Thursday, December 1, 2016

CAR-PGa Newsletter for December 2016


CAR-PGa NEWSLETTER

Vol. 25, No. 12
An international network of researchers into all aspects of role-playing games
December 2016

David Millians, Editor
Paideia School, 1509 Ponce de Leon Avenue, Atlanta, Georgia 30307 USA

ARTICLES

An Editorial with Questions

By David Millians

            While this newsletter is always looking for articles to place in this lead section of the publication, I am always receiving, unasked but encouraged, new material. For examples this issue, see below. Hawke Robinson and John Boardman are particularly prolific this month, but both our former chairman and new chairman regularly have material to share.

            My question here is, What counts as new material for CAR-PGa? What is valid and valuable to our membership and readership? In any given month, new materials may range from gaming tips to social issues within and around the hobby to topics in popular media, like Game of Thrones and Pokémon Go. Anyone can send materials directly to Paul for him to archive, but as the editor of this newsletter, I believe I can act as a filter for what is included and what is not. I think I have a liberal, even expansive, sense of what could be useful and usable, and so far, I’ve included everything I’ve been sent, but I wonder what the recipients think of this.

Are there new materials you think are outside our meaningful purview?

Are there important aspects of our work that never seem to have new materials?

I am interested to hear what you think, and such comments could form an interesting future discussion in this newsletter. They would also inform your editor’s work.

            I encourage everyone to send anything to me that you think may be applicable to what some or all of us do in our advocacy work, and, as always, it’s good work for the cause to send your thoughts in an article or essay format.

            Thanks!

            David

NEW MATERIAL

FROM H. ALAN THOMAS

Ashley, Kendall (2016 May 19) Dungeons and Dragons as Therapy. http://geekandsundry.com/dungeons-dragons-as-therapy. With comments from Hawke Robinson.

Bullock, Kate (2016 October 13) Playing Safe: Making Women Welcome. http://www.bluestockings.ca/2016/10/playing-safe-making-women-welcome.html. How to improve conventions and gaming in general.

Kearney, Tim (2016 October 17) 70-Year-Olds Play D&D for the First Time (and Love it). http://www.tabletopterrors.com/single-post/2016/10/17/70-Year-Olds-Play-DD-for-the-First-Time-and-Love-it. Gaming group interview.

Kato, Kohei & Hiroshi Fujino (2016 October 24) Does the table top role-playing game activity enhance quality of life in children with autism spectrum disorder? https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B1uVoci2ePQKNFJBSloxR3gxR0U/view. Research summary.

Marston, George (2016 October 24) Jack Chick Passes Away. http://www.newsarama.com/31708-cartoonist-jack-chick-passes-away.html. Short obituary.

Mazzanoble, Shelley & Greg Tito (2016 May 5) Dr. Rafael Boccamazzo on D&D and Autism. http://dnd.wizards.com/play-events/podcasts-livestream-games/dr-raffael-boccamazzo-dd-and-autism. Podcast discussion of research.

Stavrapoulos, John (2013 Jul 31) X-Card by John Stavrapoulos. https://docs.google.com/document/d/1SB0jsx34bWHZWbnNIVVuMjhDkrdFGo1_hSC2BWPlI3A/edit. Game aid to encourage player comfort with topics and themes.
                        
FROM DAVID MILLIANS

Berg, Chris (2016 October 25) Dungeons of the Mind: Table RPGs as Social Therapy. https://killscreen.com/articles/dungeons-mind-tabletop-rpgs-social-therapy. Overview of possibilities and builds up to an interview with Hawke Robinson.

Carbonell, Carl (2016 November 14) Tabletop Role-Playing Games, the Modern Fantastic, and Analog ‘Realized Worlds. http://analoggamestudies.org/2016/11/tabletop-role-playing-games-the-modern-fantastic-and-analog-realized-worlds. Multi-author settings change the nature of writing.

