8Bit/Digi

In response to the COVID 19 pandemic, every county in the Bay Area has called for a ban on large gatherings. This has forced every gaming event or convention in the Bay Area to be cancelled.

Here is a rundown of the events and conventions in the Bay Area that have been cancelled because of the COVID 19 pandemic.

Conventions and Expos

Every convention set for the month of March has been canceled or postponed to a later date. This also includes all of the alternative GDC events that were being organized. This is a rundown of Bay Area conventions that have cancelled due to the COVID 19 pandemic.

Ani-Me Con 9.0 has been pushed back to the weekend of May 2nd. The event is working with vendors and guests to ensure a quality event. Several of the confirmed guest have agreed to appear at the May event.

The largest steam punk convention in the Bay Area, Clockwork Alchemy has been cancelled. Guests are advised to cancel their hotel reservations while refunds are being handled. The event will return sometime in 2021.

Plan B Project – Game Industry Gathering was being organized as an alternative to GDC. The event has been altered since the venue has closed due to the pandemic. Speakers will now have to live stream their presentation.

The Museum of Arts and Digital Entertainment (M.A.D.E.) has announced that their Unconference for Game Developers has been cancelled. This was suppose to be an alternative to the cancelled GDC.

UC Davis has issued a directive that all events be cancelled or postponed. As a result, DAiCon has announced that their April 16th event has been cancelled. There are no plans for a new date yet.

Venues and Small Events

Numerous venues events have either closed or scaled back operations. Almost all of their planned events have been cancelled or pushed back to late April as a precaution.

Level Up Entertainment has cancelled all of their GDC related mixers and events. This includes the IndieDev GDC Networking Mixer & Demo Stations and the Game Over : The Ultimate GDC Industry Mixer & After Party. Refunds will be issued to guest and developers who rented a station.

AFKxp has rescheduled their Game Swap from March 15th to April 26th. They will still be open but are reducing the number of available PC’s to keep people at a distance during their experience.

Level Up Video Games has cancelled all of their events and closed their game lunge until further notice. The shop will be open but shoppers are advise to purchase their games online then come pick it up at the shop.

With school being closed, every student organization has been effected. Cal Animage Alpha has cancelled all of their screenings and game nights in March. Cal Esports has closed their community center and have cancelled all events until further notice.

Showdown Entertainment has suspended all of their weekly events (like Glitched GG) for the month of March. They have also cancelled their annual GDC after party.

MINIBOSS has announced that they have cancelled all events and will be closing until further notice.

Emporium SF has cancelled all their upcoming events. They have also announced that they will be temporarily closed until further notice.

Looking to the Future

If we all practice social distancing then we could beat this pandemic. If you wish to plan for the future then check out the many conventions that are set to take place in the Bay Area. We will work to provide updates and announcements when they become available.

8Bit/Digi is an independent media outlet that provides an insight into the video game community and industry of the San Francisco Bay Area.