The pop culture fan event WonderCon returns to Anaheim this week and once again it will boast a strong connection to San Diego.
The event will be Friday through Sunday at the Anaheim Convention Center. It is run by the same organization that organizes the much-larger, well-known Comic-Con International, which will be held later this summer in San Diego.
Because it’s a smaller event, WonderCon provides fans and attendees with a friendlier and less-hurried pace than the massive Comic-Con, which sprawls throughout downtown San Diego.
For San Diegans like Chris Garcia, it has become a routine to attend WonderCon before the big summer convention.
“I love how WonderCon has the old-school Comic-Con feel of the ‘90s with a focus on comics and creators,” said Garcia. “There’s a more intimate feeling when attending WonderCon.”
Garcia, an education technology coordinator for the San Diego County Office of Education, is moderating a Friday evening panel, “Esports and Emotional Intelligence: How Gaming Can Boost Your SEL Skills.”
The panel features Minhtuyen Mai, a program manager with the Center for Research on Educational Equity, Assessment and Teaching Excellence at University of California, San Diego, and Roel Mislan, Esports Coordinator and Technology Manager at Feaster Charter School in Chula Vista. They will discuss the connection between esports and social/emotional intelligence, particularly in K–12 schools.
Garcia said the panel will focus on how video gaming goes beyond fun and helps students develop important social and emotional skills. Attendees will learn how gaming experiences can teach empathy, resilience, and better communication.
This will be his third panel presentation at WonderCon. He’s done four at Comic-Con.
“I love being a regular guest,” Garcia said. “It allows me to stay in the current of pop culture and also stay on the cutting edge of what educational practices influence pop culture and science fiction.”
Garcia’s panel is not the only program featuring San Diegans. On Saturday, the founder of the Alpine-based Lions, Tigers & Bears animal sanctuary will talk about Hollywood’s use of live, trained animals for film and video game development. Bobbi Brink, along with filmmakers and animal rights activists, will also explore the dark history of Hollywood’s abuse of animals.
In addition, there will be a presentation on the use of comics in the classroom by various San Diego-area educators. And, officials with the Comic-Con Museum in Balboa Park will be seeking input on how to make education programs more accessible, more representative, and more responsive to community needs.
Information and tickets for WonderCon are available online at www.comic-con.org.