GenCon is one of the largest gaming-oriented conventions in the Midwest and uses the tagline: The Best Four Days in Gaming. GenCon is now looking to sweeten the deal for convention-bound gamers that want to game in style with their VIG program (Very Important Gamer). Now, before I had my three kids, I had gone to GenCon for over 14 years as an annual pilgrimage. For much of that time I was headed to Milwaukee for my four days of Mecca and for the last few years, Indianapolis became the new Zen. I admit that I have not exactly been a very good devotee of gamer-Fu since becoming a father and my attendance record proves it. Now that I have kids the thought of making traveling logistics to a gaming convention are pretty scary. Not to mention that getting registered for my events and making it to my events on time would take an extra level of effort by traveling with the family. It takes me 45 minutes to get my daughter to put her boots, coat, and hat on to catch the school bus in the morning; what are the circumstance modifiers for staying 4 blocks away from the convention center and standing in line with two chaotic-neutral halflings?
So, fellow GeekMoms and GeekDads, what If you could do things differently? What if GenCon could be the Best Four Days in Gaming for parents? Does the VIG have the capacity to cater to the VIP (Very Important Parent)? On face value, it sounds like a really cool experience. Here is the sales pitch from the main GenCon VIG page:
How would you like to relax in a private lounge with a cool beverage, away from noisy halls and curious eyes? Avoid the long registration lines and pick up your badge or register for events at your leisure? Know that your hotel reservation for one of your three top choices is guaranteed? And have you ever wanted to get into the Exhibit Hall before the mad swarm descends?
Did you feel the chills too? I will admit to having taken a short moment there to close my eyes and let my mind imagine what it would be like to have all of the normal hassle be whisked away like stains from a carpet in a late night infomercial. As a VIG I would just be left with all of the normal parent stuff, right? Break up fights, handle the lunch menu hostage crisis negotiation, keep chokables away from the baby, keep the stink-level down, and make sure the room has enough towels. Other than the chokables part, sounds like attending a gaming convention with my friends back in high-school. Sounds great!
Background: Since not everybody knows what GenCon is, perhaps a little context is in order. Most of the large geek-tastic conventions around the US tend to focus on discussion panels, cosplay (costume play), big media releases, and celebrities from within the nerd-genre. Whereas GenCon really is about the gaming as its primary reason for attending. Although things like discussion panels, celebrities, cosplay, and media releases do happen at GenCon. GenCon just happens to be the big dance of the year for roleplaying game publishers, board game manufacturers, and collectable card game peddlers.
So for those of you parents that are considering how you can streamline your GenCon experience, perhaps the VIG program is just what you needed to make it the Best Four Days in Gaming for the whole family. Myself and other GeekParents would like to know if this is the +10 to all convention planning rolls that it seems to be on paper.
