MAGFest (Music And Gaming Festival) is just a few months away, and the staff members were at GameX 09 in full force to promote the event. We’re winding down our coverage of the GameX event here at Binge Gamer, but I wanted to do a little whoring for this event, because the group of people at GameX representing MAGFest were quite possibly the nicest people I’ve ever met.

Located in the Washinton D.C. area–Alexandria to be exact–MAGFest is a convention that’s all about the fans. Now, I haven’t been to MAGFest yet (this is its eighth year), but I’m told that some of what I’ll find there includes:

• Game Room: 24-hour console, arcade, portable, and table-top gaming, including tournaments throughout the weekend.
• LAN Room: BYOC (Bring Your Own Computer) or jump on one of the public-use computers in the 24-hour LAN room, where you’ll find even more tournaments.
• Jamspace: A 24-hour space (are you starting to see a pattern here) with instruments that anyone can play. Relax and enjoy the music of gamers coming together from all over the country just to jam, or sign up to show off your mad skillz.
• Marketplace: If you want to buy video-game schtuff (retro games, t-shirts, art, etc), this is where you want to be. Vendors can come and go as they please during the entire convention, since the space never closes.
• Challenge Corner: Check out this area for NES, SNES, and Genesis competitions and walk away with prizes depending on how well you do.

The whole weekend, you can also check out the main stage to listen to some great music. They expect over a dozen bands and musicians this year, including A_Rival, Armcannon, Armadillo Tank, Metroid Metal, Rare Candy, The Smash Brothers, Temp Sound Solutions, This Place is Haunted, Jake “Virt” Kaufman, Overclocked Remix, and Renard.

Who else will you see there? So far, the guests announced for MAGFest 8 include Martin “LittleKuriboh” Billany, the creator, voice, and writer of Yu-Gi-Oh: The Abridged series; Matt Mercer and Zach Grafton, creators of the hit web series There Will Be Brawl; and Jon St. John, the voice actor most notable for his role as Duke Nukem. You can also sell items at the end of the weekend at the MAGFest auction, dress up to participate in the cosplay contest, win prizes at the late-night trivia show, or take in one of the panels.

Here’s what attracts me most of MAGFest, though: This isn’t some giant con where this nameless, faceless corporation is trying to make as much money as possible. It’s a bunch of gamers who love what they do. Again, I haven’t been to a MAGFest yet, but to me, it sounds like a huge party with people who are inherently cool.

And where else in DC can you go to a New Year’s Eve party for so cheap? If you register in advance (tickets for the ENTIRE WEEKEND are just $40), you’re invited to the MAGFest New Year’s Eve party. Choose to stay in the hotel where it’s held (and you should – it doesn’t make sense not to) and you’ll pay just $99 per night. Find me a better deal. I dare you.

I can’t say enough about the guys running this event. Binge Gamer will be at MAGFest this year, and we hope to see you there too. You can even post on their website if you’re looking for someone to share a ride or room, so there’s really no excuse not to come out for the event.

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