Planning & Attending Game Cons: Play on Target Podcast Ep. 6
This episode we talk about our own experiences with gaming conventions, with a focus on practical advice. We cut across several different areas- from what game conventions need to do to better serve attendees to keeping yourself sane to running events at conventions. We recorded this last year, just after I'd attended Gen Con (for one day). I've been to and run at many conventions, all in the Midwest (MichiCon, Emperor's Birthday, Historicon, Origins, and many others) but I don't do that nearly as much as I used to. All it takes is a few bad encounters with mismanaged organization to really burn me out. I've seen conventions approach these issues smartly and others be weirdly hostile to people putting on events.
But I still love the idea of conventions. When I started out in the hobby, this was the place to see new games, to try out things you could never afford to elsewhere, and to play non-stop for hours. Those many early conventions really raised the bar for what I wanted out of the hobby. The enthusiasm and patienc eof those who advocated for games in those days stays with me. I was a snot-nosed kid running around, and yet they still let me play.
Planning and Attending Gaming Conventions
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I've only been to one convention so far. Being in a small city means there is only one a year, anyhow and it's new. It was quite good, however, though my game ended up with the same group of players I normally get barring one! That one was some one rumored to be a problem player but he was entirely fine.
ReplyDeleteI'm looking forward to the next one.
This last year we had two different "Game Days" organized locally, but those were the first in several years. Luckily I'm with driving distance (a few hours) of Gen Con and Origins. Or at least I tell myself that, I'll admit that when I've gone the last few years it has been pretty much to shop rather than game.
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