About Gary Con
Gary Con is a memorial convention that began following the funeral of TSR (Tactical Studies Rules) and D&D (Dungeons & Dragons) founder E. Gary Gygax who passed away on March 4, 2008. His son, Luke Gygax, thought it appropriate to have a gathering in the American Legion Hall in Lake Geneva, Wisconsin—a place of fond memories for the Gygax family—to play games celebrating, commemorating, and remembering his father with family, friends, and colleagues. A guest suggested Luke make it an annual event, so the gathering was dubbed “Gary Con,” and it has since become one of the most unique gaming conventions held in the Midwest.
From heartfelt and humble beginnings, Gary Con has grown from about 160 attendees with zero scheduled events at the American Legion Hall in 2008, to over 3,000 attendees and more than 2,250 events scheduled at the Grand Geneva Resort in 2024.
Gary Con continues to grow, adding new game systems and diversifying offerings every year, yet the core reason for the gathering remains unchanged: it is a family reunion. However, it’s more than just a reunion of the Gygax family—Gary Con welcomes the broad family that is the gaming community “home” to Lake Geneva, where it all started in the 1970s, to celebrate the life and works of E. Gary Gygax.
“…the gaming community made me realize that my dad, Gary Gygax, had a huge impact on many people—something I hadn’t fully comprehended before then and wouldn’t truly appreciate for some time yet… I wanted to celebrate his life and [the] good times we shared… I can speak for my brothers and sisters when I say it is cathartic to host such a wonderful gathering. You all have helped us transform what would normally be a sad time of mourning and dour remembrance into a lively celebration of our father’s life, the strength of our community, and the great new heights that lie before us all.”
– Luke Gygax, Gary Con X Event Guide, 2018
Gary Con attendees gather each year to share their interests, hobbies, and passion for gaming with one another by exchanging daring stories, playing fantastic games, and overcoming epic encounters—it is our hope that gaming will continue to bring people together and unify them through their shared experiences in worlds of adventure, imagination, and wonder for the foreseeable future and beyond.
“There is no winning or losing, but rather the value is in the experience of imagining yourself as a character in whatever genre you’re involved in, whether it’s a fantasy game, the Wild West, secret agents or whatever else. You get to sort of vicariously experience those things.”
– Gary Gygax
What is Gary Con?
Gary Con is an annual game convention celebrating the life and works of Gary Gygax, the Father of Role Playing Games. We do this by doing what he loved so much in life—playing games!