The Moose Jaw Cultural Centre was once again a happening place for all things gaming during the Feb. 11 weekend, as hundreds of gamers of all stripes took part in the Gamers Association Expo, better known by its acronym, GAX.
The annual Moose Jaw Gamers Association event featured a little bit of everything throughout the three-day event, ranging from just about every board and card game under the sun to Dungeons and Dragons sessions and plenty of video games and tournaments to keep folks entertained.
It all made for plenty of fun for anyone who took part in the event, with no shortage of things to see and do.
“It’s been really good, we’re happy with how things are going and looking forward to seeing how much we can raise,” said MJGA president Brooks Nancarrow on Saturday afternoon.
“Last year, with COVID and all that, it was a bit of a lower turnout than we’re used to, but it's been pretty good so far. And it’ll be interesting to see going forward because we have dropped to one event a year as opposed to one in winter and in summer, so hopefully we get a lot more people out.”
The change to one event made sense given the popularity of Winter GAX compared to the Summer GAX.
“We noticed the summer one was a bit of a hassle since people are on vacation and travelling and there’s so much to do,” Nancarrow explained. “In winter, at least people are stuck at home and this is a chance to get out of the house.”
One of the most popular parts of the weekend was the Settlers of Catan tournament, which had a half dozen tables going on Saturday. Other board games filled the main lobby of the Cultural Centre, while Dungeons and Dragons sessions took over meeting rooms all over the building. Tabletop games like Flames of War and Warhammer 40K were popular spots, as was the video game LAN room that featured Rocket League and Super Smash Brothers battles throughout the weekend.
All in all, GAX was an opportunity for gaming fans to check out some of their favourites and have some fun with some new people.
“It’s a chance to play with people who you normally wouldn’t see, which is a big part of it all,” Nancarrow said. “Then you can try out a bunch of new games and see what they’re like and maybe find something you love to play.”
Of course, there’s the reason the whole weekend is taking place -- a portion of all the funds raised went to Hunger in Moose Jaw, with organizers hoping to raise in the area of $5,000 once all is said and done.
“That was the big thing with the guys who started it, there was extra money and they wanted to put back into the community, mostly getting kids out of the house and into activities and things like that,” Nancarrow said. “So we’re hoping we’ll be able to make a nice donation.”
For more information on the Moose Jaw Gamers Association and their upcoming events, be sure to check out their website at www.mjga.ca.
