As you may have seen last time, I’ve been to DoKomi recently, the biggest anime convention we have here in Germany. And today, I thought I’ll talk a tiny bit more about it. Because, as I have mentioned in last week’s post, I’d really like to attend it myself as an exhibitor in the future, not just a mere visitor! And thanks to Jun, I already got a tiny glimpse at what that’s like, as she so graciously allowed me to spend all three days with her on the other side of her booth!
As you can see, she was participating as a merch artist in the artist alley, but she didn’t pass up the opportunity to also promote her newly released visual novel Neko No Sentouki:
Of course, before I could actually apply for a booth myself, I’d need a portfolio. A good amount of fanart of popular series that I could turn into sellable merch (because, let’s be honest, no one is gonna give a damn about my own stuff at the moment, ahahah). And you may remember my forays into that endeavor from the end of last year, when I experimented a bit with some Zenless Zone Zero fanart I had drawn and turned into acrylic standees. Naturally, going that route would be a ton of work, but… it’s not the only option!
There was also an entire hall dedicated to gaming at DoKomi, with a little indie area. I had initially considered applying for a booth there, but they sadly had an age restriction and only allowed games rated USK 12 or under to be showcased there. And with both SHINRAI and GENBA being USK 16… I kinda had to give up on that. Or had I…?
Fellow developer DerTomatenToaster from the Mystery Gamedev Community actually did apply and also managed to snatch a display spot for her sci-fi mystery visual novel Anamnesia!
I had a chance to drop by her as well and talk for a little, which was super interesting! Apparently, no one really verified the whole age rating thing, so now I wonder… if I could’ve registered SHINRAI and GENBA after all… though, in the end, I’m happy with how things turned out, as I had a fun time with Jun and getting an in-depth look at the management of her booth. And there is, of course, always next year! If you’re curious yourself about the Creative Games Area, click that very link to find out how the registration process works and keep an eye on it for 2026! I know I will!
Anyway, whether it’s there or in the artist alley, attending DoKomi myself at least once in my life is one of my big goals for the future, though maybe I should try starting out with a smaller con first, haha.
But that about wraps up my mini report. If you want to see a little bit more, you can check out my private Instagram account where I’ve posted some more pictures. You’ll even find some from previous DoKomi‘s there!
Now, as always, please enjoy the rest of your weekend and, until next Saturday, take care! :3
