MagFest 2025: Reprieve from Madness

I attended and wrote coverage on NekoCon 2024. That convention was truly the last bit of calm before the electoral storm of the later part of the year of 2024. Then 2025 came, and we all lived an entire lifetime in the very first month of January. A friend suggested choosing joy, choosing a break in the gloom, and suggested MagFest, so there I went. For those of you who do not know: MagFest (Super Magfest) is an annual winter music and video game festival held in National Harbor, Maryland. It features a variety of musical acts, performances, workshops, panels, and vendors from across the globe. People travel from all over to take part in this 4-day event. They risk body and mind in order to bear witness to the glory that is this spectacle.

Driving up to Maryland the Thursday before MagFest with a dear friend, I tried to muster up the enthusiasm that I usually feel when attending nerd events. Unfortunately, I couldn’t muster it. I couldn’t shake the deep gloom that had set in before January even began. Joy? Who was she? Never heard of her. It was hard to feel happiness. How could you? The year 2025 began with a bleak bang and only pointed to a future shrouded in fog and misery. In addition to the uncertainty, the world continued to be on fire. My friend and I acknowledged that we couldn’t escape from reality, but we could try and enjoy the time we had at this festival. It was going to be my first MagFest. Looking back on that dark car ride, I truly didn’t think my mood wou…