Morrus' announcement of Pronouns on GenCon Badges (Do NOT comment about that here. That is NOT what this thread is about!!) got me wondering if GenCon is still worth the trip with all the COVID stuff going on. I'd like to go before I die which, hopefully is 30 years off, but I also don't want to waste money.
What are the thoughts on this?
I've attended many times, mostly since it's been in Indianapolis, including in 2019 and 2021. There was no GenCon in 2020.
It is VERY VERY VERY VERY LARGE.
GenCon 2021 was smaller, either due to lowered interest because of COVID concerns or admission restrictions because of COVID concerns, or both. So, it was only VERY VERY LARGE. They spaced things out much better, mask requirements were enforced, lots of vendors had hand sanitizer available, all the game and event rooms hand restrictions on crowding, the convention center had installed hospital-grade air cleaners, etc.
I found it more manageable in 2021 because of all that. Previous years have been a veritable sea of humanity, sometimes almost crushingly so. If you have issues with crowds, do not go.
There are events for every interest, from board games to card games to RPGs, cosplay to anime screenings, writing panels, live gaming podcasts, kid-friendly programming - you name it. It's four days of wall-to-wall - and there are
a lot of walls! - gaming and vaguely-related nerdity. The convention center is sprawling,a nd the convention spills over into adjacent and nearby hotels and the stadium nextdoor. there's a lot of walking to be done. A LOT.
I mostly like to walk the exhibitor's hall and just see what people are making and selling. There's big areas there where big gaming companies have multiple demos you can jump into. There's vendors selling games old and new, well-known and obscure, and also costumes, props, dice, minis, t-shirts, etc. I can theoretically see everything in the exhibitors hall one day, but only if I'm alone and don't attend any events - that's how much there is to see just in the exhibitor's hall alone. The last couple of times I've done 3 days or the full 4 days of the con, because a good friend is a vendor and had a guest pass and bed at the hotel for me.
Beyond the Exhibitor's hall, there's also companies that have their own large rooms or event areas for playing just their games.
Like I said, it was more manageable last year because of the reduced size - I actually attended a couple events!!! But, this has made me want to find a smaller con nearby.
I have rarely if ever paid for a hotel to attend the con, because Indianapolis is close enough to drive to early in the morning and drive home after dinner. So, I can't say if it's worth it to attend if you have to pay to stay somewhere for one or more nights. Clearly, hotels full of people think it's worth it - I think it's the biggest convention Indianapolis has, and hotels are packed for blocks or miles around. You kind of have to book rooms - and reserve events, for that matter - as soon as humanly possible.