Game On! MAGfest 2024 Takes Place at National Harbor

Story and photo by Maestro Joyner.

From January 19-22, 2024, I attended MAGfest, a 24-hour gaming and music convention. They offer all types of consoles, like Playstation, Wii, WiiU, Xbox, and the Nintendo Switch to participants who can play to their heart's content. Serious gamers, including our Esports team, competed in tournaments, and there were also cosplayers and vendors.

Our Esports team competed in two tournaments, one was Super Smash Bros. Ultimate and the other was Mortal Kombat 1. The prize was an Xbox One. We competed against other players at different skill levels, to see how we could improve, network with gaming companies, and make connections with other players.

There were also cosplayers who dressed up as their favorite character, whether it was from an anime, TV show, comic, or fandom site. They showed out during the 3-day weekend, and I was able to capture many photos as they posed for various photographers and shoots at the Atrium Fountains. As a super fan of fandom, it was great for me to see other people express their love for it through cosplay, whether it’s at a convention or in everyday life.         

The Artist Alley was another part of MAGfest, where artists from all over the U.S. came to market their work and find potential customers and fans. There were many amazing pieces of art that were available to admire or purchase like keychains, prints, stickers, and pins. I was also able to capture pictures of the artists themselves, to show off the different types of people that risked putting themselves out there in order to have their story told from their pieces of work.

MAGfest is a great event, since it brings people who share a common interest in anime, comics and gaming together. These types of events are crucial, since they are the framework of building a community for individuals who want a space to express themselves without the worry of being judged. MAGfest is an annual event, so even if you missed this year's MAGfest, there's always next year, where there will be more cosplayers, vendors, and tournaments! To learn more about MAGfest, you can visit their website here. To see more photos from MAGfest, you can view them here       

Maestro Joyner is a junior at Friendship Collegiate Academy.