Heading to gaming events is great because you get to play lots of games and meet lots of cool industry people. But you also get to walk away with a bunch of awesome gaming merch. Below is a summary of my WASD London 2023 Haul.
A pile of gaming treats
There’s an absolute trove of things to get through. Whilst I wasn’t on the active lookout for free stuff, I did accept pretty much anything that was handed to me. People were handing stuff out of course, and I think it would be rude to say no. Let’s start off with some of the smaller things.
Badges
Collecting badges is a genuine treat for me. They are usually quite a popular way to market something, due to their small size and relative ease of production.
This time around I got some badges advertising Hortiucular, The Entropy Centre, Bleak Sword DX, and Anger Foot. Not the most amount of badges I’ve picked up at one time but they will look great next to all the rest I have.
Stickers
Next up are the stickers. I managed to find a good amount, probably the most I’ve ever gotten at once. Highlights include ones featuring Vampire Survivors, Viewfinder, and GladiEATers. I also got a bunch of extremely shiny PlayStation Indie stickers.
Leaflets and posters
On to another staple of marketing games. Paper-based leaflets and posters! This time around I got a decent-sized poster of Park Beyond. It was only single-sided and smelt a bit funny. Was really cool though. Other, slightly smaller printed stuff included the general WASD-themed booklet and map, and some mini posters showing of GladiEATers and DC’s Justice League: Cosmic Chaos.
Random things
Some very fun things in this category! I snagged a garlic-themed stress ball from the Vampire Survivors booth, as well as a System Shock magnet. Also was handed a GladiEATers-themed keyring charm thing. This was definitely one of my favourite things out of the entire haul.
Clothes
Can’t leave a gaming event without at least one item of clothing. And this time around I got quite a few. These included a Vampire Survivors pixel art one, as well as a Peaky Blinders t-shirt. I also treated myself to a WASD baseball cap. Not a bad purchase for £12. There are a few other things, but I mention them a bit further down this article.
Neonhive goodie bag
This goodie bag was given to me when I entered the exclusive NeonHive Content Creator space. This was a decked-out section of the event solely for people who signed up for entry to it. It was free but had certain criteria attached to it. There were only 150 bags available too so they were handed out on a first-come-first-serve basis.
Inside was a Fallout-themed Pip-Boy mask, a Fallout 76 soundtrack CD, two pins, a beanie hat, a sheet of NeonHive-themed stickers and ANOTHER Vampire Survivors garlic stress ball. Nice!
Peaky Blinders prize bag
Lastly, I won this Peaky Blinders prize bag in a competition that I entered on a whim. Now that’s a decent amount of luck right there!
In this beast of a bag, there was another t-shirt, a themed flat cap, and some postcards. It also included a souvenir newspaper and beer mat. Random! There was also a three-disc vinyl set, which was genuinely amazing. Will be a fine addition to my vinyl collection.
Overall, a pretty epic array of items to add to my collection. Can’t wait for the inevitable WASD London 2023 Haul! If you want to check out my going more in-depth into what I got, check out the below video!
