CanGames
Encyclopedia
Gaming convention
A gaming convention is a gathering that centered on role-playing games, collectible card games, miniatures wargames, board games, video games, or other types of games. These conventions are typically two or three days long, and often held at either a university or in a convention center hotel...
, which has run annually since 1977. It is the 3rd largest annual gaming convention
Gaming convention
A gaming convention is a gathering that centered on role-playing games, collectible card games, miniatures wargames, board games, video games, or other types of games. These conventions are typically two or three days long, and often held at either a university or in a convention center hotel...
in Canada and takes place in Ottawa
Ottawa
Ottawa is the capital of Canada, the second largest city in the Province of Ontario, and the fourth largest city in the country. The city is located on the south bank of the Ottawa River in the eastern portion of Southern Ontario...
, Canada's capital and 4th largest city. It occurs every year on the Canadian May (Victoria Day) long weekend.
Scheduling and Location
Although the show is now held on the Canadian Victoria DayVictoria Day
Victoria Day is a federal Canadian public holiday celebrated on the last Monday before May 25, in honour of Queen Victoria's birthday. The date is also, simultaneously, that on which the current reigning Canadian sovereign's official birthday is recognized...
weekend, the first show was held on the Canada Day weekend instead. Generally the show runs from Friday through Sunday night.
The show has been held in a number of locations, including the University of Ottawa
University of Ottawa
The University of Ottawa is a bilingual, research-intensive, non-denominational, international university in Ottawa, Ontario. It is one of the oldest universities in Canada. It was originally established as the College of Bytown in 1848 by the Missionary Oblates of Mary Immaculate...
campus. Currently the Rideau Curling Club hosts the event.
Features of the Show
CanGames features gaming in both English and French and offers trophies to winners.The convention was originally conceived, organized, and continues to be run by a committee of volunteers.
The CanGames Dwarf
The CanGames Dwarf was designed by Denis Beauvais, a noted Fantasy artist whose work has appeared in Dragon Magazine, science fiction novel covers and in various video and boardgames.Currently the trophies are a sculpted dwarf based on Denis's artwork done by Sandra Garrity a noted fantasy figure sculptor.
Format of the Show
The format of the show has varied over the years, although the core activities of RPGs, miniature games and boardgames have featured each year.In the early years the show included seminars and featured guests from the gaming industry, including such as Frank Chadwick
Frank Chadwick
Frank Chadwick is a multiple-award–winning game designer and New York Times Best Selling author.-Beginnings:Frank Chadwick, along with Rich Banner and Marc Miller, were members of the Illinois State University in Bloomington-Normal Games Club. They used their club funding to design war games...
of GDW, Jim Dunnigan
Jim Dunnigan
James F. Dunnigan is an author, military-political analyst, Defense and State Department consultant, and wargame designer currently living in New York City, notable for his matter-of-fact approach to military analysis.-Career:...
of SPI, Gary Gygax
Gary Gygax
Ernest Gary Gygax was an American writer and game designer best known for co-creating the pioneering role-playing game Dungeons & Dragons with Dave Arneson. Gygax is generally acknowledged as the father of role-playing games....
of TSR and John Hill
John Hill (game designer)
John Hill is an American designer of military wargames, as well as rules for miniature wargaming such as Johnny Reb 3. He is a member of the Wargaming Hall of Fame....
of Avalon Hill. Canadian game designer Steve Newberg of SimulationsCanada was a frequent guest. Early shows also featured film showings and auctions.
In later years the elements of the show have varied to reflect changing tastes in gaming, including the addition of CCG
CCG
CCG may refer to:* Canadian Coast Guard* Castor Cracking Group* Centre for Computational Geography* Chemical Computing Group, a pharmaceutical software company based in Montreal, Quebec...
s to the featured games. Miniatures painting competitions have also been part of the show. Youth games have been added to encourage a new generation of gamers.
CanGames Favorites
CanGames features several games that run every year. Chariots is a homegrown game that recreates the excitement of the Ben Hur chariot race. The Rubberboots saga is an "Indiana Jones"-style serial revolving around the recurring character of a Gumshoe detective featuring captivating scale-model sets. Robo Rally and Stock Ticker round out the list of favorites.Coverage of the Show
CanGames was reported on by Dragon magazine in 1979 and 1980 and by local Ottawa newspaper Orleans Now in 2007 The CanGames web site also features a "Past Glory" archive section detailing lists of winners, photographs, and artwork from previous years.In 2011 it was featured on the front page of the Ottawa Citizen and the Citizen website included a picture and a short interview of one of the attendees.