Gen Con Is Going Ahead

Gen Con -- one of the world's biggest tabletop gaming conventions -- has announced that is will be going ahead this year from September 16th-19th. There will be three ‘formats’ including the live event.

Gen Con | Gen Con Postpones 2021 Convention to September

The Best Four Days in Gaming

www.gencon.com

UK Games Expo is still planning on running at the end of July with restricted space and hotel availability (the UK vaccine program is currently predicting that as the goal to get everybody vaccinated).

 PRESS RELEASE

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A Message from Gen Con’s Co-Owner and Chairperson of the Board

Friends, it’s been a long year. I know you’ve been wondering what will happen with Gen Con this year, and I can tell you that we all share that feeling. Today, we’re excited to announce our plan of action.

We are moving Gen Con 2021 to September 16-19, and holding it as a combination of three concurrent events: our in-person convention in Indianapolis with a lower attendance cap, a robust schedule of livestreaming and online gaming through Gen Con Online, and local events at games stores through Pop-Up Gen Con.

This is the plan. Based on guidance from the CDC, recent announcements by the federal government, and the projections of public-health experts, we believe there is significant cause for optimism for a mid-September convention to be held with reduced attendance and some smart modifications. If that changes and the experts tell us we need to shift course, then the plan will change.

We want to give you options so you can choose how to participate in Gen Con this year, be it in Indianapolis, at your Friendly Local Game Store, or at home from your favorite chair. If you have a badge now but don’t feel comfortable attending in person, I totally understand. You can either roll your badge forward to next year with a price-lock guarantee or get a refund in dollars or system credit.

Dates for badge, hotel, and event registration will be announced soon once we can nail down some additional details, so stay tuned to our newsletter and social media accounts to keep up on the latest news.

Those of you who have been with us for many years know that attending Gen Con means witnessing gaming history. When we gather for The Best Four Days in Gaming™, we share in a peak experience that sets the tone for trends in game development and creates a bright light of passion that we carry back to our gaming groups and communities across the U.S. and the world. When we look back, we can see how far we’ve come, and as we look forward, we’re ready for the next adventure.

After the success of Gen Con Online last year, we know that the magic feeling of Gen Con can translate to a virtual format. It’s not a substitute for the in-person experience, but rather an extension of it. Just as many of us have learned how to run our RPG games over video chat or play board games on one of the incredible virtual tabletop platforms that have been developed, we’re learning how to adapt the convention experience to flexible conditions.

Gaming is changing, and so are we. This will be a Gen Con unlike any other, and the way we emerge from this period of tragedy will carry us into a new future for Gen Con and the hobby we share and love.

After so many months of uncertainty, I remain hopeful about the future. I’m excited to get vaccinated, travel to Indianapolis, and stand once more upon the hallowed grounds of the Indiana Convention Center for a celebration of the games and culture that bring us together.

I hope you’ll join me.

- Peter Adkison

Kelsey Danger, Gen Con's community manager says --

"Hey fam,

Thanks for being patient with us (and me!) while we worked through thousands of replies, talked to our partners, and to health officials. Here's what's happening:
We're announcing new dates later in the year -- September 16th to 19th. We still don't have dates for badge reg and hotel reg, but we will soon.

We are moving forward with a multi-format Gen Con this year so you can choose the way for you and your family to safely participate. We will have Gen Con Indy with a reduced attendance cap, we will have Gen Con Online with lots of events for digital play, and we are bringing back Pop-Up Gen Con so you can participate at your local game store too. You can find out full statement, along with a personal message from Peter, attached.

Our new help desk has a lot of answers to questions you might have, so I would check there first: [link]

But I would like to emphasize two points to y'all:

1. There are absolutely chances that things may change depending on the state of health and safety. Planning a convention takes a lot of time, so if there's any chance of us having Gen Con Indy, we have to plan now even if there's a chance that things may change later. Definitely keep checking in to our website to see what the latest is.

2. The reason why we're offering so many formats is we want you to choose your comfort and safety level and still be able to participate. This year -- like last year -- is going to be wild and different, and if I'm being honest, I'm really excited about the ways we are going to be able to connect and play with each other despite all the boundaries we have. Choose the format that's best for you and yours -- no matter what you choose, it'll be a good time.

