Origins, the third or fourth largest tabletop gaming convention in the world, was postponed earlier this year due to the pandemic; in its place an online convention, Origins Online, was planned. This has now been cancelled.
The convention is organized by GAMA (the Game Manufacturer's Association), and was cancelled after many companies and individuals pulled out (see the twitter thread by boardgames designer Elizabeth Hargrave), with the organization's lack of support for the Black Lives Matter said to be the cause.
GAMA released a statement last night, in which it affirmed its support for BLM, and offered to refund companies and attendees for the event (or to match the fees as a donation to one of several charities).
Statement from the GAMA Board of Directors:
To Our Community:
The Game Manufacturers Association believes that Black Lives Matter. We unequivocally condemn racism and violence against people of color. We have been too late in making that statement with force, and we apologize. The injustices of today demand that every person of good conscience make clear where they stand and we wish we had been more proactive, more strident, and more effective with our voices. Innocent people of color are being killed in the streets of the communities where we live, and it is not acceptable.
We cannot responsibly hold our virtual convention, Origins Online, in this setting. Even if it were possible to hold it, it would not be appropriate to do so. So, we are announcing here that Origins Online is cancelled.
The Board must voice its loud thanks to those who worked enormously hard to assemble Origins Online in a completely inadequate window of time. GAMA’s staff worked miracles, publishers hurried to learn new tools, fans took a chance to buy tickets. We could not be more grateful for their efforts, which we see and will not forget.
Every exhibitor, sponsor, and advertiser will be offered a full refund, as will every gamer who purchased a badge.
GAMA will match, dollar for dollar, any exhibitor, sponsor, advertiser, or vendor who donates the amounts they are owed for Origins Online to one of the organizations listed below. It is difficult to predict how many will take this opportunity, but the potential exists for the matched amounts to exceed $100,000, which we wholeheartedly hope will happen. The Board sees this as the next step, but not the final step, in the Association’s journey.
Further details will be sent to these companies by email in the coming days.
The Board thanks every person whose voice reached us in recent hours and days. It is hard, we know, for those voices to speak when they have so much at stake. We are grateful for your persistence, eloquence, and will.
GAMA’s vision statement is “A game on every table, a table for every gamer.” We commit to working toward that day.
In service,
GAMA’s Board of Directors, and Retail Division Board
UPDATE -- one day later, the postponed Origins Game Fair itself has now been cancelled too. This due to the pandemic -- "Based on the information we are receiving on the likelihood of a second wave of the COVID pandemic this fall and uncertainty around Ohio’s mass gathering restrictions for festivals, fairs and events like ours we have made the difficult decision to also cancel the October Origins show. We regret the timing of the decision but believe that is better to provide as much notice to exhibitors, event planners and attendees to adjust their schedules and plans for the rest of the year."
The convention is organized by GAMA (the Game Manufacturer's Association), and was cancelled after many companies and individuals pulled out (see the twitter thread by boardgames designer Elizabeth Hargrave), with the organization's lack of support for the Black Lives Matter said to be the cause.
GAMA released a statement last night, in which it affirmed its support for BLM, and offered to refund companies and attendees for the event (or to match the fees as a donation to one of several charities).
PRESS RELEASE
Statement from the GAMA Board of Directors:
To Our Community:
The Game Manufacturers Association believes that Black Lives Matter. We unequivocally condemn racism and violence against people of color. We have been too late in making that statement with force, and we apologize. The injustices of today demand that every person of good conscience make clear where they stand and we wish we had been more proactive, more strident, and more effective with our voices. Innocent people of color are being killed in the streets of the communities where we live, and it is not acceptable.
We cannot responsibly hold our virtual convention, Origins Online, in this setting. Even if it were possible to hold it, it would not be appropriate to do so. So, we are announcing here that Origins Online is cancelled.
The Board must voice its loud thanks to those who worked enormously hard to assemble Origins Online in a completely inadequate window of time. GAMA’s staff worked miracles, publishers hurried to learn new tools, fans took a chance to buy tickets. We could not be more grateful for their efforts, which we see and will not forget.
Every exhibitor, sponsor, and advertiser will be offered a full refund, as will every gamer who purchased a badge.
GAMA will match, dollar for dollar, any exhibitor, sponsor, advertiser, or vendor who donates the amounts they are owed for Origins Online to one of the organizations listed below. It is difficult to predict how many will take this opportunity, but the potential exists for the matched amounts to exceed $100,000, which we wholeheartedly hope will happen. The Board sees this as the next step, but not the final step, in the Association’s journey.
- Black Lives Matter Global Network
- Black Trans Advocacy Coalition
- Columbus Freedom Fund
- The Community Justice Exchange
- The Innocence Project
- NAACP
Further details will be sent to these companies by email in the coming days.
The Board thanks every person whose voice reached us in recent hours and days. It is hard, we know, for those voices to speak when they have so much at stake. We are grateful for your persistence, eloquence, and will.
GAMA’s vision statement is “A game on every table, a table for every gamer.” We commit to working toward that day.
In service,
GAMA’s Board of Directors, and Retail Division Board
UPDATE -- one day later, the postponed Origins Game Fair itself has now been cancelled too. This due to the pandemic -- "Based on the information we are receiving on the likelihood of a second wave of the COVID pandemic this fall and uncertainty around Ohio’s mass gathering restrictions for festivals, fairs and events like ours we have made the difficult decision to also cancel the October Origins show. We regret the timing of the decision but believe that is better to provide as much notice to exhibitors, event planners and attendees to adjust their schedules and plans for the rest of the year."