Chappell, Bill (2016 November 10) Toy Hall of Fame: Dungeons & Dragons, Little People Honored; So Are Swings. http://www.npr.org/sections/thetwo-way/2016/11/10/501576187/toy-hall-of-fame-dungeons-dragons-little-people-honored-so-are-swings. 2016 inductees.

Klimick, Carlos, Eliane Bettochi & Rian Rezende (2016 November 13) The Incorporeal Project. http://analoggamestudies.org/2016/11/the-incorporeal-project-teaching-through-tabletop-rpgs-in-brazil. Creating didactic ludonarratives to encourage student autonomy.

Romano, Aja (2016 ) The history of the Satanic Panic in the US – and why it’s not over yet. http://www.vox.com/2016/10/30/13413864/satanic-panic-ritual-abuse-history-explained. History lesson and analysis.

Stenros, Jaako, Martin Eckhoff Andreson & Martin Nielsen (2016 November 13) . The Mixing Desk of LARP: History and Current State of a Design Theory. http://analoggamestudies.org/2016/11/the-mixing-desk-of-larp-history-and-current-state-of-a-design-theory. A teaching tool for LARP design.

FROM HAWKE ROBINSON

Robinson, Hawke (2016 October 10) RPG Research Featured on KREM 2 News & Northwest Cable News. http://www.rpgresearch.com/blog/RPG-Research-on-KREM-2-News. Media attention for Robinson’s work.

Robinson, Hawke (2016 November 3) The Muscular Dystrophy Association.  http://www.rpgresearch.com/blog/the-muscular-dystrophy-association. Possible collaboration with MDA.

Robinson, Hawke (2016 November 3) A Good Problem to Have. http://www.rpgresearch.com/blog/sharing-caution-to-self-beware-too-many-brands-in-the-fire. Life is busy with many projects.

Robinson, Hawke (2016 November 4) The Muscular Dystrophy Association. http://www.rpgresearch.com/blog/rpg-therapeutic-recreation-handbook-of-practice-2011-11-03-update. Update.

Robinson, Hawke (2016 November 9) Role Playing Gaming Recreation Therapy Handbook of Practice. http://www.rpgresearch.com/documents/rpg-research-project/archives/rpg-tr-handbook-of-practice/rpgr-a0016-role-playing-gaming-recreation-therapy.pdf/view. Draft version available online.

Robinson, Hawke (2016 November 29) Japanese Researcher Study Indicates RPGs Effective for Helping People on the Autism Spectrum. http://www.rpgresearch.com/blog/japanese-researcher-shows-rpg-effective-for-helping-autism-spectrum. Research link.

FROM JOHN BOARDMAN

Byers, Dan. (2016 September 18) Finding Investors who are game for fantasy-sports app isn’t easy. The Washington Post. Advice for raising investor money for a sports game app.

Byrd, Christopher. (2016 September 25) ‘Turing Test’ transcends gameplay and narrative. The Washington Post, E16. Review.

Collins-Hughes, Laura. (2016 September 11) Playing for Real. The New York Times. Review of “Underground Railroad Game,” a play based on a fifth grade simulation of the Underground Railroad.

Egner, Jeremy. (2016 August 30) Dueling the Sun, Mud and More, in the Maelstrom of ‘Thrones’. The New York Times, C5. Interview with director Miguel Sopochnik.

Egner, Jeremy. (2016 September 13) ‘Game of Thrones’ of Course, Racks Up Early Emmy Wins. Results of non-Primetime Emmy awards for 2016.

Gilsdorf, Ethan. (2016 October 2) Players Gonna Play: Three books on gamers, their appeal, purpose and often addictive qualities. New York Times Book Review, 15. Reviews of Ian Bogost’s Play Anything: The Pleasure of Limits, the Uses of Boredom, and the Secret of Games, Dan Ackerman’s The Tetris Effect: The Game That Hypnotized the World, and Simon Parkin’s Death by Video Game: Danger, Pleasure, and Obsession on the Virtual Frontline.

