For those who are concerned, we are not “out to get” Final Fantasy, Kingdom Hearts, Dir en Grey, Pirate, Steam Punk, Gothic Lolita, Halo III, Harry Potter, furry, or any other costumers.
We are an anime con, and we want to give anime the focus. Video Game cosplays are far and away more popular these days, and anime cosplayers rarely get any attention (unless they are from FMA, Naruto, or pull off an awesome Ryuk). By discouraging video game cosplays we A) allow anime cosplayers to get the attention a lot of them deserve and are lacking, and B) give cosplayers new territory to explore that they might not have otherwise. Since it's easier to render ornate costumes in a game than it is to draw in an anime, video game designs often make more challenging and interesting cosplays, so many cosplayers (including those who have never played the games) attempt them. Our policy forces alternatives.
Secondly, a lot of self proclaimed otaku these days don't actually watch anime. They get into the culture online, play some games, shop at hot topic, and download J-pop. We do not hate these people. A lot of them are very cool, and are just like us when we got into fandom. However, here at Anime Punch we LOVE anime, and so by encouraging people to find an anime to cosplay from, we are also encouraging people to expand their media horizons and to watch new shows that they wouldn't have seen before.
Note: Final Fantasy 7: Last Order, while an anime, will not be permitted to be used as a cop-out to circumvent the no-videogame policy.

With two other conventions in Columbus, and many more in Ohio, we know you have a lot of opportunities to cosplay and to explore your other related interests, and this allows us to focus ourselves more directly on anime, without having to feel the need to include all areas of fandom.

We work hard every year to create a unique and quality event for fans of Japanese animation. We humbly request that you respect our wishes, and choose to dress from an anime at Anime Punch, whether you enter the contest or not. Together we can build a terrific anime convention, and give a home to all the anime fans in the West!

All that being said, so long as you are not entering the competition, or in violation of local decency laws, there will be no consequence for disregarding our requests and dressing from a video game or anything else for that matter. Additionally, we will not tolerate any harassment for any reasons, so if someone is giving you a hard time, please report it to Con-Ops immediately.