplicity and novelty also caught quite the attention! That Sound Game, which built its name through online virality, also caused a stir.
We also had a few notable celebrities drop by and play board games with us. The infamous genius-billionaire-playboy-philanthropist Tony Stark dropped by and Migs, resident Iron Man fanboy and member of our Marketing Team, couldn’t pass up a chance for a selfie with his idol.
WWE Superstar Roman Reigns was particularly taken by Quoridor.
(In all seriousness, this was my first ever cosplay and it was so much more fun than I had anticipated! As a die-hard fan of the Tribal Chief himself it felt great to meet other fans of Roman Reigns, WWE, or anything pro-wrestling and invite them to play board games with us—If they weren’t already board game players themselves! TOYCON was, is, and continues to be a great venue for cosplay opportunities, particularly for a category of cosplay that next to the anime/manga and comic book experience, is still quite niche. I’m glad to have ticked this opportunity off my bucket list and that it now lives on in my Gaming Library experience.)
And actual celebrity, singer-songwriter Nyoy Volante, enjoyed a game of Catapult Feud!
In short, TOYCON20 was a blast. This 20th ever TOYCON was remarkable not just for the feat—over 10,000 attendees!—but for what it came to represent: a culmination of over 20 years of little clubhouse toy gatherings becoming a monumental event in pop culture history. While celebrating generations of comics, anime, manga, video games, pop and geek culture, TOYCON has come a long way, bringing a wide variety of pop media to all kinds of fans. My most surprising find was a booth that sold all kinds of KPop merch, from limited edition album copies to freshly released KPop lightsticks! TOYCON is now not only a venue for nostalgia; for collectors of memorabilia and art from all over the world across generations, but also a gathering for likeminded fans and hobbyists to bond, learn from, and mingle with one another.
Thank you, players, for attending TOYCON20, and for continuing to play board games with us!
