For one weekend each year, the College of DuPage (COD) transforms into a hub for gamers, cosplayers, vendors and fantasy fans. CODCON returns to the Student Resource Center (SRC) 2000 and Student Services Center from April 17 to April 19 for its 29th year. The convention offers three days of gaming tournaments, panels and community. This year’s theme is “Casino.”
“I feel like CODCON is a good entry-level con,” said Sati Holloway, president of the Anime and Cosplay Club. “You get a little bit of everything. It’s cheaper, and it’s much easier to attend than a big convention like Anime Central. Plus, it’s welcoming for everyone.”
CODCON began in 1995, when an outside group canceled an event for the Sci-Fi Fantasy and Gaming Club just three weeks before it was scheduled. Faculty adviser and co-founder of CODCON James Allen and former president of the club Mike Vandenberg suggested hosting a convention to fill the gap.
“Only about seven people showed up to our first CODCON,” Allen said. “Now, we welcome 350 or more attendees from across the Greater Chicagoland area. There have been vast changes from then to now.”
Now, various clubs around campus help build on and connect with one another to host CODCON each year, Allen said. It is an event for anyone, not just for students from COD.
“When I get to the end of a CODCON, I am always reminded of the quote from Ben Kenobi: ‘I’m getting too old for this kind of thing,’” Allen said. “But thankfully, these guys help keep it going. It’s great to see what they come up with every year.”
Attendees can dive into competitive video game tournaments featuring “Super Smash Bros.” and other titles. They can also shuffle through tabletop and card games or join role-playing adventures like “Dungeons & Dragons” and “Pathfinder”. A national qualifying competition for “Catan” will also be hosted over the weekend on Saturday from 10 a.m. until 8 p.m.
Panels cover everything from cosplay tips to game strategy, while vendors showcase local artists, authors and gaming merchandise. CODCON’s “Masquerade,” a beginner-friendly cosplay contest, will also showcase and award costume creativity. In addition, they will have a silent auction for merchandise and handmade artistry to benefit the COD Fuel Pantry.
One popular feature is the Maid Café, where guests are greeted and served snacks by club members in cosplay while playing games at different tables. For Holloway, working at the café is a chance to connect with others.
“When I first started participating in CODCON and worked [at] the Maid Café for the first time, it really helped me come out of my shell and talk to more people in the club that I hadn’t interacted with before,” Holloway said.
For the first time, the convention will feature a kids’ corner. Hosted by Treasures Naperville, this area will feature kid-friendly games and activities for all ages.
“I think it’ll be nice for the kids [to] learn these types of games in an environment where they’re surrounded by their peers, and not people that are a lot older than them,” Thomas Klein, vice president of the Anime and Cosplay Club, said. “I remember when I started getting into Magic: The Gathering when I was only 11, and everyone was older than me. I really wish I had that sort of thing.”
Also new this year is a fan-produced VOCALOID concert. Built from free-to-use digital assets and MikuMikuDance (MMD) models, the show is designed as a smaller-scale homage to the official Miku Expo concerts.
“I’ve been a Vocaloid fan since the fourth grade,” Holloway said. “I went to Miku Expo for the first time in 2024, and I thought, ‘I need people to experience this, even if they don’t have the money to do it.’ If I can do something like that at CODCON, it’s my way of showing my appreciation and introducing people who’ve never seen Vocaloid before.”
For many attendees, the convention provides a space to connect with others who share their interests and feel a sense of belonging.
“In spaces like anime fandom, it’s commonplace to feel excluded, like an outsider,” said Holloway. “You feel kind of isolated from other fandom spaces because of how stigmatized anime has been for a while. Anime Club and CODCON give me a space to be social and connect with others who share my interests.”
Allen said this idea persists even after students have left COD.
“It’s kind of like [a] homecoming for former members of Sci-Fi Club and for the Anime Club, too,” Allen said. “We get a lot of alumni. Some of them come back to help run events. Some of them just stop by to play games or say hi, but they always stay connected. We’re building a community that lasts decades.”
Registration is available at the door or in advance until April 4. Pre-registration fees are $4 for Friday, $12 for Saturday, $8 for Sunday and $20 for a weekend pass. At-the-door prices are $5 for Friday, $15 for Saturday, $10 for Sunday and $25 for the full weekend. The convention will run from 6 p.m. to 11 p.m. Friday, April 17; 9 a.m. to 11 p.m. Saturday, April 18; and 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Sunday, April 19.
More information about CODCON can be found on the event’s website, including a full schedule of events and more registration details.
