GCX 2025

My heart is full, my head is tired, and my body is VERY dehydrated… but as I write this, I do so very, very happily.

The last few days, I’ve been down in Orlando, FL at Universal Studios for the GCX – the Gaming Community Expo. Formerly GuardianCon (Destiny), it’s morphed over the past years into a full-on gaming celebration. If you like Collectible Card Games, Tabletop RPGs, or Video Games… there’s something for you here.

And it’s not just a vacation – all of the proceeds, contests, and several of the vendor’s profits all go to St. Jude Children’s Hospital, in collaboration with their St. Jude PlayLive event.

This year, I went as part of the Fallout for Hope stream team and charity initiative. An entire part of one of the show floors was dedicated to a “Fallout Experience” – a chance to get in and actually touch and feel what it’s like to be living in the Wastelands. The props were incredible – some of them felt like they were actually lifted from the game itself.

Fallout For Hope also brought in several voice actors from across the Fallout series for a meet-and-greet and several panels across the event – including a look behind the scenes of the Fallout series on Amazon Prime with Michael Harvey – the head makeup artist.

For me, personally, it was also a chance to catch up with old friends, and make several new ones. The Fallout for Hope streamers came out IN FORCE. It sounds cliche, but I’ll keep saying it because it’s true – the Fallout for Hope community (and Fallout fans in general) are some of the best people on the internet. Being able to hang out with people you’ve only ever seen in streams or on socials in real life is a special feeling. Even if you’re meeting for the first time, it’s like meeting up with old friends.

I -highly- encourage you to come next year. It’s a fantastic event, celebrating a great cause, and you get to hang out with fans of some of the greatest nerd passions of all time. (And, getting 3 hours at the afterparty at Universal Harry Potter & Jurassic Park wasn’t too bad, either!)