Fans from all over Texas gathered upstairs at the Memorial Student Center last weekend to participate in the 54th annual AggieCon. The student-run convention at Texas A&M united fandoms of all kinds to celebrate nerd culture, as vendors, artists, voice actors, cosplayers and game developers gathered to display their love for video games, anime and cartoons.

For Jaylen Davis ‘24, AggieCon represents an opportunity to form connections with video game enthusiasts and foster interest in the esports industry.

“So many people are scared to join because they think they are bad at a game,” Davis said. “You don’t need to be scared because even if you aren’t good, if you just talk to the people around you, you’ll make friends and get better too.”

During his four years at A&M, Davis was heavily involved with the “Super Smash Bros.” esports team, serving as a player and a coach.

“I really enjoy watching people get better at things,” Davis said. “ … I like helping younger people figure out what they want to do with their lives.”

Although he’s no longer a player and coach, Davis said esports launched his current career thanks to the interpersonal skills he learned.

“I realized that I wanted to work with people, not just technology,” Davis said. “Now I’m an event coordinator and more on the administrative side of esports, and I love it.”

AggieCon is the oldest student-run convention in the United States. As such, the students involved are dedicated to preserving its legacy while adding their direction and vision to each iteration. 

Forensic and investigative sciences senior Emma Tuttle serves as the director of Aggiecon, and communication senior Jade Torres works as the public relations manager for the event.

“We start working on AggieCon in July before school comes into session,” Torres said. “We work on this for so long and then get to see everything come together, and I feel like it’s one of the most unique events on campus.”

With being a student-run event, AggieCon can adapt to what students want to experience themselves.

“One of our strengths is that we all do it for the passion and love of it,” Tuttle said. “Everything you see that we have here is because we think these are good ideas that convention goers want.”

As such a long-running convention, AggieCon has evolved quite a bit from its beginnings as a simple banquet. Its humble beginnings sprouted from an ill-fated banquet in 1969 to host an author, Harlan Eustace.

“However he behaved very poorly and the event caused the club to go bankrupt,” Tuttle said. “This was posthumously dubbed AggieCon 1. AggieCon 2 was a similar situation, so AggieCon 3 in 1971 was the first organized AggieCon, and since then students have run it every year, excluding Covid.”

AggieCon isn’t limited to A&M students, and because of this, it is often a way for former students and community members to reunite.

“I know one lady who’s been here since AggieCon 18,” Torres said. “This convention has touched the lives of so many, and it’s awesome to be a part of a project with such a long legacy.”

Rounding out the first day of AggieCon is one of the most anticipated parts of the convention: the cosplay contest. Talented costume and wig designers dedicate their time and money to constructing elaborate outfits that they get to display for judges. 

The contestants are judged by the quality of the costumes and the overall design as well as their stage presence when they walk the runway. One of the winners, Elaine Fung, also known as “Noctiste” online, blew judges away with her cosplay of Kai’sa from the video game “League of Legends”.

“I actually made this cosplay about three years ago,” Fung said. “It was my first ever full build, and it involved patterning and drafting a set of leggings, pants, as well as the top. The wings are made out of EVA foam and 3D printed gems.”

The AggieCon cosplay contest was Fung’s first competition, and she expressed gratitude to the smaller, more close-knit community for granting her the opportunity to shine.

“This whole thing was a learning experience for me,” Fung said. “I had to learn how to put together a build book, what the pre-judging process was like, and even how to do my first-ever stage walk … the judges were very understanding, and they understand how much work you put into it and all the processes that are hidden in the final product.”

Another one of the winners, general engineering sophomore Roy Fullerton, impressed the crowd and judges alike with his Darth Vader cosplay.

“I’ve always wanted to have a Darth Vader cosplay for the sole purpose of entering a contest,” Fullerton said. “ … I’ve always been a 3D printing nerd, so I modified different files I found online to fit me and made all the plastic pieces that way.”

Of course, the iconic helmet and gadgets are nothing without being paired with the intimidating black suit and cape.

“Luckily, my mom is an amazing seamstress,” Fullerton said. “She taught me how to sew and walked me through making all the different clothing pieces for this.”

While he always dresses up for Halloween, the event was Fullerton’s first time cosplaying.

“I’ve always been a ‘Star Wars’ nerd, and I always will be a ‘Star Wars’ nerd,” Fullerton said. “So I’m never falling out of love with it or this costume.”

With this being Fullerton’s second semester in Aggieland, he found it easy to make friends and find a community through the other members of nerd culture on campus.

“It’s very common and easy to find other nerds here at Texas A&M,” Fullerton said. “Everyone loves and admires the dedication that people put into their personal interests … Get immersed in fandoms either on your own or with a friend, that way you can get to talk with a lot of new people, but it still feels natural.”