McGregor, Jena. (2016, September 18) A tech billionaire’s Trumpmanship. The Washington Post. In September Reid Hoffman of LinkedIn released a satirical card game, Trumped Up Cards.

Parker, Laura. (2016 September 1) in Video Games, Inclusiveness. The New York Times. Identity continues to expand and grow in video games.

Ronson, Jon. (2016 September 11) Offline Jekylls, Online Hides. The New York Times Book Review, 23. Review of Mary Aiken’s The Cyber Effect: A Pioneering Cyberpsychologist Explains How Human Behavior Changes Online.

Soble Jonathan. (2016 August 26) Driver in Japan Playing Pokémon Go Kills Pedestrian. The New York Times. Death in rural area.

Suellentrop, Chris. (2016 September 18) From Guitar Gods to Birds of Prey. Reviews of many new virtual reality digital games.

Thomsen, Michael. (2016, October 9) ‘Destiny: Rise of Iron’ forges continued devotion. The Washington Post, E16. Review and analysis.

Tsukayama, Hayley. (2016 October 6) Sony PlayStation VR boasts mass-market appeal. The Washington Post. Review.

Wingfield, Nick. (2016 September 12) World of Warcraft Creator Enters Fray with Start-Up. Rob Pardo creates new game company, Bonfire Studios.

FROM PAUL CARDWELL

Aesma Daeva (2016, October 24): Villain Secrets and weaknesses. Roleplayingtips #704 (online) roleplayingtips.com/readissue.pho?number+704 Making antagonists human. 5 pages.

CALENDAR

New listings this month were provided by Paul Cardwell, others are urged to submit information. If you attend a convention, be sure and check the conventions table and let us have a copy of the fliers (or at very least the when, what, where, and contact information) for upcoming conventions available there. CAR-PGa is international, so this includes anywhere in the world.

Dates, precise venue, contacts' URLs or phone numbers, and other information, where missing from this list, would be particularly appreciated.

"[LARP]" means only LARP events as many RPG cons include at least some LARP, as likewise applies to the mention of specific game systems. The same bracketed information applies as well to game systems when the con will have only those games present.

In an attempt to get more face-to-face meetings of the membership, we list who will be going to what convention, if they will tell us. Get this type of information in at least two months before the convention itself, so we can run it at least once. Support your local cons by helping in the staff. It is a good way to promote RPG and you generally get in free for the brief time spent helping.

A review of any attended convention afterwards for the Newsletter would be appreciated too. These reviews should include demographic data such as attendance, percentage male/female, white/ethnic minorities (or what- ever is the majority/white/others), games in addition to tabletop RPG, and more subjective matters such as unusual events, quality of games and dealers' room, encouragement of new gamers, and whatever seems worth reporting. We need to work to restore CAR-PGa's reputation as the media's go-to on gamer demographics, especially since the media are still citing a study that cut off all those over 35 - at a time when that was the median age of gamers - it is closer to 40 now - which indicates we also need to work on recruiting younger players, although some increase in college age players at conventions has been noted.

Conventions are currently being compiled by archivist Paul Cardwell, 1127 Cedar, Bonham, TX 75418 or plcardwell@gmail.com, so send them there.

CONVENTIONS

New listings this month were provided by Paul Cardwell and Lou Zocchi, and others are urged to submit information. If you attend a convention, be sure and check the conventions table and let us have a copy of the fliers (or at very least the when, what, where, and contact information) for upcoming conventions available there. CAR-PGa is international, so this includes anywhere in the world.
Dates, precise venue, contacts' URLs or phone numbers, and other information, where missing from this list, would be particularly appreciated.

"[LARP]" means only LARP events as many RPG cons include at least some LARP, as likewise applies to the mention of specific game systems. The same bracketed information applies as well to game systems when the con will have only those games present.

In an attempt to get more face-to-face meetings of the membership, we list who will be going to what convention, if they will tell us. Get this type of information in at least two months before the convention itself, so we can run it at least once. Support your local cons by helping in the staff. It is a good way to promote RPG and you generally get in free for the brief time spent helping.

