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<blockquote data-quote="MNblockhead" data-source="post: 8695249" data-attributes="member: 6796661">As a consumer, they were much more relevant before on-line publishing and, more so, before on-line play gained critical mass.&nbsp; In the 80s they were really the only way to get exposure to many new games and, unless you were were luckly to have a very vibrant local ecosystem of FLGS's and gaming communities, it was the only way to have meet lots of new gamers and play many new games.&nbsp; GenCon was like a pilgrimage for many of us in the 80s. After a long hiatus, when I started playing again in 2014, pre-COVID the only convention I ever attended was a small local convention. I didn't go there for the vendor booths (and the vendor hall was quite small), I went there to try playing new games that I would not have the time or group of players to play on my own.&nbsp; During COVID I was forced into on-line play and learned that I would find a seat to try almost any game I wanted to play using various online find-a-game platforms.&nbsp; I also played in some on-line convention games. So going to a convention is less important to me now.As things open up, will I return to live conventions if I can fit it into my schedule?&nbsp; Local, probably, but not every year.&nbsp; Large, non-local conventions. Maybe, once in a great while.&nbsp;&nbsp; For local conventions, it is just fun to rent a room in the hotel and just play new games for 18 hours and crash in your room for a few hours of sleep and then repeat for another day and a half. For larger conventions, the only thing that interests me about them is the chance to speak with and play with game creators and to watch some celebrity live-play sessions like Aquisitions Incorporated, Critical Role, and Glass Canon. Being able to have the creater of a game demo it or to play in a game run by (one of) the creator(s) is something I always treasure. Outside of Gary Con, that may be difficult with the big-name properties, but there are lots of smaller publishers with the creators of the game attending their companies' booths.</blockquote>

[QUOTE="MNblockhead, post: 8695249, member: 6796661"] As a consumer, they were much more relevant before on-line publishing and, more so, before on-line play gained critical mass. In the 80s they were really the only way to get exposure to many new games and, unless you were were luckly to have a very vibrant local ecosystem of FLGS's and gaming communities, it was the only way to have meet lots of new gamers and play many new games. GenCon was like a pilgrimage for many of us in the 80s. After a long hiatus, when I started playing again in 2014, pre-COVID the only convention I ever attended was a small local convention. I didn't go there for the vendor booths (and the vendor hall was quite small), I went there to try playing new games that I would not have the time or group of players to play on my own. During COVID I was forced into on-line play and learned that I would find a seat to try almost any game I wanted to play using various online find-a-game platforms. I also played in some on-line convention games. So going to a convention is less important to me now. As things open up, will I return to live conventions if I can fit it into my schedule? Local, probably, but not every year. Large, non-local conventions. Maybe, once in a great while. For local conventions, it is just fun to rent a room in the hotel and just play new games for 18 hours and crash in your room for a few hours of sleep and then repeat for another day and a half. For larger conventions, the only thing that interests me about them is the chance to speak with and play with game creators and to watch some celebrity live-play sessions like Aquisitions Incorporated, Critical Role, and Glass Canon. Being able to have the creater of a game demo it or to play in a game run by (one of) the creator(s) is something I always treasure. Outside of Gary Con, that may be difficult with the big-name properties, but there are lots of smaller publishers with the creators of the game attending their companies' booths. [/QUOTE]

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