Texas event celebrates Minecraft

  • 2018-05-16
While video game conventions and trade expos have grown and proliferated a lot over the last decade, an event dedicated to just one game may still seem a little odd, but that is exactly what is about to happen in Houston.

In just a few days, the NRG Center plays host to Minefaire. The convention is dedicated to all things Minecraft.

For the uninitiated, Minecraft is a PC game in which the player mines resources and assembles them into structures, weapons, and everything in between. The ostensible purpose of the game is to build a fortress that can withstand attacks by monsters, but for many players, the goal is to build the most elaborate and unlikely creations possible. Since its release in 2011, Minecraft has sold a reported 144 million Copies, and was bought by Microsoft in 2014 for $2.5bn. The game is particularly popular among children, who are attracted by the games' bright and blocky graphics, as well as the freedom to create.

Minefaire will take place this weekend, May 19 and 20, and features competitions and personalities from Minecraft's YouTube fan culture. One attraction is what Minefaire boasts as the world's largest collection of Minecraft merchandise and promotional products. Even when they deal with video games, conventions like these are still based on low-tech core principles: paper wristbands or Stamps, poster printing for both advertising and merchandise, and the joy of face-to-face meetings with people who share an obsession.

The event is a touring exhibition, with Minefaires scheduled for Denver and New Jersey later this year. This particular installment is designed to draw in gamers from Houston, surrounding cities like Friendswood and The Woodlands, and the broader Southwest region.

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