A review of any attended convention afterwards for the Newsletter would be appreciated too. These reviews should include demographic data such as attendance, percentage male/female, white/ethnic minorities (or what- ever is the majority/white/others), games in addition to tabletop RPG, and more subjective matters such as unusual events, quality of games and dealers' room, encouragement of new gamers, and whatever seems worth reporting. We need to work to restore CAR-PGa's reputation as the media's go-to on gamer demographics, especially since the media are still citing a study that cut off all those over 35 - at a time when that was the median age of gamers - it is closer to 40 now - which indicates we also need to work on recruiting younger players, although some increase in college age players at conventions has been noted.

Conventions are currently being compiled by archivist Paul Cardwell, 1127 Cedar, Bonham, TX 75418 or plcardwell@gmail.com so send them there.


December 2016
2-4: ComiCon-way, Faulkner County Library, 900 Tyler St, Conway, AR; cimicon-way.com
3: Dragonmeet, ILEC Convention Centre, 47 Lillie Rd, London; dragonmeet.co.uk
9-10: NarbyCon, maCna Gaming, 2307 Hwy 90, Gautier, MS; narbycon.com
9-11: Anonycon, Sheraton Hotel, 700 E. Main St, Stanford, CT; anonycon.com
9-11: Geekonomicon, Mississippi Coast Convention Center, 2350 Beach Blvd, Biloxi, MS; whynotgeek.com/geeknomicon
9-11: MacquarieCon, Macquarie University, Sydney, NSW; maquariecon.net
9-11: Meeplecon, Darebin Arts & Entertainment Centre, Ball St & St George Rd, Preston, Vic; meeples.org.au
10: Transcontinental Gaming Convention, WHS Student Union, 530 E Cherry St. Winslow, AZ;
10-11: Hobby Con, Badminton Court, Likas Sports Complex, Sabah; hobbycon.my
16-18: Holiday Matsuri, Marriott World Center, Orlando, FL; holidaymatsuri.com
17-18: Comic Fiesta; Putra World Trade Centre, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia; comicfiesta.org
29-January 1: Ichibancon, Concord Embassy Suites, 5400 John Q Hammons Dr. NW, Concord, NC; ichibancon.com
30-January 1: Ikkicon, Renaissance Austin, 9721 Arboretum Blvd, Austin, TX; ikkicon.com

