lawrenson wrote:Auction prices are odd - some lower-priced stuff is going for more than it should, as t&T are bidding on it. At the rpg auction yesterday they bid on nearly every single item. Isnt this really bid shilling, as they take a cut of every sale?

Worse than that IMHO since there's no way they can lose whereas an eBay shiller can end up having to pay fees on their own item.

Enjoy the chess!

Xaxaxe wrote:Here's a fantastic GenCon rant:

http://drakesflames.blogspot.com/2009/0 ... encon.html

You call that a rant? Oh, please. I twitter meaner than that. Gen Con customer service staffers have complimented me on the "detail" of my complaints. I make enemies with cosplayers with my photo captions. That guy is an amateur.

i dont understand how someone can have a view like that.

if i was on my own there, i guess after a day or so, i would prb get a little bored/tired of things.

the trick to an event like that is to either go with some friends/meet some there. you share the experience together and can be more involved with things and knowing others who are "on the inside" so to speak, also adds to how you view the event.

one of my favorite things is just looking for one thing that i dont really need, but i might just find...or sitting watching others in the auction. i love doing that and having friends there as well, is just a pure blast.

sitting with mike, jon, martin, brendon, jeff etc is just an experience you can't better - we have such a laugh with things, you simply cant beat it - and then add frank, tim etc to the equation and how can it be better?

then throw a game or three in and thats it - icing on the cake.

its strange how someone view can become so twisted on things though.

well i guess its not for everyone

Al

FormCritic wrote:
This is pretty mean stuff.  It's "mean" in the sense of "small-minded" or "petty."  It's "mean" in the sense of "average" or "common."  It's "mean" in the sense of "pointless malice" or "selfish little act of cruelty."

Cruelty and sarcasm are what pass as funny on the lowest downslope of our collective intelligence bell curve.  It doesn't take a lot of talent to say the absolute meanest thing you can think of.

I still think the best part is the guy sells shit....FOR GAMERS!  Nothing like insulting your core buying public. It's like if I ran a strip joint (yeh, I wish) and mingled with the crowd all the while insulting their perverted, lonely ass lifestyles, sad looking toupees, worthless jobs and meaningless existence that requires them to GIVE money to bored and less than interesting women for the right to watch them jiggle. And then I COMPLAIN about it all day.  Sheesh.

Maybe he'll get lucky next year and come down with prostate cancer and not have to go....

Mike B.

Contrarian wrote: You know, just like they do from WOTC.

ouch  

Pipswich wrote:.... you probably go to enjoy to a culture of gamers...  and celebrate a culture of gamers.  Some of the best gaming I have experienced was with the smelliest and/or openly Asbergers Syndrome folks at conventions.  

That is great for you.

While I do think the guy is way over the top, he does make some valid points. I have been attending conventions for 30 years and I can say that the hygene issue with gamers is an issue. Is it really such a hassle to jump in the shower each morning? I have enjoyed more than my share of 24 hour gaming marathons - but there is always time to take a shower and get a change of clothing.

The other stuff is just nonsense. Dressing up in costumes or utilikilts will never appeal to me. Never. But if that is what some people want to do, have at it. Just don't be offended when you get called out on it.

bbarsh wrote:
That is great for you.

While I do think the guy is way over the top, he does make some valid points. I have been attending conventions for 30 years and I can say that the hygene issue with gamers is an issue. Is it really such a hassle to jump in the shower each morning? I have enjoyed more than my share of 24 hour gaming marathons - but there is always time to take a shower and get a change of clothing.

The other stuff is just nonsense. Dressing up in costumes or utilikilts will never appeal to me. Never. But if that is what some people want to do, have at it. Just don't be offended when you get called out on it.

There is some valid and funny criticism in there (stinky gamers) with a large dose of snarkiness.

The problem I had with it is the obvious contempt in the material for not only gamers but gaming. He states he hates Gencon, and wouldn't show up if he wasn't getting paid. What's he getting paid, 10 grand?  If I had some incredible displeasure for something, would I attend even if I got paid?  I mean, let's say you are invited to the National Quilting Convention in Jackson, Mississippi. No way in hell, right?  Four days of old ladies and quilts.  But hey, I'm PAYING you!  Honestly, at LEAST 10 g's would have to cross my palm before I said yes (and I would be drinking the entire time). Bitching about a paid trip to Gencon just makes me roll my eyes.

Sure there are a lot of freaks there. And socially malajudsted weirdos. Every been to a major sporting event?  Every been to a COLLEGE major sporting event?  Tons worse except for the extremely hot college chicks (which doesn't affect my opinion because unless you drive a lexus, your daddy makes a lot of money and you look like Brad Pitt you aren't going to come close to tagging any).  It would be like complaining you scored 50 yard line tickets to the Texas/Texas A&M game but hated going because of all the "wackos".  Really?

Unless the guy is getting paid some embarressingly small amount of cash he needs to stop complaining and take his medicine like a man. But I suspect most of the article is that well known device known as "sarcasm".

Mike B.