Ennies Ceremony: How should nominees dress?

[PowerWordDumb]

I believed formal or semi-formal should be the order of the day: show our collective respect for the awards, to help consumers understand the prestige, and to show our respect for the nomination we received.

Granted I am both a professional computer geek and a gamer, so my world-view may be incorrigably skewed, but I've always failed to see how dressing up in some overblown monkey-suit and making yourself uncomfortable in an effort to pretend to be something you're not can be seen as "respectful" by anyone with two brain cells to rub together. This is truly not intended as a slam against people who do enjoy dressing up - by all means, indulge yourself, please - but rather against the perception that those of us who do not enjoy doing so are somehow slovenly, disreputable, or disrespectful. I would personally prefer that people represent themselves as they truly are, rather than copping an image.

Now, in the interest of full disclosure, I have recently prevailed in my decision to *NOT* wear a suit or tuxedo to my own wedding, despite much wailing and gnashing of teeth by the womenfolk in my life, so perhaps I am a touch oversensitive on the issue of forced or expected dressing-up. I am not personally in favor of dressing in slovenly or makeshift manner, but in being comfortable first and foremost while remaining presentable.

 

[BrooklynKnight]

Re: Re: Ennies Ceremony: How should nominees dress?

Granted I am both a professional computer geek and a gamer, so my world-view may be incorrigably skewed, but I've always failed to see how dressing up in some overblown monkey-suit and making yourself uncomfortable in an effort to pretend to be something you're not can be seen as "respectful" by anyone with two brain cells to rub together. This is truly not intended as a slam against people who do enjoy dressing up - by all means, indulge yourself, please - but rather against the perception that those of us who do not enjoy doing so are somehow slovenly, disreputable, or disrespectful. I would personally prefer that people represent themselves as they truly are, rather than copping an image.

Now, in the interest of full disclosure, I have recently prevailed in my decision to *NOT* wear a suit or tuxedo to my own wedding, despite much wailing and gnashing of teeth by the womenfolk in my life, so perhaps I am a touch oversensitive on the issue of forced or expected dressing-up. I am not personally in favor of dressing in slovenly or makeshift manner, but in being comfortable first and foremost while remaining presentable.

THANK YOU!

 

[Twin Rose]

Re: Re: Ennies Ceremony: How should nominees dress?

Granted I am both a professional computer geek and a gamer, so my world-view may be incorrigably skewed, but I've always failed to see how dressing up in some overblown monkey-suit and making yourself uncomfortable in an effort to pretend to be something you're not can be seen as "respectful" by anyone with two brain cells to rub together. This is truly not intended as a slam against people who do enjoy dressing up - by all means, indulge yourself, please - but rather against the perception that those of us who do not enjoy doing so are somehow slovenly, disreputable, or disrespectful. I would personally prefer that people represent themselves as they truly are, rather than copping an image.

Now, in the interest of full disclosure, I have recently prevailed in my decision to *NOT* wear a suit or tuxedo to my own wedding, despite much wailing and gnashing of teeth by the womenfolk in my life, so perhaps I am a touch oversensitive on the issue of forced or expected dressing-up. I am not personally in favor of dressing in slovenly or makeshift manner, but in being comfortable first and foremost while remaining presentable.

I respect your decision, and I certainly won't be dressing in a way that I feel will be pretentious... I won't wear a tux, for example, in large part because renting one to ship out for a week is likely to be rather expensive, especially to get it pressed the day of the awards, etc. Renting one there might prove difficult. And of course I've never worn one in my life.

In fact, I'm not entirely sure what will prove appropriate, and I definately do not want to come off amateurish or slovenly ... I won't, for example, show up in what I would for going out for guys night out with my friends.

 

[BrooklynKnight]

well, you said you might go retro
hehe

 

[Wulf Ratbane]

like an mvp getting his/her trophy, in the clothes you do the work in.

Considering that I do my best thinking in the shower, and go straight from there to the keyboard-- believe me, you don't really want to push this option.

I sometimes get up in the dead of night to spill a few ideas that are keeping me awake-- but, ahhh, same problem.


Wulf

 

[PowerWordDumb]

I would say that if you wear something you're comfortable in, and that you feel is not going to do you or your company a disservice by how you're dressed (avoid the t-shirt with the flaming pentacle and demonic orgy), then by all means go for whatever makes you happy. Gamers as a group tend not to be a very judgemental lot when it comes to clothing styles (at least, in my own limited experience), so I doubt anyone will take a dim view of your or your organization should you show up in a pair of khakis and a golf shirt.

As long as you feel good about what you're wearing, and your personality can shine through, you should be fine in anything remotely presentable. Throwing together a suit or tux may score points with the journalists or the "suits" in the crowd, but gamers themselves probably won't care one way or the other.

Probably the safest bet if in doubt is to go for business casual. It's comfortable enough to wear around all day without being either pretentious or slovenly. Yay for blandness that's unlikely to offend anybody on either end of the spectrum!

 

[BrooklynKnight]

*bump*

 

[jgbrowning]

I voted casual because I don't have any other clothes except casual clothes.

I'm also not sure who we (as a group) are trying to make a good impression upon, and for what reason. Our customers couldn't really care less about how we look or dress, they care about what we write. Our business partners don't really care about how we look or dress, they care about what we write and publish and how much our product sells.

Now the TV public may care about how we look, but why do we care what they care? They're not involved in our business, so I'm not certain why we should concern ourselves with their concerns. All they'll see is a bunch of people looking like anyone you'd see at a grocery store if we dress casual, and I'm not certain that dressing up would, in any form or fashion, contribute fiscally to the industry.

I'm not trying to be persnickity, and I understand why some people enjoy dressing up for a ceremony, but how we dress isn't going to change how professional or how respected we're viewed within and without our business community. Its only about the writing, and the appearance of the material, not the appearance of the writer/publisher.

As long as we wouldn't get arrested, I'm not sure that defining appropriate clothing should be an issue.

joe b.

 

[alsih2o]

Considering that I do my best thinking in the shower, and go straight from there to the keyboard-- believe me, you don't really want to push this option.

I sometimes get up in the dead of night to spill a few ideas that are keeping me awake-- but, ahhh, same problem.

consider my suggestion withdrawn!

 

[Teflon Billy]

I think any occasion for which you have some measure of respect (Wedding, awards ceremony, parent's birthday, anniversary etc.) means that a change in your normal, everyday dressing patterns is needed.

As for the "doesn't affect the business" argument, If one person thinks you look like a lazy clown because you didn't bother to tidy yourself up for a special event, that's one person too many (and hiding behind "I won't be judged by my appearance"--while certainly a good example of High-School level iconoclasm--is in this day and age, in this culture, incorrect. You are judged by your apperance.)

I'm not going to wear a tux, but come on! Baggy shorts, sandals w/socks and a crappy t-shirt is just a bad Idea in general. It (along with ponytail/goatee/trenchcoat/anime shirt in colder weather) is what people are talking about when they are talking about "Awful Gamer Stereotype".

You know the stereotype: the one everyone decries as having no basis in fact? That one.

Anyway. It's a free country, dress as you will.