January 2017
6-8: Morpheus, Stadttelzentrum, Wilhelmstrasse 89a, Herne; herner-burg.de/morpheus
6-8: Evercon, D C Everest Junior High School, 1000 Machmueller St, Schofield, WI; evercon.org
6-8: GenghisCon Athens, Live Wire Event Space, Athens, GA; genghisconathens.com
6-8: GenghisCon Denver, Radisson Denver Southeast, 3155 Vaugn Way, Aurora, CO; gengiscondenver.com
6-8: Morpheus, Stadttelzentrum, Wilhelmstr. 89a, Herne; herner-burg.de/morpheus
6-8: Winter Stabcon, Britannia hotel, Dialtone Ln, Stockport; stabcon.org.uk
6-8: Wizard World Comic Con New Orleans, Morial Conference Center, 900 Convention Center Blvd, New Orleans, LA: wizardworld.com
12-15: Midwinter Gaming Convention, Hilton City Center, 509 W. Wisconsin Ave, Milwaukee, WI; midwintergamingconvention.com
13-15: GenghisCon Perth, RAAFA, Perth, WA; genghiscon.org
13-15: MarsCon, Ft. Doubletree Hotel, 50 Kingsmill Rd, Williamsbuurg, VA; marscon.net
13-15: Ohayocon, Hyatt Regency, Columbus, OH; ohayocon.org
13-15: Rustycon, Marriott Seattle Airport, 17620 International Blvd, Seattle, WA; rustycon.com
13-15: Siege of Augusta, Augusta Doubletree, Augusta, GA; siegeofaugusta.org [mainly mini wargaming]
13-16: Arisia, Westin Waterfront Hotel, 428 Summer St, Boston, MA; arisia.org [mostly LARP]
13-16: BryceCon, Ruby's Inn, 26 S. Main, Bryce Canyon City, UT; brycecon.com
13-16: Scarab, Medallion Convention Center, 7309 Garners Ferry Rd, Columbia, SC; s-c-a-r-a-b.com
14-15: SwampCon, Reitz Student Union, 686 Museum Rd, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL; swampcon.com
14-16: Gamers of Winter, Wyndham Gardens Hotel, 765 Eisenhower Blvd, Harrisburg, PA; http://www.pocketchangeproductions.net/
14-16: PolyCon, Winter Minicon, University Union, California Polytechnic University, San Luis Obispo, CA; polycon.org
15-16: SnowCon, Cross Insurance Center Bangor, ME; snowconmainee.com
21-22: Kapcon, Wellington High School, 249 Taranaki St, Mt. Cook, Wellington, NZ; kapcon.rpg.net.nz
21-22: Setducon. Toftrees Conference Center, State College, PA; setsuco.com
26-29: Arcanacon, Melbourne High School, Chapel St. & Alexandra Ave, South Yarra, Melbourne, Vic; arcanacon.org
27-29: Protospiel, Best Western Plus, Bloomington, MN; protospiel.org
27-29: Running GAGG, College Union, SUNY Geneseo, Geneseo, NY; geneseo.edu/gagg
27-29: WarpCon, University College, Cork, Ireland; warpcon.com
27-29: Winter War, Hawthorn Suites, 101 Trade Centre Dr., Champaign, IL; winterwar.org

February 2017
1-5: Winter Fantasy, Grand Wayne Center, Fort Wayne, IN; wintfan.baldmangames.com
3-5: Ambercon Northern Ireland, Belfast; ambercons.com
3-5: Captain Con, Crowne Plaza, 801 Greenwich Ave, Warwick, RI; captaincon.com
3-5: London Anime Con, London Metropolitan University, Rocket Complex, London; londonanimecons.com
