I know this post is a bit delayed as things have been crazy with back to back to back events but I did still want to put it out to talk about this awesome event! Game On Expo is a gaming convention in Phoenix, Arizona that celebrates tabletop, video and board gaming along with anime and cosplay as well to a smaller extent. This was our second time in Phoenix and we definitely felt the love as we were there!

Arizona Felt Like A Second Home

This convention really felt welcoming and like a second home to us. After we did Phoenix Fan Fusion last year, we have gotten so much love in Arizona and it was awesome to see so many people coming by specifically to see us and check out all the new stuff we have. We also got to hang out with one of our good friends Jason Spisak, a voice actor who has played many many roles including Silco from Arcane, as well as a lot of vendor friends we have made such as Wyvern Warfare and Drinks with Frenemies. We also met a bunch of new really amazing people and the entire weekend was just so comforting and fun!

Dark Roasts In The Hot Desert

When we were first in Arizona we sold out of our dark roasts Necromancer and Barbarian super quickly and they were still both popular this weekend as well. We actually brought double the stock of our darker coffees in anticipation and were glad that we did! After talking to a bunch of people there seems to be a consensus that since it is far too hot in Arizona, a lot of people like to make cold brew year round so they love coffees with a heavier body and darker profiles, something we mentioned in our blog about cold brew. By the end of the weekend we were only left with a few bags of Druid and 1-2 bags of Rogue left!

Games of All Types

With this being a mixed con for both video games as well as board games and TTRPGS, there was no shortage of things to do! The convention space also had a really awesome free arcade packed with rhythm, racing, shooting, and fighting games, as well as a ton of pinball machines. We were able to break away during the madness of the weekend and get in a bunch of game time which was awesome! There was also a free board game library and plenty of open play area to sit down and get in some games. A fun fact is that I love rhythm games so I spent a lot of time playing Wacca and Taiko no Tatsujin when I could sneak away from the booth. It was a fun mix up from last few cons we have done that have been primarily board game focused.

A City That Loves Coffee

We were able to do a good amount of exploring of the area and found some really awesome coffee shops all around! One place we really liked and ended up visiting a couple of times was Kahvi Coffee Company. They had an excellent atmosphere with extremely knowledgeable baristas and some really tasty drinks. They had this seasonal honey latte that was topped with cinnamon and was super refreshing during the hot walk to the event center as well as a really tasty strawberry matcha. Another really great place to check out is The Coffee Builders. They offer freshly roasted and extremely high quality coffees, plus they have these "Space Chaser" beverages which are single shots of espresso with a sweet chaser to go with them. 

We Will Be Back Soon

Phoenix is definitely a city I am loving more every time I go to. If it wasn't for the heat...seriously I can't do the heat... I would consider moving there but who knows MAYBE one day we will have a Dragon Roast Coffee location there ;) either way, we will be back soon for Phoenix Fan Fusion in a couple months! See you next time Arizona!