Editing Gen Con (section)

=== MECCA ===
In 1985, Gen Con moved to the [[UW–Milwaukee Panther Arena|Milwaukee Exposition & Convention Center & Arena]] (MECCA) in [[Milwaukee]],<ref name="Miller2002" /> due to a need for more space.<ref name="history" /> After the move, attendance steadily rose from 5,000 to a peak of 30,000 in 1995, making Gen Con the premier event in the role-playing game industry.<ref name="1985 attendance" /><ref name="Pyramid #17" /> In 1992, Gen Con broke every previous attendance record for game conventions in the United States, with more than 18,000 people.<ref name="history" />  Gen Con briefly joined with its primary competitor, the [[Origins Game Fair]],<ref name="history" /> and the two were run as a single convention in 1988. [[Wizards of the Coast]] debuted ''[[Magic: The Gathering]]'' at Gen Con in August 1993; the game proved extremely popular, selling out its supply of 2.5 million cards, which had been scheduled to last until the end of the year.<ref name="GIG" /> The ensuing collectible card game craze has been credited with generating the extra attendance that produced the 1995 record.<ref name="blackknight" />