6 minute read
PR ComiC Con, a PoP-CultuRe Summit
PR Comic Con
Pop culture summit brought together comics and animation artists, video gamers and a host of cosplayers
Advertisement
Juan A. Hernández, The Weekly Journal
After nearly a three-year hiatus due to the pandemic, the Puerto Rico Comic Con (PRCC) returned to the Puerto Rico Convention Center this last weekend to a resounding success.
Described by its creators as a “summit of pop culture,” the event brought together actors from film and TV series, and comics, animation and video game producers, as well as a host of cosplayers. “This year’s event was a double-header celebration. Not only did we come back after the pandemic, but we celebrated our 20th anniversary. It has been two decades of milestones, memories, adventures, and experiences shared with generations of people who have a passion for entertainment. Thanks to the fans’ support over the years, PRCC has become an important entertainment platform in the region,” said Ricardo Carrión, executive producer of the event.
PRCC was a pioneer when it was held for the first time in 2002 at the YMCA in Hato Rey, with 1,000 people in attendance. Today, PRCC has grown to a three-day experience with an international scope and averaging 40,000 people in each edition. Twenty years after it all started, Carrión can clearly say the biggest development PRCC has experience is the international clout it has achieved, particularly in the U.S. “At the beginning it was really difficult to meet with our international peers. But as we got to be known in the industry, things started to change. The fact is that our best advertising is the people that comes every year to the convention. They are the ones that, through word of mouth, tell everybody else ‘hey, Puerto Rico was great,’” Carrión said. Despite the adverse effects of the pandemic that caused the
In fact, cancellation of the event two years in a row, Carrión assured there was a silver lining to it. “During the pandemic It is estimated that we had the opportunity to the PRCC contributed strengthen the international between $5 and $7 communications we had been million to Puerto developing with our peers,” he Rico’s economy in assured. just one weekend. According to Carrión, the industry has changed significantly in recent years. He estimated the PRCC contributed between $5 to $7 million to Puerto Rico’s economy in just one weekend. “The event itself is huge. We had exhibitors coming from Mexico, Panama and Colombia, and of course from the U.S., just to mention a few. And we had visitors coming from Argentina, Colombia,
Cosplayers representing a female version of Tengen Uzui, from the Japanese manga series Demon Slayer, and Kaneki, from Tokyo Ghoul. >The Weekly Journal
We should now strengthen the event by adding other activities.
Ricardo Carrión Producer, Puerto Rico Comic Con
Spain, and Germany,” he explained, referring to the different IP addresses from tickets bought online. “These all translates into room nights in hotels, meals at restaurants, transportation and general tax revenues,” he added. The event provides a marketing platform for brands to showcase their products and services, but the event producer admitted that many brands do not understand the nature and scope of an event like the PRCC. Still, there are many companies that are eager to jump at the opportunity to market their products to the younger crowd. Among the exhibitors were Econo Supermarkets, Kikuet, and Bimbo cookies, all with very crowded booths. For Carrión, PRCC’s next step would be to expand its offerings by extending its hours and to diversify activities. “We already are in the [convention] district. Events could be developed at night at the Music Hall after the events at the convention are done… maybe a movie premiere,” Ricardo Carrión mused about possible developments for the Comic Con. The event producer admitted the possibility of extending the event to other countries in Latin America “is on the table,” but he is concentrated on “delivering the show here” before venturing elsewhere.
MICTLAN:
a virtual immersion in Mesoamerican history
Juan A. Hernández, The Weekly Journal
Mexico is the biggest video game consumer in Latin America with an estimated $8 billion in video console games alone. So, Mexico’s move towards becoming a regional power in this industry shouldn’t come as a surprise.
“Mexico is in the process of creating a video games industry precisely because of the huge market it has. At this very moment there is no other country in Latin America immersed in this process, or developing a project like Mictlan,” said Guillermo Alarcón, founder and creative director of Meta Studios, the company developing the first Latin American AAA video game. The term “AAA Game” is a classification used within the video gaming industry to signify highbudget, high-profile games.
Even though the game has some indie genes, Alarcón considers Mictlan to be in a new category: “independent AAA.”
According to Alarcón, it takes between 70 and 200 people to produce an AAA-rated game in an indie studio; in a commercial studio that number can reach 400. For this AAA project one of the challenges is the lack of trained professionals because there is no a formal video game industry in Mexico.
“What we are doing at Meta Studios is planning some four years ahead. For the last two years we’ve been providing workshops, training, technical advice to our artists, programmers and technicians so they learn how to use the technological tools available, so that, by the time the project is launched (2025), they are sufficiently proficient in the use of those tools and be able to go to work on other projects or develop their own businesses,” Alarcón said. Another challenge is financing. “This kind of development requires between $10 and $20 million, and there are no investors in Latin America willing to pony-up money in multimillion dollar projects,” said Meta’s founder.
Nevertheless, in Mictlan’s case suitors came knocking at Meta’s door.
Alarcón mentioned two mayor industry players were initially interested in Mictlan: Microsoft and Sony. After evaluating both offers, Alarcón declined Microsoft’s first-party partnership proposal and signed-up with Sony Playstation Studios.
“The deal with Sony is, basically, to create a Playstation Studio in Latin America so they can position themselves as leaders on the regional market. That is to say, we become one of their studios, but we keep the copyright of Mictlan,” explained Alarcón. “For us, it is very important to keep IP (intellectual property).”
Meta Studios is now in the last phase of the negotiations with Sony, while working on different pipeline tests of the project. “If the proposed budget ($15 million) is approved we could be initiating the second and third phases of the project soon,” said the creative director.
The Game
Mictlan is an action-adventure, third-person video game set in 15th century Mexico, during the Spanish conquest. The game is set in a fantasy world heavily inspired by Mesoamerican cultures, customs, and myths.
“For whatever reasons, there is a generalized notion that national historical elements of our culture are not appreciated. Well, this video game offers the opportunity for some sort of reunion with that cultural heritage that has allegedly been forgotten,” Alarcón argued. The first challenge Alarcón had to face was how to capture that heritage in a video game without offending the country’s native peoples and their cultures, which are very much alive in modern-day Mexico.
“The idea is to create a video game that entertains, educates and doesn’t disrespect the culture by fueling-up the stereotypes surrounding Mesoamerican peoples,” said Alarcón.
In fact,
Concept art for Mictlan video game.
The idea is to create a video game that entertains, educates and doesn’t disrespect the culture by fueling-up the stereotypes surrounding Mesoamerican peoples. Guillermo Alarcón Founder and creative director of Meta Studios
