General Etiquette Guidelines
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Posted by ascantla
#1

Saw one of these posts our first year that really helped us out and haven't seen one since. Just general concepts to make everyone's life that much easier. Add as we go.

Try to keep the dealer hall aisles free. It's tough when booths are right up to the aisle and people want to look at their goods, add that to the other side of the aisle as well, and you just took off 3-4 feet of the aisle for people to walk through. Anyone then stopping in the aisle make it even more narrow or completely blocked.

We love to see Cosplay at the Con. Make sure when we want to take pictures we line up down the aisle and not across it. stopping 300 people behind you so you don't walk through someone's shot isn't easy.

Backpacks are dangerous. Always be aware of how much space you AND your pack take up, especially while turning. Quick tip: backpacks can be worn in the front for easy access, security, and safety. We generally stick to a messenger bag that can be shifted easily front or back.

Try to be on time for your events. It's very inconsiderate to have the rules explained to everyone that showed up on time, then expect them to be repeated because you ran late. Everyone is on a schedule.

If you absolutely have to leave early from an event, make sure you let everyone know before the event starts. Some games are difficult to continue if a player leaves early, and it may just be someone's most looked forward to event for the day.

Don't be a sore or sad loser. We all love games because of the joy of playing them, not because winning defines our lives. We'll all love you just the same if you lose. (especially if we win)  :)

 

Posted by quarex
#2

I think the absence of MikeB (I think that was his name?) could explain the dearth of Gen-Con etiquette posts for the last few years!

A lot of etiquette concepts not easily covered by specific examples might be best summarized by "if you see someone do something and it strikes you as rude, make sure you avoid doing it yourself."

"Yes, but, well, *I* blocked the aisle because..."
"Were you blocking the aisle?"
"Yes."
"Bad attendee!"

Also, treating events like they are dates (be a little early, be a good listener, make sure to have fun) might be a good way of looking at things--I would say "like they are work" but that is a very unfun way of looking at the wonderful social obligation that is a Gen-Con event :)

Posted by lore seeker
#3

Agreed on the "don't block the Dealer Hall aisles." I'd like to add "ESPECIALLY don't block the damn chokepoints in the Dealer Hall aisles!" I'm so tired of seeing people stopped right at a damn intersection, snarling foot traffic even more than they would if they'd stopped elsewhere.

I guess another tip I would have, sometimes (though not always) related to my complaint above, is to have some situational awareness in general.

Posted by jedikitty
#4

Even if it's called over your shoulder as you're swept along by the crowd - a sincere "sorry!" after you bump, bang, crash, stumble into (or step on) someone is always a nice thing to do.

Posted by donaldbain
#5

Don't interrupt a demo. especially a ticketed demo, to say "oh, cool, this looks neat, how do you play".  Stand quietly and wait your turn or buy a ticket.

 

Posted by divachelle
#6

Most of this is just good general info, but it still applies.
Be kind. 
Help someone out if they're struggling. 
Give good directions if asked. If you're not sure, direct them to someone who can help. 
Be patient. It's a big space, but there a lot of people and a lot of lines. 
Don't be obnoxious. We're all excited to be here, but if you're obnoxious, nobody will want to play with you.
Make some new friends. Just ask them how their Con is going and really listen to their answers. 
Have a great con!
 

Posted by leswhittaker
#7

Yeah, don't block the aisles.  By extension, don't block the entry ways with impromtu cos player dance parties.  Hey, there's plenty of room under the tent for everyone, but there's times and places for different activities.  

That being said, there is NEVER a time and place for dubstep.

Posted by gharris ascantla
#8

ascantla wrote:
We love to see Cosplay at the Con. Make sure when we want to take pictures we line up down the aisle and not across it. stopping 300 people behind you so you don't walk through someone's shot isn't easy.

 


I agree with everything you said except this. There is never a good reason to stop in the aisles to take pictures. A lot of people want to see a "no cosplay in the exhibit hall" rule for this very reason.

The thing I would add to this list is "Don't be the person who is trying to bring a stroller into the exhibit hall". Just.....no. It causes even more traffic clogs, even if people are trying to be "polite" about letting you through, and with the crowds of people not looking where they are going (as well as the ever present fat guys oblivious to where their backpacks are hazards) it just isn't very safe. Find a sitter, visit during nap time, trade off exhibit hall trips, whatever, just don't bring a damn stroller into the exhibit hall!