Finally, please remember: be kind to each other, be empathetic of each other's choices and lives, and take a couple deep breaths. This is going to be an emotional time for a lot of us! I'll be here to answer your questions, your concerns, and your criticisms, but I will not tolerate unkindness and cruelty.

I love y'all, and I am excited to see you soon."

 

[Whizbang Dustyboots]

Yeah, treating the virus as a binary -- you're dead or fine -- is leaving out the roughly 10% of people who have longterm consequences, including all the ones listed above by @Dragonsbane777 (and I'm very sorry to hear you're going through all of that) but also potentially lifelong cognitive issues. Anyone unaware of these issues should Google "long-haul COVID."

The big dangers I see for conventions are two-fold:

First, the virus is mutating rapidly. I wouldn't want to be in the convention business right now, in case, say, an Australia variant crops up in July (southern hemisphere winter, when everyone's more likely to be inside, sharing heavy viral loads with each other) which then jumps to American shores in August. We hope that the current vaccines can protect us or that they can be updated quickly enough to fight off new variants, as is done with the flu vaccine each year. But no one actually knows yet.

Second, depending on the convention or conference, a lot of people prefer virtual ones. I've done two work-related conferences during the pandemic, and they're decidedly better when they can be slotted into my schedule without worrying about hotels, airfare, travel time, etc. A few weeks ago, I started my day "at" a very productive and worthwhile work conference, was able to help keep my kid on track in virtual school, did my work in the afternoon and "attended" a concert that night. I don't know that most conferences are worth traveling to in the future, unless they're in an amazing location or there are features, like a job fair, that I can't do online. (But at one of those conferences this year, I attended a virtual job fair and it was incredibly convenient and I got a job offer out of it.)

Like I said earlier, I really enjoyed GenCon Online. I don't know that I would get much more out of it going in person. I've gone to more than a dozen San Diego Comic-Cons, and I may be over crowding into a large room with 100,000 strangers, recycled air or no recycled air. I'll take being able to sign up for multiple games, see panels and still be able to use a clean bathroom and not have to pay $9 for a stale pretzel.

I hope GenCon and other conventions are able to continue to operate in this new environment, but I think the market's not going to go back to exactly how it was again for them any more than it will for movie theaters.

 

[TrainedMunkee]

Hey, sometimes you don't die. For me, after COVID in May 2020, I have permanent heart issues, I can't drink coffee, I can't exert myself in any meaningful way without my blood pressure going sky high, and two trips to the hospital cost me 10k in bills. I can barely mow the lawn, and I used to be the workhorse of the house. All because of anti-mask idiocy I would bet down here in South Florida. Celebrate ignorance!

I am in the same boat. I was running at least 3 miles a day pre COVID. Doctors say I probably won't run again, my heart can't take it. I have never had heart issues. BTW, I can't feel my legs also. COVID has caused lesions on my spine, so I might lose my ability to walk also. I have had many friends that have died from it. So take your ignorance and cra* else where.

I will be going to Gen Con. My wife and I rolled our tickets to this year. We have both had the virus. We have both been vaccinated. We will wear masks while there, depending on where the infection rate is at. We do this to protect others. That is what you do when you care for others and aren't ignorant.

 

[Emerikol]

I am in the same boat. I was running at least 3 miles a day pre COVID. Doctors say I probably won't run again, my heart can't take it. I have never had heart issues. BTW, I can't feel my legs also. COVID has caused lesions on my spine, so I might lose my ability to walk also. I have had many friends that have died from it. So take your ignorance and cra* else where.

I will be going to Gen Con. My wife and I rolled our tickets to this year. We have both had the virus. We have both been vaccinated. We will wear masks while there, depending on where the infection rate is at. We do this to protect others. That is what you do when you care for others and aren't ignorant.

I liked your approach NOT that you are suffering from having had COVID. You have my sympathy and I will say a prayer for a better recovery for you.