10-12: Con DFW, Radissdon Fort Worth Fossil Creek, Fort Worth, TX; condfw.org [literary]
10-12: OwlCon, Rice University, Houston, TX; owlcon.com
10-12: Rapier, Jacksonville Airport Doubletree, Jacksonville, FL; rapiercon.com [mostly board and miniature]
11-12: Kontakt, Yildiz Technical University Davutpasa Campus, Istanbul; kontaktconvention.com
16-18: U-Con, Dortmund; dortmund-in-2017.com
16-19: Capricon, Westin Chicago North Shore, 601 N. Milwaukee Ave, Wheeling, IL; capricon.org
16-19: Dreamation, Morristown Hyatt, 3 Speedwell Ave, Morristown, NJ; dexposure.com
16-19: Genghiscon, Radisson Southeast Aurora, CO; genghiscondenver.com
17-19: Anime Milwaukee, Hyatt Regency, 333 W Kilbourne Ave, Milwaukee, WI; animemilwaukee.com
17-19: Bashcon, University of Toledo Student Union, 2801 W. Bancroft, Toledo, OH; bashcon.com
17-19: Boskone, Westin Boston Waterfront, 425 Summer St, Boston, MA; nesfa.art/boskone
17-19: Con of the North, Crowne Plaza Minneapolis West, Minneapolis, MN; conofthenorth.org
17-19: Farpoint, Radisson North Baltimore North, 2004 Greenspring Dr, Timonium, MD; farpointcon.com
17-19: Bashcon, University of Toledo Student Union, 2801 W. Bancroft, Toledo, OH; bashcon.com
17-19: Midgard West Con, Jugendherberge, Burg Blankenheim, Germany; midgard.westcon.de
17-19: RadCon, Red Lion, Pasco, WA; radcon.org
17-20: DunDraCon, San Ramon Marriott, San Ramon, CA; dundracon.com
17-20: OrcCon, Hilton Los Angeles Airport, 5711 W. Century Blvd, Los Angeles, CA; strategicon.net
17-19: Pensacon, Pensacola Bay Center, 201 E Gregory St, Pensacola, FL; pensacon.com
18-21: New York Toy Far, Jacob Javits Convention Center, New York, NY; toyfairny.com
23-26: Hoop and Stick Con, Ravenwood Castle, 65666 Bethel Rd, New Plymouth, OH; ravenwoodcastle.com/hoopandstick
23-26: PrezCon, Doubletree Hotel, 990 Hilton Heights Rd, Charlottesville, VA; prezcon.com
23-26: Total Confusion, Best Western, Marlborough, MA; totalcon.com
24-26: Adventurecon, Eidelstedter Bürghaus, Alte Eibagaustr.12, Hamburg; sdnv.de
24-26: Anachrocon, Atlanta Marriott Perimeter, 246 Perimeter Center Pkwy, Atlanta, CA; anachrocon.com [steampunk]
24-26: Fire and Ice Convention, Manitowc County Expo Center, Mantiowoc, WI; fireandiceconvention.com
24-26: Gamicon, Cedar Rapids Marriott, 1200 Collins Rd NE, Cedar Rapids, IA; gamicon.org
24-26: GalaxyFest, Antlers Hilton, 4 S. Cascade, Colorado Springs, CO; galaxyfest.org
24-26: LepreCon, Goldsmith Hall, Trinity College, Dublin, Ireland; leprecon.ie
24-26: Mysticon, Holiday Inn Tanglewood, 4468 Cathrey Rd, Roanoke, VA; mysticonva.con
24-26: Redemption, TBA Britannia Hotel, Coventry; smof.com/redemption
24-26: VisionCon, Hilton Branson Center, 200 Sycamore St, Branson, MO; visioncon.net

