The College of Southern Maryland (CSM) will host the Hawkland Gaming Festival at its La Plata Campus on Saturday, Sept. 14, 2024. Scheduled to run from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m., the 12-hour event will feature a variety of tabletop games and aims to gather funds for CSM student scholarships.
Professor Andrew Wodzianski, a visual and performing arts educator at CSM and the festival’s organizer, highlighted the dual purpose of the event. “The Hawkland Gaming Festival celebrates Southern Maryland’s passion for tabletop gaming, while supporting student success,” he stated.
Tabletop gaming, which includes board games, card games, role-playing games, miniature battle games, and dexterity games, offers participants a chance to engage in face-to-face interactions and connect with one another. “Anything that can be played on a flat surface,” as Wodzianski described it, will be part of the festival’s offerings.
In addition to gaming, attendees are encouraged to engage in cosplay, dressing up as their favorite role-playing characters. Wodzianski noted that even CSM’s mascot, Talon, participates in the festivities.
The festival, supported by 30 to 40 volunteers, expects about 200 attendees this year. “I’m hoping we can double attendance over the upcoming years,” Wodzianski shared, hinting at possible expansions of the event to multiple buildings on campus in the future.
Last year’s inaugural gaming event faced challenges due to a tropical storm, leading to its postponement from September to December. Despite these setbacks, the event still drew about 100 participants, with vendors and food trucks enriching the experience.
Participants can pre-register for the event with a fee of $20, while day-of registration will cost $25. Children aged 12 or younger can attend for free when accompanied by a paying adult. The festival will be located at the Francis P. Chiaramonte, M.D. Center for Science and Technology on the La Plata Campus.
For more details or to register, interested parties can visit www.csmd.edu/hawkland.
