DETROIT (WXYZ) — Youmacon is officially underway in downtown Detroit, marking a milestone 20th anniversary for the anime and pop culture convention that draws enthusiasts from around the world.
At least 10,000 anime and pop culture fans are expected to pack Huntington Place through Sunday for the celebration that has grown significantly since its humble beginnings.
Watch Evan Sery's video report below:
"There's a lot of people who are growing into this genre and learning about it," said Mark Cooper, Youmacon event coordinator.
The convention features new attractions this year including a kids corner, expanded tabletop gaming options and entertainment events. Cooper highlighted the variety of experiences available to attendees.
"We have a new kids corner, new games at tabletop gaming, great raves and things like that," Cooper said.
Artist Alley showcases numerous vendors including Daniel Kim, a digital artist from Sterling Heights attending Youmacon for the first time.
"It might start as a paper sketch," Kim said, describing his artistic process.
Kim, originally from California, expressed excitement about Michigan's convention scene.
"I'm originally from California, so when I found out Michigan has quite a bit of a convention atmosphere, that was pretty exciting to hear," Kim said.
The arcade room proved particularly popular, featuring classic gaming systems including Sega Dreamcasts on old-school televisions. The nostalgic gaming experience resonated with many attendees.
"I love gaming rooms like this because I have a lot of memories playing DDR in arcades and stuff, and you don't get that experience anymore," said Luna Noelle, a Twitch streamer.
Noelle noted the challenge of introducing modern gamers to retro systems.
"Convincing people to play an N64 is hard nowadays," Noelle said.
The gaming area features arcade cabinets and tournaments that keep some attendees occupied throughout the entire event.
"Arcade cabinets, there's gonna be game tournaments, so if you're a gamer and that's something you wanna do, some people just stay there all day," Cooper said.
Cooper reflected on the convention's growth from its origins in a Troy hotel with about 1,000 attendees to the large-scale event it has become.
"They enjoy the comics, they enjoy the video games, all the particular lores of the particular fandoms, and they bring them all together whether old-school fans of "Ghost in the Shell," to new fans of "Chainsaw Man" or "Dragon Ball Z" still, it's just an overall melting pot over time," Cooper said.
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