How Much Does Attending GenCon Cost?

[ssampier]

$750-$1000 is about the right cost. Comparable to going to DisneyWorld actually.

Thanks for putting that in perpective.

 

[Vrecknidj]

My room cost about $800, but I had other people chipping in (I spent $400). Dinners cost a bit, gas wasn't cheap this year, and there were obligatory purchases of dice.

All told, I'm seeing the $750 to $1,000 figure as good.

It can be done on a lot less. I've managed a four-day GenCon trip on under $200 before. Of course, I ate nothing but peanuts from Friday to Sunday (really), and drank only water from fountains, and didn't buy any new toys--but it can be done.

Dave

 

[Odhanan]

That's not cheap indeed. And that's without buying stuff at the con, right?

But honestly, from all I see you guys talking about (I didn't ever make it to GenCon yet), that looks really worth it.

 

[Altamont Ravenard]

What? And no one is going to make a "Priceless..." joke?

I'm a little disappointed.

AR

 

[Cassandra]

Okay, I'll help. I found this sig on the GenCon forums in February:


Hotel - $179 a night
Food - $30 a day
Beer - $1.67 and 20 cents
Going to Gencon where playing games and dressing up as Hobbits is considered cool- Priceless

 

[Nyaricus]

It can be done on a lot less. I've managed a four-day GenCon trip on under $200 before. Of course, I ate nothing but peanuts from Friday to Sunday (really), and drank only water from fountains, and didn't buy any new toys--but it can be done.

Eating Peanuts from Friday to Sunday - 3 dollars a canister.
Drinking water from fountains - free
Not buying anything at all - free
Being at GenCon where hot chicks dress up like elves - pricessless.

but seriously, that story made me laugh and feel sick at the same time

 

[mhensley]

$1000 is pretty steep and I would have a real hard time rationalizing spending that much to attend it. Especially since the gaming at the few cons I have been to (one being a GenCon South back in 83) has been uniformally lame.

I could take half that amount and be able to buy everything wotc puts out for a year or more. :\

 

[mcrow]

yeah, it all depends on how much money you have and how high a priority your hobbies are.

For me next year is likely out of the question. Over the course of the next year I will be getting married (very soon), buying a house, and possible starting a family.

I just don't think I'm going to have the time or the money next year.

Since things started getting serious between Kim and I found that my priorities have shifted a bit. Before I met her gaming was my priority, but since we started dating I find that most of the time I enjoy spending time with her more than gaming. Don't get me wrong I still love gaming, but it is no longer @ the top of my list.

So given that, I don't think I could justify spending $750-$1000 next year for Gencon.

 

[reveal]

Let's see:

$250 - Airline tickets
$40 - Taxis from and to the airport
$20 - Powerbars to eat during the days
$175 - Hotel split 5 ways came to $35/night for 5 nights
$56 - Went through True Dungeon twice
$75 - Average $15/night for dinner
$45 - That's all I spent in the dealer's hall

So a little over $650 for me. Next year, my wife and I will be driving, so that'll cut down on that cost. You can do it pretty cheaply if you don't buy too much in the dealer's hall, which seems to be where all the money gets sucked away, if you bring food to eat, and if you room with people to split the bill.

 

[Beckett]

$750-$1000 is about the right cost. Comparable to going to DisneyWorld actually.

Nice. I was talking with my wife the other day, and told her that I'd really like to try to make it to GenCon next year. She looked at me for a moment, then said, "Yeah, that would be really cool. Let's do it."

Not quite the response I'd imagined, but I decided to run with it. After talking a little about costs, we decided rather than doing our delayed honeymoon this fall to DisneyWorld, we're delaying it a bit more (past our 1 year anniversery, I guess) and going to GenCon.

I'm so glad I married a gamer