March 2017
2-5: Salt Con, Davis Conference Center, Layton, UT; saltcon.com
3-5: Cincycon, Butler County Fairgrounds, Cincinnati, OH; cincycon.org
3-5: CoastCon, Mississipi Coast Convention Center, Biloxi, MS; coastcon.org
3-5: ConDor, Sheraton Four Points, San Diego, CA; condor.org
3-5: Gadcon, Holiday Inn Express, Aberdeen, 1050 Beards Hill Rd, Aberdeen, MD; jestergamesmd.com
3-5: Genericon, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, Troy, NY; genericon.union.rpi.edu
3-5: GnomeCon, Ramada Inn, 301 Governor Treulen Rd, Pooler, GA; gnomecon.org
3-5: Made in Asia, Brussels Expo, Brussels, Belgium; madeinasia.be
3-5: PlatteCon, Ullsvik Hall, 1 University Plaza, University of Wisconsin Platteville, Platteville, WI; plattevillegaming.com
3-5: Prolog, Stenbygatan 10, Västerås, Sweden; lajvkonvent.se [LARP]
4-5: Bremer Spiele-Tage, Bremer Volkshochschule, Bremen, Germany; spieleninbremen.de
4-5: Terminal City Tabletop Convention, Bonsor Recreation Complex, Burnaby, BC; terminalcitytabletop.com
10-11: Twister Con, Sheraton MidWest City, 5750 Will Rogers Rd, MidWest City, OK; twistercon.com
10-12: Cleveland ConCoction, Sheraton Cleveland Airport, Cleveland, OH; clevelandconcoction.org
10-12: Fogcon, Walnut Creek Marriott, 2355 N Main St, Walnut Creek, CA; fogcon.org [primarily writer workshop]
10-12: Joelanta, Marriott Century Center, 2000 Century Center Blvd, Atlanta, GA; Joelanta.org
10-12: Lexington Comic Con, Lexington Convention Center, 430 W Vine, Lexington, KY; lexingtoncomiccon.com
10-12: Revelcon, Brookhollow Crowne Plaza, Houston, TX; revelcon.com
10-19: South by Southwest, Palmer Events Center, 900 Barton Springs Rd, Austin, Texas 78704; sxsw.com
13-19: GAMA Trade Show, Bally's, Las Vegas, NV; gamatradeshow.com [trade only]
16-19: All-Con, Crowne Plaza, 14315 Midway Rd, Addison, TX; all-con.org
17-19: Con GT, Riverview Inn, 50 College St, Clarksville, TN; congt.org [Dr. Who]
17-19: Shuto Con, Lansing Center, 333 E Michigan Ave, Lansing, MI; shutocon.com
17-19: TN Game Days, Franklin Marriott Cool Springs, Franklin, TN; tngamedays.com
17-19: Toronto Comicon, Metro Toronto Convention Centre, Toronto, ON; comicontoronto.com
18: Concrete Cow, Old Bath House, 205 Stratford Rd, Wolverton, Milton Keynes; mk-rpg.org.uk
18-19: Keks Con, Kulturtreff Hainholtz, Voltmerstr. 40, Hanover: keks-con.de
18-19: LANtasy, Peakes Arena, 3100 Tillicum Rd, Victoria, BC; lantasy.com
19: Zuiderspel, Klogebow 50, Eindhoven; klogebow.nl
23-24: AdeptiCon, Renaissance Schaumburg, Schaumburg, IL; adepticon.org
23-26: Gary Con, Grand Geneva Resort, 7036 Grand Geneva Way, Lake Geneva, WI; garycon.com
24-26: Eville Con, Holiday Inn, 7101 US 41, Evansville, IN; evillecon.com
24-26: Mace West, Doubletree, Asheville, NC; justusproductions.com
24-26: Marmalade Dog, Bernhard Center, 1903 W. Michigan Ave, Western Michigan University, Kalamazoo, MI; marmaladedog.org
24-26: MidSouthCon, Memphis Hilton, 939 Ridge Lake Blvd, Memphis, TN; midsouthcon.org
25: Egocon, Holiday Inn, 1001 Amber Ave, Stevens Point, WI; discoverwisconsin.com
30-April 2: Game Storm, Red Jantzen Beach, 909 n Hayden Island Dr, Portland, OR; gamestorm.org
31-April 2: Albacon, Best Western Albany Airport Inn, Wolf Rd, Albany, NY; albacon.org
31-Aril 2: Anime Boston, Hynes Convention Center, Boston, MA; animeboston.com
31-April 2: Wondercon, Anaheim Convention Center, Anaheim, CA; comic-con.org
                                                             