Posted by monaliz
#9

hay all i want join this game because i see my friend say me this game really nice

Posted by monaliz
#10

hay all i want join this game because i see my friend say me this game really nice

Posted by gamerdork
#11

I have the perfect solution for the dealer hall intersection problem: roundabouts. But Gen Con won't listed to my suggestion.

Also, in the larger gaming rooms, it would be great if each table had one card of some sort, and only the person holding that card can talk! :)  Imagine a world in which gaming noise levels were bearable!

Game on!

Posted by tdb
#12

The trash cans in the middle of the aisles in the dealer hall are not tables to stand around with your friends!  Nor are they to be used as a lunch table!

Do everything you can to avoid dragging wheeled luggage into the dealer hall.  You're very likely to run over people's feet and trip folks no matter how good your intentions, and when you stop to look at the stuff in the booths the luggage either clogs aisle traffic or blocks someone else's access to a booth.

I get that some people really can't carry a pack at all due to medical conditions, but if that isn't you, lighten your load until you can carry it.  Backpacks can be dangerous too, but rolling luggage is at least as bad.  On Sunday, pay the concierge at the hotel a few bucks to hold your luggage so you don't have to drag it around all day.

Start each day with clean clothes and clean body.  This is not optional!  Some gamer funk is unavoidable, but fight it as best you can.

"Clean clothes" also applies to costumes.  A costume worn 4 days smells just as bad as a t-shirt worn 4 days.

Be as friendly and nice to everyone as you can.  After all, you probably have a lot in common with everyone you meet at the con.  Dwell on the similarities, not the differences.

Posted by njseahawksfan
#13

Along the lines of the "don't clog the aisles in the Dealer Hall" -- stopping in the middle of the aisle for any reason, *is*, in fact, clogging the aisles.  I'm always amazed every year at how many people just randomly stop in the middle of an aisle.  View the aisle like a road.  You wouldn't randomly hit the brakes and idle in the middle of the road ... so don't do that in the aisles.  Pull over to the side.  Be considerate.

Posted by pinkparasol gharris
#14

gharris wrote:
ascantla wrote:
We love to see Cosplay at the Con. Make sure when we want to take pictures we line up down the aisle and not across it. stopping 300 people behind you so you don't walk through someone's shot isn't easy. 

I agree with everything you said except this. There is never a good reason to stop in the aisles to take pictures. A lot of people want to see a "no cosplay in the exhibit hall" rule for this very reason.The thing I would add to this list is "Don't be the person who is trying to bring a stroller into the exhibit hall". Just.....no. It causes even more traffic clogs, even if people are trying to be "polite" about letting you through, and with the crowds of people not looking where they are going (as well as the ever present fat guys oblivious to where their backpacks are hazards) it just isn't very safe. Find a sitter, visit during nap time, trade off exhibit hall trips, whatever, just don't bring a damn stroller into the exhibit hall!

While I agree that people should never be stopping to take pictures in the exhibit hall and thus clogging the aisles, as a cosplayer myself I would be upset if I was forced to go all the way back to my hotel to change out of my cosplay and into regular clothes, come all the way back to browse the exhibit hall for an hour then go all the way back to reapply my cosplay and make up and come back. A lot of cosplay is not easy to swap out like a t-shirt and a pair of jeans. Instead of banning costumes enforce the rule of using designated photo op areas to take pictures instead. It doesn't take much to tell a person that you appreciate their interest in your costume but can they wait for you to finish purchasing your stuff at a booth and meet them out at a photo spot.

I also agree with you regarding strollers. Most strollers are cumbersome, overly large, and take up so much space. Add in if you have several children with you; like one or two in the stroller and one or two hanging on to the stroller you're asking for a disaster regarding someone knocking into a child or bumping the stroller on accident and stressing out/scaring the kid. If your child can walk don't take a stroller in with you, as I've seen many a times a child wanting out and instead of the stroller being used for the kid it's used as a shopping cart as the child holds on to the side and once again you're taking up more space then you should be and courting disaster with someone not thinking to look down when they're browsing booths.

Posted by garhkal leswhittaker
#15

leswhittaker wrote:
Yeah, don't block the aisles.  By extension, don't block the entry ways with impromtu cos player dance parties.  Hey, there's plenty of room under the tent for everyone, but there's times and places for different activities.  
That being said, there is NEVER a time and place for dubstep.

