by Andrea Crane
AVCon is a big-time anime and games festival that takes place yearly in Adelaide. The organisers of the event took a big step into the world of blockchain gaming in this year’s edition by including a special booth for all things crypto and blockchain gaming.
This was a first for this event, and a bold new direction for the popular convention. While it still featured familiar highlights that guests were used to, it now included an opportunity for attendees to explore the intersection between the world of gaming and digital assets for the first time.
AVCon 2025 was the biggest one yet. The event was held between 5 and 6 July 2025, at the Adelaide Showground and expanded across the two pavilions at the event center (Jubilee and Wayville Pavilions). This article highlights the key aspects of this event, focusing on the integration of blockchain technology and crypto-based gaming.
AVCon Overview
AVCon is an anime and video games festival held annually in Adelaide, Australia. This community-based event celebrates the world of anime, gaming, cosplay, and pop culture in general.
AVCon was Australia’s first ever video games convention and is regarded as the largest combined anime and gaming festival in the entire Southern Hemisphere. The convention also takes pride in being Adelaide’s premier anime and gaming festival. AVCon is run by a 100% volunteer and not-for-profit group.
Every year, the event showcases the best in the world of anime and gaming, featuring Anime screening rooms and Manga libraries for guests. A major part of the show is the endless sea of cosplayers. People attend AVCon dressed as their favourite anime and video game characters. Guests at the event also get to participate in all kinds of gaming tournaments and cosplay competitions, while attending a wide range of industry and community-based panels and crypto casino and blockchain games booth workshops.
AVCon 2025 Highlights
After 23 years of yearly festivities, AVCon 2025 was the biggest and nerdiest one yet in the history of the festival. The event brought together Australia’s gaming community for two days of unlimited community-based fun and entertainment.
AVCon 2025 took place at the Adelaide Showground, filling up two big pavilions (Jubilee and Wayville Pavilions). This shows just how massive the event has become. Guests got to dress up and see other people cosplay their favourite anime characters. They also got to participate in contests, play games and enjoy other cool nerdy stuff that the event has become associated with.
First-Ever Crypto Casino and Blockchain Games Booth
Australia has a rich gaming culture and a diverse gaming community. Many Australians enjoy their instant payout pokies for the quick access to winnings they offer. There is also growing openness to other game formats, including table games, live dealer experiences, crash games, and more.
Crypto casino and blockchain gaming is one of the emerging niches that has been gaining significant traction in recent years, both locally and internationally. For the first time ever, the organisers of AVCon decided to incorporate elements of this budding sector into the event lineup, with the addition of a special booth dedicated to this fast-growing segment of the gaming industry.
Here, guests curious about the world of cryptocurrency and blockchain gaming got to learn about and experience the complex inner workings of crypto casinos and the underlying blockchain technology that makes it possible. Highlights included interactive demonstrations and presentation of the latest blockchain-powered games.
Visitors also got to learn about in-game economics, particularly cryptocurrency and Non-Fungible Tokens (NFTs), with the potential to offer players true ownership of in-game assets. The interactive hub was also a platform for local and international blockchain game developers and enthusiasts to connect, network, and discuss the future of this rapidly evolving niche of the Australian gaming industry.
Why Is This Important
AVCon’s decision to feature a dedicated crypto casino and blockchain games booth has several implications for the industry. The move positions the Adelaide Festival as a leader in embracing innovation and cutting-edge entertainment.
It is a well-timed one too, as it comes at a time when blockchain is starting to take hold in the gaming world. In 2025, crypto and blockchain tech are no longer fringe ideas in the gaming world. The stats show that crypto transactions now make up a quarter of payments made in online casinos, up from just one sixth in 2023.
In addition to its impact on iGaming, developers are also starting to explore the possibilities of decentralised gaming experiences. AVCon organisers were aware of this ongoing revolution in the gaming landscape and decided to leverage this. For this year’s convention, the focus is on education and demonstration in order to foster a deeper understanding of how this technology could impact the industry.
The interactive blockchain hub gave guests a chance to learn more about how gaming and blockchain technology go hand in hand. Here, seasoned crypto enthusiasts and curious newcomers had a rare shot at seeing all the impressive things this technology could do and how it’ll likely shape the future of the gaming industry.
Other Highlights of the Event
While there were a number of new introductions like the addition of a blockchain and crypto gaming booth, AVCon still featured many of the regular highlights that visitors have come to love and enjoy. They include:
A Console Freeplay Arena
Guests at the event were treated to unlimited gaming entertainment at the Console Freeplay Arena. Here, they could sink their teeth into the latest games, including:
- PS5
- Xbox Series X
- Nintendo Switch 2 and several others
Game lovers looking to smash buttons to their heart’s content could do so at the event’s free-play arena.
Indie Games Room
The Indie Games Room (IGR) was a vibrant showcase of some of the best and brightest budding game developers in Australia’s gaming industry. Here, guests got to explore a lineup of locally developed games and chat with the brains behind these fresh ideas. It was also a unique opportunity to test out these new game builds and discover some fresh gems before they went mainstream.
Retro Gaming Museum
Gaming enthusiasts interested in taking a trip down memory lane were treated to a feast of old-school games from their childhood in the retro gaming rooms.
Panels and Workshops
As always, AVCon was a festival of nerdy wisdom where guests were treated to creative panels and workshops covering a wide range of industry-related topics for game developers, artists, content creators, or simple fans. Some of the highlights this year include:
- Live podcast recordings
- Writing workshops
- Q&A sessions
- Art and game development tutorials
What’s Next for Crypto Casinos and Blockchain Gaming at AVCon
Crypto and blockchain technology will continue to contribute to advancements in the casino and video gaming niche in the near and distant future. AVCon’s decision to feature Crypto and Blockchain in this year’s showcase is a significant step in the right direction.
Based on the level of engagement and feedback from this year’s event, it is likely that AVCon will continue to feature this technology in future editions. 2026 and future iterations of this convention may even incorporate it better into the event lineup through other methods, such as workshops and panel sessions.
Conclusion
AVCon is without doubt one of the biggest events of the year, with a resounding shout out to games, anime, art, and pop culture. The addition of crypto and blockchain to the event highlights adds yet another layer to a gaming culture showcase that is already fully packed for guests. It shows people who run this event are forward-thinking and willing to embrace emerging trends within the entertainment landscape.
Main image (source: Freepik)
