A Losercon Experience

Losercon is a term I have only heard with reference to MinamiCon, Britain’s longest running anime convention. The term comes from attending the location of a convention and essentially hanging around in the bar or the venue the event is taking place in, which in this case is the Southampton Novotel Bar.

The Novotel Bar is the point where everyone gathers for an evening’s festivities once the events for the day have ended and everyone is looking to continue the party or have a few drinks with friends they have either just made or have not seen since the last convention or big group meet up. Although this year there was a marquee erected outside to accommodate the convention attendees without alienating the rest of the public who might be staying at the Hotel.

The popularity of Losercon has grown over time due to rising costs of attending conventions and with MinamiCon having been a solid staple in the British Con scene it has for some of the younger attendees lost its appeal. In the past couple of years there have been numerous conventions springing up and I think for those who have also attended those conventions is that it seems to split them down the middle. Speaking from a personal perspective after Kitacon I was hoping MinamiCon was going to be more of the same and sadly it wasn’t. The con itself had the usual fair it has done for years but this time I was experiencing it for the Losercon side, which meant that I had to decide how to entertain myself during certain big events which took part over the course of the weekend.

This for most Losercon attendees just means a trip to TGI’s for a slap up meal and some cocktails, nothing too strenuous. In my case, I simply borrowed my friends’ hotel key and took a shower and played some Phoenix Wright as I had already been to TGI’s for a late lunch. While yes I may have missed the Masquerade which took place for up to three hours this year, I don’t consider that much of a loss. Having said that, I did miss various cosplay and skit performances by friends, although a trip to Youtube upon returning home and scrolling through the photos taken during the Masquerade on Facebook alleviated my need to actually be present.

Over the weekend I received many different opinions on how people felt over MinamiCon and the comments were somewhat varied. Some of the old-timers and by that I mean those who have been attending or running conventions or events for a long time relished the chilled atmosphere and a chance to catch up with other likeminded people without feeling stressed. Then the flip side, those in the younger age bracket were hoping to party hard like they did at Kitacon with friends who decided to attend MinamiCon instead and sadly the later half were disappointed.

The issue of whether or not people choose to attend the convention as members or whether people decide to Losercon is one of choice and availability. MinamiCon has a low membership number and with people signing up year after year on the last day of the event it becomes a pretty closed circle and as a result there is a mad scramble for places once registration opens and the waiting list becomes pretty huge, numbering into the hundreds. On the flipside, if you are strapped for cash and are not too fussed about the MinamiCon events then Losercon becomes a viable option as you are still able to soak up the atmosphere, see your friends and get drunk in the bar and all it costs you is travel, hotel and beer money. For as long as conventions take place within hotel venues there will always be people Loserconing it because they have either been being dragged down by a friend or loved one who has a membership or you decide to go last minute so as not to miss out on the fun after the events have finished.

For me I enjoyed the MinamiCon weekend but I’ve come to the conclusion that it is just not the convention for me and while others in my age bracket are slowly deciding this as well the sheer devoted fanbase MinamiCon has will ensure that it sells out time and time again.