Hoopla: Hoopla is an informal noun referring to excited, noisy commotion, bustling activity, or extravagant, sensational publicity (often referred to as hype or ballyhoo). It often implies unnecessary fuss or exaggerated attention surrounding a person, event, or product.
Kevin
A Softer Side of Gaming Conventions
Last year, I attended about six gaming conventions, mostly on the larger side of the spectrum: Gen Con, PAX Unplugged, and the like. These conventions are huge, multi-day, overly stimulating showcases of everything the gaming world has to offer. If the massive vendor hall isn’t competing for your attention, then it’s the organized events, publisher presentations, or state-of-the-industry talks. It’s exhausting and invigorating all at the same time. I often come home from these large-scale carnivals with no voice and an empty wallet.
But what if I told you there’s a softer version of a gaming convention? One without long queues for the new hot game, a sugar-water refill, or even the restrooms? Now, what if I said the attached hotels were affordable, the schedule was packed, and you could still buy stuff?
Well, friends, I have an event you may want to pencil into your calendar for next year.
Gaming for a Good Cause
Nestled in the Baird Center in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, is Gaming Hoopla. The convention has expanded into a larger space after previously being held in Mundelein, Illinois. But what really sets it apart is that Gaming Hoopla is a charity event, meaning all proceeds go to the Aurora Cancer Center. Registered as a 501(c) nonprofit, Gaming Hoopla promotes inclusive gaming and makes you feel good about where your dollars go.
I’d never attended before, but a little birdie told me it was one of the best gaming events you’ve probably never heard of. No frills, non-stop gaming, and no vendor hall to distract you and drain your wallet. In fact, the entire convention is housed in just three conference rooms. No need to wear comfortable walking shoes unless you want to.
This year, Hoopla welcomed 580 badge holders, 18 more than last year, with almost 600 registered events. It also raised a total of $46,435 for the Aurora Cancer Center, its largest check yet.
So What Is There to Do?
Game.
Spread across the three conference rooms are rows of long tables filled with board games and RPGs. Attendees sign up for free events through TableTop Events, and each table has a printed schedule of the ongoing games for that day. How many times have you been at a convention, seen an empty table, and started setting something up, only to be told a registered event is about to run there? This small and simple gesture makes a world of difference, cutting out the guessing game entirely.
Every year, Hoopla has a theme. This year’s was “In Motion,” focused on transportation games, and prizes were given out to those who won the most In Motion games. There were even prizes for attendees who taught the most games in that category. There are prizes galore here, with daily door prizes announced just for showing up. My friend took home a copy of Woodcraft, which he thought was overly generous.
The Silent Auction Frenzy
I did mention that there is a place to irrationally dump dollars on games, and that place is the Silent Auction. This year, there were over 2,350 games submitted, which alone raised more than $7,000 for charity. There were some real steals to be had. I walked away with a copy of Martin Wallace’s Wildlands, plus expansions, for $10 and an all-in Vindication Kickstarter bundle for $31.
All sales default to 25% of the sale price going to charity, though sellers can choose to give more. That resulted in a highlighted table of games where 100% of the proceeds went to charity. Bidding closed at 4 p.m. on Saturday, and the five minutes leading up to that cutoff were a frenzy of attendees scrambling to secure their bids.
The convention also hosted a raffle with some amazing donated prizes, including a full gaming table, a Lakefront Brewery package, and even a choice of custom GeekUp bits from BGG. I went all in on the beautiful Collector’s Edition of Trickerion: Legends of Illusion and dropped 120 tickets into the raffle, to no avail. But hey, there are no hard feelings when all the money goes to charity, anyway.
Final Thoughts
It was a fun weekend of playing all kinds of games, and everyone I met was completely wonderful. Though there seemed to be an expectation that you knew the games you signed up for, every host was more than happy to give a full teach. By the end of the convention, it wasn’t my feet that hurt, but my brain, mainly from cramming so many Euros into one weekend. And yet I still wanted to play more games when I got home.
If you ever find yourself in the Midwest, I highly recommend checking out Gaming Hoopla. I think I joined two new gaming groups over the weekend after finding out that people lived near me in Chicago. It’s a friendly gathering focused on what matters most: gaming and charity. The weekend married the two together for a good cause.
I will be back again next year, buying more raffle tickets, silent auction games, and drinking more Wisconsin craft beer.
It’s gaming for a good cause, after all. See you there in 2027!
