Freepom – a KupoCon event came to the Hilton Glasgow on the 15th of February. I went along to check it out having unfortunately missed out last year.
This event was not what I expected. Rather than being focused on the games, the emphasis was squarely on the community. Freepom very much felt like a family gathering. A family I wasn’t part of so it was pretty awkward, but it was clear to see this was a tight knit community, people meeting in real life after talking in forums, travelling from all over. It’s just a pity I felt isolated from the event.
As a socially anxious person it can be difficult for me to open up to people easily and I was alone at the event, as I tend to be when I am working. I have attended many cons before and never felt as out of place as I did today. I am a Final Fantasy fan, no doubt about it, but it didn’t feel like enough.
Perhaps this just wasn’t the event for me. If I had gone to the forums, forged relationships with attendees online maybe I would have had a better experience. A lot of emphasis was placed on interaction with the community and I quite frankly was not in the correct headspace to do that. It’s a shame, because I had high hopes for this event but that is most definitely my problem and not KupoCon’s.
That being said, the event was very well tailored to its audience. Freepom has a unique feature to help people mix - the quest log. You are given a series of challenges to complete, a little like a scavenger hunt. You must hunt down selfies with cosplayers to earn gil – an event currency that could be used to get exclusive rewards. Some rather nice official prints from the Final Fantasy VII remake were on offer, so it was definitely worth engaging with.
The market was excellent too, many different independent artists and creators selling Final Fantasy themed goods. I picked up a beautiful Shiva print from an artist and commissioned a drawing of myself as a Chocobo. As you can see, I look adorable.
There are a few elements that could have gone more smoothly – the cosplay section felt rushed and the audience weren’t really given chance to engage, so a few of us whooped and hollered our support. Getting on stage is tough, getting off it to silence is worse. The standard of cosplay was very high, a lot of love poured into these creations and it was here the con really shone. Between original characters and old favourites, every Final Fantasy game was represented. My favourite was a Yojimbo cosplayer as I am a huge FFX fan.
Overall, I can imagine KupoCon is a great place to meet new friends and talk about your favourite games. It was lovely to see so many people connecting with each other from all over the world. Maybe next time KupoCon rolls into Glasgow I can be a little braver.
I would just like to take this opportunity to thank the staff and attendees at Freepom. I passed out at the event and everyone was so kind and made sure I was alright. My apologies for scaring anyone!
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