© Copyright 2016 by the Committee for the Advancement of Role-Playing Games (CAR-PGa), ISSN 1071 7129. The CAR-PGa Newsletter is a monthly publication. For more information contact David Millians, Editor, Paideia School, 1509 Ponce de Leon Avenue, Atlanta, Georgia 30307 USA, phone (404) 808-1070, fax (404) 377-3491, e-mail millians.david@paideiaschool.org. Subscription is $15.00 per year and $1.50 per copy ($20.00 per year or $2.25 per copy overseas), or $5.00 anywhere by e-mail. Back issues are available. Contributions of material from the membership are urged, and the byline is responsible for content. Deadline is the last weekday of the month, email preferred. Permission is granted to copy anything in the Newsletter, provided we get a credit line in the publication copying it, and it doesn't have someone else's copyright on it. Information, including details on joining CAR-PGa, can be obtained on the Internet at car-pga.org.

Tuesday, September 6, 2016

Gen Con 2016

Below is my report on Gen Con 2016 for the Committee for the Advancement of Role-Playing Games. I will be posting more from this advocacy work, which newsletter I edit. I also have some other exciting news about my various gaming interests and activities.

I would enjoy any feedback or ideas you'd like to share.

Have fun!

-----

Convention Report: Gen Con 2016

This past month I had the pleasure of once again attending Gen Con, a convention I’ve watched grow and change and which I have attended more years than not since 1978, when it was in Racine, Wisconsin and held on the campus of University of Wisconsin Parkside with an attendance of a couple of thousand. Things have changed. Gen Con is now held in downtown Indianapolis, Indiana, and has around fifty thousand in attendance over four, now sort of five, days.

I began on the convention’s extra day, the day before the main convention, which is now Trade Day and held in the comfortable atmosphere of the JW Marriott, adjacent to the main convention center. There are two primary tracks, one for teachers and one for business, mostly retailers. A couple of dozen manufacturers demonstrate their games in the evening.

I led three one-hour workshops, one each for using board games, card games, and roleplaying games as educational tools. I had had fifteen to twenty-five people at each, and the responses were positive. Skipping over the general benefits of games for minds young and old, I discussed the obstacles and solutions to using these particular game formats. I used Fluxx, Infection, and Fate as my example games, and we explored how I’ve used them and how to use them and such games more generally. Most attendees were eager for specifics and the nuts-and-bolts logistics of using such games. I am thinking that when I have a chance to present again, no sooner than 2018 due to the convention calendar, I am likely to offer one or more workshops in finding particular games for individual teacher’s needs and developing the reasoning for the games’ use and their deployment into the learning environments.

Trade Day, at least the education track, had more women than men and some diversity. Since I presented for three of the six hours and ended up in several hallway discussions, I saw only a few of the other offerings, but it was clearly a rich exchange of ideas, and participants enjoyed it. I recommend attending Trade Day if you attend Gen Con in the future, and I would be happy to put anyone in contact with the organizers. If you present at Trade Day, you get a free badge for the rest of the convention!

While Trade Day attracted no more than a couple of hundred attendees on Wednesday, the next day saw the arrival of thousands and thousands of eager gamers, and the numbers and intensity of the convention grew steadily into the weekend. As of this time, I haven’t seen final attendance numbers for Gen Con 2016, but it was humongous. A diverse crowd of all ages thronged the vast convention center and more than half a dozen major conference hotels in the surrounding area, most of them connected by skywalks. Aging white males like me, who probably also came into the hobby in the sixties and seventies were present, but so were young families, grandparents, young women, people of color, all enjoying their many colorful and playful overlapping interests.

Board games and card games are huge these days. People of all ages were playing Pokémon Go throughout the area, and there were even dealers selling access to mobile-only games and other digital materials for games. Roleplaying games, Gen Con’s bread and butter of many decades, were certainly visible, though Pathfinder seemed to be the only RPG going on in the main convention center. Everything from the latest indie games to truly OSR games like Bunnies and Burrows and everything in between had their sessions in the various gaming areas of the sprawling downtown meeting spaces. Small demonstration games, one-shots, and major tournaments were in play. The venerable Chaosium, now restored to financial health, sponsored scores of Call of Cthulhu games. It was all going on all the time. Wizards of the Coast, now owned by Hasbro, hasn’t been directly present at Gen Con for years, but sessions of Dungeons & Dragons were matched in number only by Pathfinder.

The Exhibition Hall reflected these many interests and approximately their popularity at the convention. Hundreds of companies, large and small, touted their board games, card games, family games, and party games. Roleplaying game publishers were fewer in number than in the past, and many of them had non-RPGs for sale or in development. That said, there were new RPG products and re-sales of old ones at every turn. Roleplaying games are alive and well, even flourishing in new ways, but as I discussed in my Wednesday afternoon workshop, they are a way of play that requires more investment of time and energy than most other types.

I had a wonderful time. I was able to catch up at length with several friends, and I attended some interesting seminars and presentations. I was able to play in terrific games all day Saturday. I enjoyed the new Runequest rules through my Storm Bull character, and it was a pleasure to visit Harn again in my role as the pilot during a fraught voyage up the Thard River. I look forward to my next Gen Con!