What Kevin Played
- Campaign Trail
- Citizens of the Spark
- Cretaceous Rails
- Fliptoons
- Grand Austria Hotel
- Hamburgum
- Macao
- Rebel Princess
- Scholars of the South Tigris
- Stone Age
- That’s Wizard!
- The Great Zimbabwe
- Unmatched: Battle of Legends Vol. 2
Joseph
Back in my Day…
Gaming Hoopla is my favorite board gaming convention; the one I most look forward to every year. This was my sixth gaming Hoopla and it’s been really fun to watch it grow from a large conference room in Mundelein, IL (just northwest of Chicago) to several rooms within the enormous Baird Center in Milwaukee, WI. I will say, it was a much different vibe than previous years because of the change in venue.
While this is the second year in Milwaukee, it is the first time not taking place in a hotel. Since this was a large convention center, there were things like security gates and bag checks every time you entered the building, as well as having to share the floor with several other events and conventions happening at the same time. I couldn’t get back to my hotel without running into a gaggle of small children in tutus and intense “dance moms” from one of those events.
Late night gaming was a little different as well, since the Baird Center didn’t allow outside food or drinks. Luckily, I had some friends from one of my Chicago gaming groups with me and I was staying at the Hyatt across the street (where last year’s Hoopla was held) which had several large tables for gaming and access to the hotel bar, so we made it work. While this might seem like I’m complaining, it’s clear that Gaming Hoopla has outgrown the confines of a single hotel, which is a great thing, given that its main purpose is for charity. I just don’t want it to turn into Gen Con.
This time, there’s no stopping us
One aspect that has been a welcome change since they moved last year is the surroundings. Though Mundelein was a quicker trip for me, meaning I didn’t need to stay in a hotel, that’s about all it had going for it. Milwaukee has excellent food, bar, and shopping options within walking distance from the downtown area, which is a far cry from the fast-food-only fare in Mundelein. The public transportation options are pretty solid and able to take you outside of downtown for some even better spots in hip neighborhoods. It’s such an underrated city, and every time I visit, I’m reminded that I need to go more often, given it’s only about an hour from Chicago.
This year, I didn’t pack my entire time with scheduled games and left enough time to enjoy the city with friends, grab beers from one of my favorite breweries, New Glarus, which is only sold in Wisconsin, and kept a nice balance of gaming and non-gaming. In the past, I’d fill every hour with games and events at the convention, which is easier in a place like Mundelein, without much to do, but this year the weather was so nice that it was great to get outside and appreciate the city as much as I did the game rooms.
Games, etc.
With all that out of the way, I did actually take full advantage of everything Gaming Hoopla offers. I played quite a few games over the 3 days, but there were some standouts. I generally try to prioritize signing up for games that are out-of-print or hard to get that I haven’t played before. Hamburgum was one that had been on my list for a long time. It uses the action-selection rondel found in other Mac Gerdts games, but unlike most of the others, this game plays at a breakneck speed. Turns are quick and snappy, but there’s still enough strategy to be surprisingly engaging, especially in the late game as areas on the map fill up with other players. It was all over in a little over an hour, which was unexpected but felt right for a game of that weight.
Later that day, I actually teamed up with Kevin to play Campaign Trail, which I’ve already written glowingly about, but this time it was interesting to play with only four people and see how different strategies worked with a new partner and game plan. I can confirm that it remains a fun experience, though I think I prefer the chaos of higher player counts. I also hosted a few games myself, which is always a great way to meet new gamers at conventions, and played a game of Speakeasy that ended around 2 a.m.—and I’m still not sure if I exactly understand all the rules.
What it’s all about
The Gaming Hoopla Silent Auction always has a special place in my heart. In my first few years attending, when I was really getting into the hobby, I built much of my collection from the silent auction because there were so many great deals to be had. These days, my shelves are seemingly always overburdened, so the silent auction is the best place to help alleviate the strain on my poor Kallax units. While I did still pick up a couple of titles, I was able to sell a lot more, and hopefully those games will get someone else started on their own collection.
The end of the Hoopla is always a little bittersweet. Playing games all weekend is great but when the closing ceremonies start and the oversized check is revealed, we’re all reminded that it was all about fundraising for a great cause. Every convention that I go to has its own personality, but Gaming Hoopla remains my favorite still because it’s the only one where I genuinely feel humbled and grateful for taking part in something bigger than board gaming. I’m already counting the days until next year.
