We attract all types of people here at Denver Pop Culture Con: celebrities, writers, artists, cosplayers, fanboys and fangirls and an army of volunteers dedicated to making sure that everybody has as much fun as possible during the upcoming convention May 23 to 25. But for our next trick, we’re looking for someone…different. Are you the kind of person who likes to live on the E.D.G.E.?
See, you’re not here to serve, or consume, or sit idly by while other people are bringing fantasy to reality. You’re a creator. A maker. A builder. You bring to life things that are truly sensational and you’re passionate about sharing them with others and helping to teach them how they can do the same.
What is the E.D.G.E.? It’s our gaming experience expanded and redefined to include a wider variety of entertainment, gaming, creation and educational offerings in an experiential setting. It goes like this:
E: Entertainment, including videos, podcasts, streaming entertainment and more.
D: Development and Design, for all makers, DIY-ers, crafters, coders, engineers and developers.
G: Gamers, from the casual to the hardcore and from PC enthusiasts to console junkies.
E: Education, for like-minded people who think pop culture, gaming and other media are great platforms for teaching young people about the world.
Gaming is still a big part of this dedicated festival within Denver Pop Culture Con, but it’s going to be so much more this year. The idea is to have publishers, creators, makers, distributors, retailers, developers and more not only showing off their creations but engaging with guests in a meaningful and interactive way. We can’t yet say which wiz-bang companies are coming to the E.D.G.E. yet but have faith that some of the biggest names in Cool Stuff will be elbow-to-elbow in our creative space when the Con comes around.
General call for makers and developers to participate. Please fill out the following form to be considered for placement in the EDGE Programming section of Denver Pop Culture Con 2015.
Maybe you’re a dreamer, a mad scientist and a hardcore gamer, all trapped in the same body like Firestorm. Maybe you’re a sculptor with the spirit of Da Vinci whose brilliance is imbued inside the works of a 3D printer. Perhaps you’re on the tipping point of launching a podcast empire with the depth and breadth to make Chris Hardwick tremble at its awesomeness. On the blasted fields of tabletop gaming, you’re a life taker and a heartbreaker ready to claim the spoils of war. You’re writing game narratives that make Telltale’s The Walking Dead look like a Little Golden Book. Maybe you’re the amateur filmmaker ready to give Neil Blomkamp (Chappie) a run for his money on your way to becoming the next Ridley Scott. Perhaps you’re on the verge of an advancement in robotics that leads to the development of a fully enabled artificial intelligence system that achieves consciousness on…wait, that last bit is freaking us out a bit. Maybe dial it back down to, say, Big Hero 6-style back alley robot fights for now. That timey-wimey stuff in the Terminator: Genisys trailer totally weirds us out.
Anyway, the point is this: you make stuff. And Denver Pop Culture Con wants to give you a showcase to show it off. And that’s why we want you to bring your stuff to the E.D.G.E.
To that end, we have doubled the space dedicated to our game development area, created dedicated arenas for makers, robotics fans and media creators, and moved tabletop gaming to a large, open-air space in one of the enormous lobbies of the Colorado Convention Center. The E.D.G.E. is guaranteed to be a destination feature of Denver Pop Culture Con that brings a combined maker faire, film festival, bot-fighting arena (Okay, “Robotics Expo.” I wish you guys would just let me call it bot-fighting already. Jeez.) and gaming festival right to the middle of Denver Pop Culture Con. You can think of us as the secret fringe festival that lives within the Con. Are you in? There’s no password or secret handshake or anything.
(I lie. There’s totally a secret handshake. But you have to come with us to learn it.)
Everyone is welcome to be a part of the E.D.G.E., and we encourage everyone who is interested to get in touch with us. We’re looking for teachers, schools, robotics companies, makers, community groups, game developers, DIY-ers, kickstarters, podcasters, crafters, coders and more. Anyone who loves creating amazing objects, products and experiences will definitely find their tribe in the E.D.G.E.
So don’t miss your chance to be a part of the fastest growing pop culture convention in the nation! To find out more and reserve table space at E.D.G.E., contact Chris Abbey, our groovy and only slightly off-kilter Manager of E.D.G.E. Programming at DPCCEDGE@popcultureclassroom.org and use the hashtag #DPCCEDGE to share news and updates and promote DPCC E.D.G.E. to the masses. (Also: secret locations of underground bot fights. Shh.)
Clay Moore
Pop Culture Classroom – Writer/Contributor
www.claywriting.com