Tezal-Con: Troy student brings video game convention to Montgomery
It's been about five years since Montgomery had a real gathering of geekery, fantasy and imagination. That ends on Saturday and Sunday, Feb. 8-9, thanks to the dream of a Troy University student.
Tezal-Con is a new-to-Montgomery all-ages video game convention created by Chad Leuci, an Enterprise native who grew up around Dothan. It's hosted by Leuci's video game development studio TezalCo.
The convention is at the DoubleTree by Hilton Hotel in downtown, 120 Madison Ave., and the set up is going to be very similar to a comic book convention, with games, panel discussions, an artist alley, cosplay, vendors and more. You'll even find comic books among the game-related offerings.
More: Game on! Tezal-Con bringing video game haven to Montgomery in 2025
Tezal-Con will be Saturday, Feb. 8, from noon to 8 p.m., and admission that day is $15. It will continue Sunday, Feb. 9, from noon to 6 p.m., and admission is $12. Combo tickets for both days are $18. Ages 4 and under are admitted free. Tickets will be available at the door, but you can also get them online at tezalcon.net.
Special guests for Tezal-Con include:
John Anderson — Actor from Birmingham who has had roles in films like "Black Panther," "Spider-Man: Homecoming," and "Guardians of the Galaxy," and also in Netflix's "Stranger Things."
Bob McGough — Montgomery's own author of the redneck wizard book series "Jubal County Saga," who is an indie tabletop game designer and hosts the Books, Beers, Booze podcast, will be there. McGough is also with the Hilltop Howlers, a group that promotes area music, arts, culture and business.
Jordan Walters — From Auburn, Walters is a voice actor for video games like cartonfall, Boti: Byteland over Clocked, and anime like Migi and Dali.
Jesse Hawford — A video game and webcomic voice actor for characters like Sutoro from the "Froot Basket Series," Brody from the Minecraft series Skyrunners, and more.
Ash and Jason West — Cosplay winners of Dragon Con's 2024 Video Game Best in Show Award.
Shawn Hatfield — Longtime actor and cosplayer, known as the "East TN Iron Man."
"I feel like Montgomery is very hungry for that kind of content," McGough said. "It's kind of been a long time coming, and I'm excited to guest."
McGough, who may be wearing a mullet wig from his wizard book character Howard Marsh, will be teaching two panels: writing for games and how to get published.
"I'm looking forward to hopefully helping to mentor some folks," McGough said.
Leuci is the event coordinator and said he would like Tezal-Con to become an annual Montgomery event. He said this year's results will have a lot to do with that possibility. A big factor is how he funds the convention.
"Besides the gracious sponsors that we have, I fund this event completely out of pocket," said Leuci, who is also paying tuition. The Troy student is majoring in computer science, with a minor in graphic design.
"Our ability to keep doing this for the River Region and for the city of Montgomery really depends on how this year goes," said Leuci, who like many gamers sees video games as an art form.
Of course, organizing a show like this requires a group of trusted coordinators. Leuci said that ncludes volunteer coordinator Alexander Ortiz Jr., an Army MP, who is flying in from New York to help. Jackson Myers the vendor coordinator, is also in the Army. The other coordiators are Tavaras Koonce for sponsorships, Lindee Kapes on social media, and Shane Adkison for eSports.
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When guests walk in to DoubleTree, Leuci said they'll see an arcade, sponsor tables and the ticket booth, where they can buy admission or check in if they've pre-ordered tickets.
That's also where guests who arrive in cosplay will have their props examined. Real weapons aren't allowed. Props that pass inspection will be tagged with a zip tie, Leuci said
"From there, they'll probably head downstairs to our main event," Leuci said. "Down there will be the panel room and the main event floor with all the vendors."
Try your hand at the console arcade, run by Wiregrass Smash Bros. League.
"They are bringing a lot of their own systems to run our freeplay console arcade," Leuci said. "The arcade is free to all attendees who have a wristband, who have paid to enter the show."
K-Prodigy, formerly kpop.alabama, is an Asian musical and cultural group that will bring the culture of Korean Pop and other forms of Asian culture to Montgomery.
"We just confirmed a video game truck (MRE Arcade) that will be out in the outdoor seating area," Leuci said.
More: Things to do around Montgomery for Feb. 6-12
Both days of Tezal-Con will feature a cosplay competition, one day for adults and one for kids. Leuci is a cosplayer himself, and is looking forward to seeing the outfits Tezal-Con guests have made. The contests will be judged by celebrity cosplayers Ash and Jason West, and Shawn Hatfield.
"Our vendor floor is pretty packed," Leuci said. "We've got a few video game developers coming to showcase their games."
The hotel's cash bar will be available for the 21-and-up crowd. "We're working with them to get video game themed drinks up on the menu," Leuci said.
More: Birmingham Bulls hockey team plan broomball with young fans at Montgomery Whitewater
Leuci created Tezal-Con to bring more video game representation to Alabama and the South in general.
While this is a first for Montgomery, Leuci has put it on twice before in Daleville, just outside of Dothan. He's hoping to see a lot of guests from those shows at the Montgomery one, especially the impressive cosplayers.
"They were very kind to us, and I appreciate how much they helped us get this show off the ground," Leuci said.
Montgomery Advertiser reporter Shannon Heupel covers things to do in the River Region. Contact him at sheupel@gannett.com.
This article originally appeared on Montgomery Advertiser: Tezal-Con: Troy student brings video game convention to Montgomery
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