 

[darjr]

I have had friends die. All under 50. The best of us! My son got COVID from work, my wife and I from him soon after. We managed to keep my Mom from getting it while we suffered. My resting heart rate was in the low 40s before, now I’m lucky if it’s in the 50s. My sleep became so terrible after that I gave up caffeine to sleep again.

there are idiots everywhere, pay attention and try to avoid their stupid advice.

 

[Sacrosanct]

I'd love to go, but I just ain't gonna risk it. Not just because of me, but I don't know how I would live with myself if I gave it to someone else and they suffered greatly because of it.

 

[embee]

I am in the same boat. I was running at least 3 miles a day pre COVID. Doctors say I probably won't run again, my heart can't take it. I have never had heart issues. BTW, I can't feel my legs also. COVID has caused lesions on my spine, so I might lose my ability to walk also. I have had many friends that have died from it. So take your ignorance and cra* else where.

I will be going to Gen Con. My wife and I rolled our tickets to this year. We have both had the virus. We have both been vaccinated. We will wear masks while there, depending on where the infection rate is at. We do this to protect others. That is what you do when you care for others and aren't ignorant.

THIS!

Every word of this!

 

[Umbran]

The big dangers I see for conventions are two-fold:

First, the virus is mutating rapidly.

Insofar as there are variants cropping up that we may have to deal with yes. But, I want to inject a bit of science here....

SARS-COV-2 actually mutates slowly, as these things go. However, the rate at which we see new variants in the human population is roughly proportional to the number of people infected with the virus. Basically, each person who has it is a chance at a new variant of concern. So, when you've had 121 million people with the disease, there have been a lot of chances, so there's a few variants that have arisen.

I raise this as a note to remind folks that the presence of a new vaccine is great... so long as we keep the number of cases DOWN until everyone is vaccinated. If we slack off now, before the vaccine's in the population, we greatly enhance the likelihood of a variant the vaccine doesn't cover, and we go through the mess again. If we hold the number of cases down until after the vaccine's administered throughout the population, we prevent the rise of new variants.

I know I am largely preaching to the choir, here, but it bore saying, just in case someone needed to know why we have to worry so much even with the vaccine starting to become available.

 

[Kor - Orc Scrollkeeper]

At first I was sort of surprised to receive GenCon's e-mail that they are going ahead for 2021, but I believe they have clearly communicated that they are taking a cautious and medically informed approach, so I wish them all the best.

Unfortunately there are many states which have continuously ignored the medical advise of well established world-wide medical experts, and accompanied with messaging that had previously come from senior government leaders which downplayed the seriousness of this disease, I can certainly understand why this has fostered an environment where many people are ill-informed of the potential serious effects of this disease.

I realize that spending another summer home and social distancing is not high on anyone's list, but it is sort of necessary if we want to get a handle on this pandemic, and prevent the damaging impact of further infection waves. By August/September 2021 I think we will have a better idea of how the various new strains of COVID 19 are impacting attempts to control the spread of this disease, and as well how effective the various vaccines are against these new threats.

While the young and healthy continue to show better resilience against COVID 19, it is selfish and irresponsible for these people to focus solely on their own strength and ability to fight off the disease, and to not think about the amount of people they may pass it onto, prior to learning that they have contracted the disease.

At GenCon, I see so many people that play hard and long all day (and night), sacrificing proper eating and sleeping -- 2 factors that can compromise a person's immunity system. Add into that, the crowding of people into rooms and hallways for extended periods and you have a perfect formula for a super-spreader event. However, I am confident that the GenCon team is well aware of this and with proper precautions taken, and by limiting attendance to those that have been vaccinated, I think they may be able to run a successful convention, albeit with less people in attendance.

Good luck GenCon team, and I am looking forward to visit in 2022.

 

[Dimbyd]

I’d just like to point out that the over 75s deserve a long and healthy life-too many commentators out thers seem to hate their grandparents/ parents by attaching little value to their lives.

 

[Olaf the Stout]

Int is clearly this one's RL dump stat.

I think I will keep on taking my medical advice from my doctors.

I don’t know. Probably a tie with Wis and Cha.