Photo by Ezra Croft
By Cecil Dupree
Gamers spotted outside of their house? Crazy, right? But the Game & Geek Expo (GGE) is geared specifically to players, inspiring them to leave the comfort of their gaming cave for one weekend, Sept. 5-6, to explore the Atlantic Union Bank Convention Center, where many players and developers shop artists’ booths, play games, meet celebrities, and attend panels. The games range from fighting to adventure to arcade. The panels cover everything from retro games to AAA games to launching your own game.
Panelists Kenny James (Bowser’s voice actor) and Samantha Kelly (Princess Peach and Toad’s voice actress) speak on the stage. Photo by Ezra Croft at Game & Geek Expo 2026, Raleigh, NC.
GGE is the largest event hosted by the Raleigh Retro Gamers (RRG), though not too crowded to enjoy. RRG is a Raleigh-based gaming organization known for hosting quarterly events. These events aim to build camaraderie between players and developers and offer unique merchandise themed around games and pop culture.
An overhead view of vendor booths selling themed merchandise. Photo by Ezra Croft at Game & Geek Expo 2026, Raleigh, N.C.
GGE isn’t only a special event for the attendees, but also for the staff, organizers, volunteers, and guests. Amber DeWolfe, who’s volunteered with RRG for over a year, thoroughly enjoys conventions and loves seeing the diverse attendees.
“You see everyone from all walks of life,” she said.
Five Shy Guy-masked cosplayers pose on the expo floor. Photo by Ezra Croft at Game and Geek Expo 2026, Raleigh, N.C.
Beyond organizing the event as a whole, there’s also the “Indie Dev Zone,” where many local indie developers set up their games for gamers to playtest and build hype for the release. Steph Briles, the director of the Triangle Interactive Arts Collective (TIAC), helps to organize the indie developers, since most of them are involved with TIAC. Many TIAC members also support Briles throughout the process of setting up and planning the event.
“It’s a lot of work,” she said. “I wouldn’t be able to do it without everyone’s help.”
A cosplayer dressed as Dante from Devil May Cry grins while gaming on a laptop in the expo’s gaming area. Photo by Ezra Croft at Game & Geek Expo 2026, Raleigh, N.C.
Briles has attended and hosted many gaming-related events, including play test nights at TIAC and Oak City Indie Games (OCIG), an event hosted at Wake Tech centered entirely on indie games and developers. Panels feature speakers from college game design students as well as creators already launched into the industry. Briles enjoys meeting local developers and aspiring designers and offers a few words of advice.
“Remember, people take advantage of your passion. Who you know is 50% as well as 50% what you know,” said Briles.
Rows of monitors and controllers in the console and PC gaming area. Photo by Ezra Croft at Game & Geek Expo 2026, Raleigh, N.C.
Though some may find her words discouraging, she doesn’t leave aspiring developers out in the cold; she invites them to get involved with TIAC or OCIG. She values the many opportunities offered by TIAC and believes them to be great options for people trying to find fellowship and comradery.
“If you find a community, it’s gonna get easier,” said Briles.
Players and a game master at a tabletop RPG session. Photo by Ezra Croft at Game & Geek Expo 2026, Raleigh, N.C.
Though GGE only happens once a year, other events hosted by RRG or TIAC offer many events and game jams to carry developers through the rest of the year. RRG offers markets and spaces to show off games in progress, while TIAC offers show-and-tell and playtest nights, allowing developers to work out the kinks in their games before presenting them at a public event.