From the 25th to the 27th of October, MCM hosted their 43rd Bi-Annual London Comic Con. For the first time ever, Comic Con joined up with popular gaming convention, EGX, to create the ultimate fan experience.
Comic Con is where like-minded nerds go to geek out! It really is more than a convention – it’s a community that encourages everyone to express what they love, and to be themselves. Comic Con provides a safe and welcoming space for fans to meet, showcase, and celebrate their fanbase. If you love comics, anime, film & tv, gaming, or even cosplay, you will love Comic Con.
The Gaming Society and JCAS got together to host an event for Richmond Students to go to Comic Con at a discounted price! As the president of the gaming society, I reached out to MCM to see what discounts they offer to educational organizations. After some back and forth, we were able to get tickets reduced from £39 to £27.50 per student, if we could guarantee 10 ticket purchases. Then the gaming society covered a £2.50 difference for each student and sold them at £25 each.
After a lot of promoting on Instagram and throughout campus, as well as our club group chats, we were actually able to sell 16 tickets to Comic Con! This is a big deal to the Gaming Society and JCAS, as getting students to events off campus tends to be extremely difficult!
Then the geeking out began!
We went to Comic Con on Sunday, the 27th of October, and I had an absolute blast! As a major Star Wars fan, a lover of all things video and board games, and self-proclaimed nerd, I had a surplus of things to geek out over. From Artist Alley, where independent and comic creators sold their art, to the retro gaming exhibit, where vintage arcade games were set up for fans to play – my heart was full.
Not only did I buy a few comics to complete my collections, I also built my own mini Lego set at their Lego Fortnite exhibit, played the newest Star Wars Outlaws game, attended a few workshops where I made bookmarks and origami, and learned a bit about the industry at the careers fair within Comic Con! While I do very much enjoy the hands-on part of Comic Con, I also watched a few shows and panels.
If you asked me, ‘What got you into video games?’ I would tell you it was the Sega Dreamcast that I found in my basement one day as a little girl. I would also absolutely believe you if you told me you had no clue what that was. I always thought it was a super niche gaming console that my family had, where I only ever played Sonic Adventure, NBA 2k1, and Tomb Raider, because those were the only games I owned (other than Resident Evil – which I was terrified of). Almost everyone I told said they had no idea what I was talking about or that Sega even made gaming consoles.
So, when I saw MCM had an event called ’25 Years of Sega Dreamcast’, I was going to be there. Experts from Sega spoke about the evolution of the Sega gaming consoles and how even though the Dreamcast was one of the most influential consoles, why people did not buy it, and why Sega never made another console after.
I also watched the Cosplay Showcase, where any one was able to go up on the runway and display their outfit of choice, and the Just Dance event, where fans were able to test out and enjoy the Just Dance 2025 game before it is released to the public! While I did not participate in either of these, I did absolutely cheer on from the crowd.
As I mentioned earlier, I am a massive Star Wars fan. So, when there was a chance to be entered in a raffle to win a Star Wars themed prize, I bought enough stuff to have a chance. I bought a few posters for my walls and little collectibles for my bookshelf, and got myself a raffle ticket and was told to come back at 4pm for the drawing. I’m going to be completely honest; I wasn’t loving my chances of winning, there were so many people I saw that day who were just as big fans as I am. My chances got much higher when only 10-15 of us showed up for the raffle.
Chances turned into reality when I actually won! And what exactly did I win? A lightsaber. Yes. You read that right, I won a lightsaber.
The chances of me buying a lightsaber at comic con were already extremely high, so being able to win won was a major relief to my wallet!
While tickets to Comic Con are relatively low for everything included at the convention, it’s all the merchandise inside that truly can empty your pockets.
For super fans who are already going to spend their money on their favorite games and shows, it’s definitely worth it to buy from one of the biggest conventions in all of Europe. But for those who are on a tight student budget but love all things a little nerdy, there is so much free things to do or watch – or even make! I ended the day with a lot of bought items, but also with a free tote bag, a leather bookmark I made, two posters, a origami crane, a few pins and stickers, and a Lego character I built – all which I got just by walking around to different booths and exhibits.
Hosting this event for Richmond students to go to Comic Con is something I’m very proud of doing. All clubs tend to do their own thing at Richmond, and there isn’t always overlap between events, especially for the ones off campus, so being able to bring the Gaming Society and JCAS together for an event of this size make me super excited for what some other clubs might host next! I will definitely be in attendance, as long as I don’t have to plan it!
