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Neb. (WOWT) – The first Omaha Gaming Convention is underway in downtown Omaha — and it is not the type of gaming many people might expect. There are no video screens at the Even Hotel. Everyone is playing board games
Omaha Gaming Convention organizer Starla Fitch traveled around the country to different board game conventions before deciding to bring one to Omaha
“Board game conventions are a worldwide thing. They are huge. There’s some that run in Dallas that’s over 3,000 people. Then there’s one in Indianapolis that’s over 80,000 people. So people love to come play board games together,” Fitch said
The first convention is sold out, with more than 200 people coming to Omaha to play
“From Delaware to California, Colorado, Ohio — we even have a world-renowned game designer, Eric Lang, who came from Canada,” Fitch said
Eric Lang has more than 150 board game designs to his credit and visits different board game conventions each year
“I go to about eight to ten conventions a year, but this is my favorite kind. I love these small, intimate conventions. I can get really close to the fans,” Lang said
Lang says interest in board games has been growing
“Board games have always been universal. People have always played them, but they’re starting to appreciate the more complex side of it, the more lifestyle aspects of board games,” Lang said
Lang says board games offer something that digital <a href="https://comicvibe.com/f1-singapore-grand-prix-2026-the-killers-and-lana-del-rey-join-entertainment-line/” title=”F1 Singapore Grand Prix 2026: The Killers and Lana Del Rey join entertainment line”>entertainment cannot
“As we get more digital and more virtual and we start to lose that human connection, like we have to share energy in the same space — board games force you to do that. They force you to do that in a really demanding setting that no other medium can do,” Lang said
Convention organizers say 3,000 – 5,000 new board games come out each year. The Omaha Gaming Convention runs through Sunday
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