Linked to this for us who smoke..  DON'T Flipping congregate right around the doorways..  At least have the common decency to move a little bit away from it, that way you are not only 'not blocking' the door way, but you are not also making a 'wall of smoke' for others to have to pass through..

Posted by brooks
#16

I always go to GenCon by myself and suffer through/get annoyed in the dealer hall just like everyone else. Particularly when it's just me and I'm not even carrying a bag, but getting bogged down in the intersections. However I try to suffer it with as much grace as possible.

I am also very leery of telling anyone (i.e. cosplayer, someone with a small child in a stroller, etc.) that they're not welcome in there. They purchased a badge just like everyone else and should have the same access that everyone else enjoys.

It is annoying, but I think that, by definition, the hall has become annoying simply because of the immense amount of foot traffic it generates. For me it's just something that I anticipate the moment I walk in the doors. Kinda like the housing lottery or the event registration scrum.  

Posted by inis
#17

I have a few for ya.

1.  Nothing purchased at the dealer hall is worth hurting another person over.  I get you're excited and you want your precious new toy, but that doesn't give you an excuse to push, punch, or even kick someone out of your way.

2.  When a developer asks for your for your honest opinion try and keep it honest and not cruel.  If you have a hard time discerning between the two then tell them you'd rather not.  

3.  Do not swing weapons of any kind in the dealer hall.  I know you want to show off your cool ninja skill off to your friends but foam or not you connect with that thing and it's going to hurt.

4.  There's a difference between admiring and ogling.  If you notice someone that looks attractive it's fine to look their way, it's not OK to stare/follow/stalk/cat call them.  Just because it's a convention doesn't mean it's OK to be a creep.

5.  Be inclusive.  I know must of us aren't good with social graces, but if someone is watching you set up a game ask if they'd like to play.  Yeah, they might be a total bummer, but they could also be your new best friend.  

6.  Be helpful.  If you see someone having trouble help them or if you can't find someone who can.

7.  Be respectful of other people's beliefs.  I don't care if it's Star Wars vs. Star Trek, Batman vs. Superman, or Democrat vs. Republican be kind to one another or at the very least buy the other person a beer first.  We're all here out of a shared love of the nerdy.  If things get too heated step back a minute and remind yourself of that.

8.  This one is from experience.  Don't bad mouth developers or artists at the convention.  There's no way to tell if they're.... STANDING RIGHT BEHIND YOU.

9.  Don't sleep in the hallways.  Most of us here have done Gen Con on the cheap in the past, but I have never gone and been too poor to afford a bus back to the hotel.  If you can't find a hotel then bring a tent.  Camp Grounds start at 50 bucks a day.  If you can't afford that, then you probably shouldn't be going to the convention.
 

Posted by lord thrifty the cromulent inis
#18

inis wrote
9.  Don't sleep in the hallways.  Most of us here have done Gen Con on the cheap in the past, but I have never gone and been too poor to afford a bus back to the hotel.  If you can't find a hotel then bring a tent.  Camp Grounds start at 50 bucks a day.  If you can't afford that, then you probably shouldn't be going to the convention.
 

They could always sleep under our city's fine bridges with the homeless people.

Posted by k_dog64 inis
#19

inis wrote:
8.  This one is from experience.  Don't bad mouth developers or artists at the convention.  There's no way to tell if they're.... STANDING RIGHT BEHIND YOU.

 This one actually goes both ways.  If you are a developer/artist, don't bad mouth your clients publically.  A couple years ago, they were demoing a game in the dealer hall that I was a kickstarter backer for.  Since the product hadn't shipped to us yet, I thought I would check it out in their booth to see what it looked like.  I was watching while a representative of the company was demoing it to a couple people when he told them "I would avoid the official forums for this game.  The Kickstarter Backers are trying to ruin the game."  I haven't bought from that company since.

Posted by bith
#20

If you have a kid, bring a stroller.  It's way easier to manage children, and all the accompanying *stuff* you need to have with a stroller than it is to carry your bag, a diaper bag, wrangle the kid, and look at stuff etc.

And before anyone says anything else -- until GenCon gets rid of the "Family Fun Pavilion" you don't have a leg to stand on asserting that kids shouldn't be there.

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