Two weekends ago, a friend of mine from college invited me to attend Super MAGFest in National Harbor, Maryland. After returning to the convention scene last year I’ve been eager to attend as many cons as I can, so I was more than happy to check out MAGFest for the first time. On the Saturday of the con, I had the pleasure of watching a brand-new panel hosted by the friend who invited me and the privilege of asking her some questions about the experience. Read her answers below!
Q: How long have you been going to MAGFest?
A: I went to my first MAGFest in 2024, so this is my second year attending.
Q: What is your panel about?
A: My panel is called “What Happened to Girl Games?”. It’s about the history of video games made for and marketed to women, and how the “Girl Games” industry has evolved from the 1980’s to present day.
Q: What made you choose this topic?
A: At my work, we have a staff meeting every Tuesday, and we do a teambuilding activity called Geek of the Week. Each week, someone will research a topic that they find interesting and give a presentation at our staff meeting. The Geek of the Week presentations aren’t related to work at all, it’s just an activity for us to get to know each other. For example, one of my coworkers gave a presentation about famous Grammy snubs, and another coworker gave a presentation about the history of beer. In March 2024, I chose to research the history of Girl Games and present about it for my Geek of the Week. One of my coworkers, who is also a MAGFest attendee, told me that it would make a good panel for MAGFest, and he suggested that I submit it for consideration. I decided to keep researching and expand on the presentation so that I could submit it as a panel.
Q: What was the application process like?
A: The application process was relatively simple. I had to fill out a Google Form with the panel name, a short blurb for the guidebook, and a summary of what my panel would cover. The application also asked if I had ever presented this panel at any other conventions, or if I had any relevant social media links to share.
Q: How successful do you feel your panel was?
A: I was pleasantly surprised with the outcome! My panel was given a 10:30 am time slot, so I thought turnout would be low since people are still sleeping or getting breakfast at that time. I’m really happy for everyone who came out to support. After seeing the turnout I’m definitely hoping to do the panel again at a future MAGFest or another con, possibly with a later time slot.
Q: Will you be applying to be a panelist at any other cons in the future and/or MAGFest 2026?
A: MAGFest has a west coast based convention held in California each year called MAGWest, which I am hoping to attend this fall, and I am planning to apply to host my panel at MAGWest. I don’t have any other cons lined up for 2025, but I would be interested in hosting this panel again at other conventions if anything comes up on my radar.
I also might apply again in MAGFest 2026, but I don’t know if they want to have repeat panels year to year.
Q: Do you have any advice for someone interested in hosting a panel?
A: If you want to host a panel, my advice is to find a topic that you are passionate about, and try to find a niche or an angle that nobody else is talking about. I grew up playing games like Barbie, Bratz, and Style Savvy, so I have always had nostalgia for these kinds of games, but I noticed that nobody in the gaming industry really takes these games seriously or discusses them in a meaningful way. I think a big part of the reason my panel was accepted was because it was a unique subject that nobody else is really covering.
Check out the gallery below to see some pictures from the panel!
