The ImmerseCon 2026 show in Richmond, Virginia stayed true to its name by offering some incredible and immersive experiences in Video Game E-Sports, Robot Battles, Tabletop RPGs, Chess (for Grades 2 through 9), Old School Arcade Games and many other wonderfully fun areas. It ran this year from Saturday, July 11th to Sunday, July 12th. The first day was themed “STEAM Day” (Science, Technology, Engineering, the Arts and Mathematics) while the second day was designated as “Geek Communities Day.” It was held at the Greater Richmond Convention Center with the support of many sponsors, some of which included Richmond Regional Tourism, Virginia is for Lovers, Red Bull and even the United States Air Force.
First, let’s talk about the video game sports event as that was packed with action. The RVA (Richmond-Virginia-Area) sponsored the competitions in a variety of games that are popular in the eSports arena. The featured titles included Call of Duty, Super Smash Bros Ultimate and Street Fighter 6 on July 11 with Rocket League, 2XKO and Tekken 8 following up the next day. There were cash prizes, but more importantly, lots of fun. And the host, YouTube personality PsychoblueSFxT, did a wonderful job keeping the energy and excitement up during all of the matches.
Competitors had to bring their own controllers and headsets, and the games were played on gaming PCs except for Super Smash Bros which was played on Nintendo Switches. Most matches had from 10 to 19 participants with good prizes of $125 going to the tourney winner, $75 awarded to the person in second place and $50 to the third-place finisher. The prize money even doubled if there were 20 to 30 participants in a match.
All the tournaments were held in a special dark room with laser lights, smoke machines and a large stage-sized projected video screen so you could see all the action in a club-like environment that was almost as much fun for the audience as it was for the competitors.
GiN spent some time watching one of the most action-packed competitions, with players slugging it out over Street Fighter 6.
We saw some amazing moments, especially when John A Falcon (John Anglada) and Polynesian Sauce (David Taylor) battled it out in a lower bracket and then faced off again in the final. The lower rounds were best of two, while the later rounds and the final were best of five. Players could choose any character they wanted, and they could even switch characters during the game.
The tournament ended with a close two-to-three split, and Polynesian Sauce (David Taylor) emerged victorious. When asked what he enjoys about Street Fighter 6, Taylor replied, “I love it because it gives me those great dopamine hits!” He also offered some advice to new players, saying, “Keep grinding. And for those 9-to-5 gamers: Don’t just aim aimlessly. Have a goal. Each skill is a new goal to focus on.”
Anglada also shared a touching story. “Street Fighter has been a part of my life since I was a boy playing at the laundromat,” he told GiN. “My grandmother made me spend hours doing laundry, and there was an arcade cabinet with Street Fighter. I was shy, but Street Fighter really allowed me to express myself, to have conversations with people through the gameplay, which helped me grow personally and connect with anyone who loved the game as much as I have.”
His advice to players was, “Remember why you picked it up in the first place, play what you love and don’t look back… remember fighting games are so great!”
But it was not just street fighters going one on one at the show. The RABID (Richmond Area Bot Instigated Destruction) Robotics event was a huge blast! They had these adorable “insect weight” combat robots zooming around, charging and spinning until one couldn’t move anymore. The weights were 1 pound plastic Ant weights and 3 pound Beetle weights. They battled it out inside an eight foot by eight foot double-layered polycarbonate arena. I even saw one robot get thrown against the roof of the enclosed battle space!
Now, from video game consoles and 3-D printed fighting robots to chess, one of the oldest games and a symbol of the intellectual warrior, there was a local Discovery Center at the show where parents could bring their kids to play in a tournament.
Even the waiting area was filled with fun, mind-stimulating activities. Rhonda Adorno, the Founder of Discovery Center, shared a quote with everyone: “Chess teaches children to pause, evaluate, adapt and make thoughtful decisions. Those timeless skills become even more valuable in a world increasingly shaped by artificial intelligence.”
Watching some of these kids carefully move a pawn forward reminded me of playing some video games, and how much they can draw you in, especially a turn-based game.
Jeramy Moore, Digital Marketing Director for ImmerseCon, shared with us that his passion for video games began in Petersburg, Virginia, at the Gaming Paradise Video Game Lounge. He’s attended other conventions and envisioned one that would offer truly immersive experiences for everyone, especially the younger crowd. He outlined four key goals for this convention: creating immersive experiences, fostering connections among geek communities, promoting esports and encouraging STEAM.
It’s clear that he and the team, including Operations Director Andy Gernux, who I spotted busy moving tables and making important decisions, have made this a reality and even more.
Moving on to an event that is gaining popularity at conventions around the world, ImmerseCon had a social deduction card game area (in this case Werewolf). It was being played in a room sponsored by Break My Game. They are a non-profit group that works with the creators of games to playtest and make them better. Danni Palmer and Matthew Hocker were there from Break My Game to offer their services.
There were many other experiences and offerings. Even the Air Force had recruiters there, offering immersive experiences alongside Space Force. Combat Tested Gaming, an advocacy group of the Veterans of Foreign Wars also attended. They explained how they offer critical services and emotional support for veterans through video games and the camaraderie that playing together can bring.
This was only the third ImmerseCon, but the show already feels like an event with a clear identity and a lot of room to grow. Over two days, visitors could move from high-energy esports tournaments to combat robots, chess matches, tabletop role-playing areas, social deduction games, classic arcade machines, STEAM activities and booths focused on the wider gaming community. There was even quite a bit of fun cosplay.
That variety is what made the convention feel so lively. It was not just one kind of show for one kind of fan, but a gathering place where competitive players, families, students, veterans, hobby gamers and curious newcomers could all find something interesting to do. With strong community support, creative programming and organizers who clearly want the event to keep expanding, ImmerseCon 2026 felt like a success and a strong sign that Richmond has a growing gaming and geek-culture convention worth watching.
