GenCon SoCal Throws In the Towel

The official GenCon website is hosting the official press release with the news: the West coast GenCon is no more. Citing 'competing shows' in the Southern California area, the RPG convention is closing up shop so that staff can focus on the Midwestern/East Coast Flagship event GenCon Indy. In an open letter from Peter Adkinson, he states how much he regrets this decision, and describes the four years of the event as well as the decision-making that led to this state of affairs. In his long discussion of the event, he downplays the attempt to merge with the IDG event and the inclusion of videogames into the GenCon formula. Though it's not listed as a root cause, the death of E3 would seem to be having a ripple effect here as well. He makes sure to point out that GenCon Indy isn't going anywhere, and that this year's 40th anniversary should be an interesting one.

What's Next I Wonder...

[MrNash]

There seems to be a lot of conventions in flux recently. It makes me wonder what will next to hit the chopping block, and what will be slapped together at the last minute and get called a convention in a desperate, last minute attempt to fill the vacuum left by yet another shut down show. :\ It also brings up the question, at least in my mind, of whether it's just the current climate of the shows that has shut them down, or if it's a convenient scapegoat to hide behind when poor planning is the real culprit. In the case of E3, I certainly feel that was the case. Organizers could have done a lot more to overhaul the show and stop it from being a circus, but they didn't. Now it's gone.

Is the internet to blame

[CrazyJim1]

Pre-Internet, the only way to find like minded people was to go to cons. Now there are tons of communities that have sprung up, and they normally know what the next thing coming out will be, so whats the point in a convention?

Re:Not GenCon Indy's 40th...

[Anonymous Coward]

1. Gen Con originated in Lake Geneva, Wisconsin

2. Gen Con would still be in Milwaukee if there was enough space. The city opted not to expand the number of available hotel rooms, so Gen Con did what it had to do.

If you're going to lie, do a better job of it.

[Moryath]

1. True.

2. Gen Con would still be in Milwaukee, if the organizers had been willing to move it back one weekend.

Milwaukee has TONS of hotel space. It's just hard to hold an event in the city when you're on the same weekend as the Wisconsin State Fair's final weekend.

Instead, they moved it to Indy... and now the same complaints (lack of hotel space mostly) are coming back, and none of the vendors want to drive all they way to fucking boring Indianapolis.

Re:Is the internet to blame

[Cyphertube]

Given that I now move from place to place, the Internet is really the only way I'd know about a con.

That said, my reasons to go to a con?

1. I can play with a variety of different people.
2. I'm away from home, so I can continue to play without chores interrupting.
3. I see products sometimes that I wouldn't otherwise bother with.
4. Goodie bags are fun!
5. With the significant number of rather large people, I feel very in shape.

So, there are reasons to go. The question is do the con organisers realise these reasons?