Disappointed to see Gen Con requiring Covid-19 vaccination to attend the event this year, instituting an even stricter policy than last year. Bought 4 badges for my family to attend last year, which will be zero this year, and potentially zero in the future. Sad to see people in the gaming community being shut out of these events because they do not want the Covid-19 vaccine. Just wanted to my voice my opinion on that. Thank you.


I agree 1,000%. I was okay with the mask last year, though I KNOW it's a crock. On the other hand, I don't own an Army Surplus M40 Protective Mask, or the crate of filters I'd need for it for the weekend either. Nor would I want to wear it! =P (I served 2 months short of 22 years! I wore one often enough, Thank You!)
I'm Guessing they'll drop the "Vaccine" Requirement again like they did last year. Still not sure How they plan on screening 4K Plus people that want into the Exhibition Hall on Thursday Morning. =D

Well, it is up to Gen Con to decide what they want to do. But it's still a ways off and things could change. We will need to wait and see.

Grud, there are plenty of ways to get the 40k plus people into the ICC quickly (see what i did there). Event venues have been doing it for the last year. Just off the top of my head CLEAR is an app that are used in plenty of high volume locations. Yes this requires a smart phone but with the move to e-tickets this is going to become the norm (my parents are in their 90s and have no problem using a smartphone).
Also, there is the SMART QR code, these codes are in use in 17 states (at last check). This can be retrieved from the state public health department and printed out. The app to scan/verify the code is free (android/ios).

Grud, there are plenty of ways to get the 40k plus people into the ICC quickly (see what i did there). Event venues have been doing it for the last year. Just off the top of my head CLEAR is an app that are used in plenty of high volume locations. Yes this requires a smart phone but with the move to e-tickets this is going to become the norm (my parents are in their 90s and have no problem using a smartphone).
Also, there is the SMART QR code, these codes are in use in 17 states (at last check). This can be retrieved from the state public health department and printed out. The app to scan/verify the code is free (android/ios).
Just as a quick clarification the use of e-tickets does not require the use of a smartphone on the part of the attendee. The tickets are digitally "loaded" onto your badge and its barcode is scanned by the person running the event. However, event organizers do require a smartphone or a computer with a barcode scanner.

Thanks for that, I didn't know as none of my events have had e-tickets.

Thanks for that, I didn't know as none of my events have had e-tickets.
I had a handful the past two years and it's pretty seamless on the side of the attendee. Plus, no doubt it is easier to require a few hundred event organizers to have the technology rather than tens of thousands of attendees including Luddites such as myself who refuse to get a smartphone :)

Because I travel frequently for work, tech is a necessity. Having tech has streamlined my air travel by leaps and bounds. And with apps to keep my vaccine info handy is much easier than having the card ( which does not fit easily into a wallet).
But I can see your point.

Just a blanket warning. The last topic in this vein got out of hand and the topic was locked.
To be clear it is way too early to know what our final policies will be and the issue is volatile on both sides.
Will keep this open for now...and see how it goes.
Mike

Thumbs up for the vaccination policy. Well done, Gen Con.

What's really unfortunate is that no matter what is done there will be a group of people/attendees who are feeling left out and unwelcome at the convention and that really sucks.

What's really unfortunate is that no matter what is done there will be a group of people/attendees who are feeling left out and unwelcome at the convention and that really sucks.
You cannot please everyone. There will always be people who feel left out/unwelcome at the convention. Its too big, its too expensive, I didn't get a connected hotel, I can't get into my favorite game, my game isn't being played, I don't want to wear a mask, I don't want to go if everyone isn't wearing a mask, food truck lines are too long, my favorite food truck isn't there, my name is Karen and I want to talk to a manager.
You get the idea.
But, while all that is true (and more). I do have one thing that I feel we can all agree upon.
We need a better way to stop the spam!
This has been your moment of zen -- John Oliver

Thumbs up for the vaccination policy. Well done, Gen Con.

Genuine question for you, and as I ask know that I myself am vaccinated, what do others having the vaccine do for you personally? Not trying to troll, I genuinely would like to know what people who want it to be required feel it is accomplishing.
Because it's proven that it is harder for vaccinated individuals to become infected with COVID than those who are unvaccinated. So, if those around me have a lesser chance of catching COVID, then it makes me safer. There is a smaller chance I'll come in contact with someone who could give me COVID.

[This post has been removed]

Your conclusion is faulty. You can't shed the virus if you don't get infected; and, as the CDC says, "COVID-19 vaccines are effective at preventing you from getting sick."

More recent peer reviewed studies have shown this to be incorrect:
"In conclusion, prior to the emergence of the Delta variant, we found that SARS-CoV-2 Ct values were significantly higher following vaccination among healthcare workers. This report contributes to the emerging body of evidence suggesting lower SARS-CoV-2 viral shedding following vaccination. Our data support the idea that people who develop SARS-CoV-2 infections after vaccination have reduced transmissibility."
This makes intuitive sense when you consider that on average a vaccinated person has an immune system that gets to work on an infection sooner and clears it more quickly than an unvaccinated person, who needs to build an immune response from scratch.

Ok people, this back and forth serves no purpose. We are not going to agree on the facts. This is the road the other post that was locked went down.
Not going to repeat this again.
Gen Con will make decisions based on what we feel is the best course.
Your health and safety remain our top priority as we plan for this year’s convention, and the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic requires that we continue to implement enhanced safety procedures to keep everyone as safe as possible.
That's where we are right now.
Mike

Gencon,
Just please look at the real data. I work for a large hospital system, I am double vaccinated + booster, and just spent the last 8 weeks watching over 50% of our employees test positive. And we are a health system that had 100% vaccination for all employees. I'm totally fine with unvaccinated people at the same table with me.

Gencon,
Just please look at the real data. I work for a large hospital system, I am double vaccinated + booster, and just spent the last 8 weeks watching over 50% of our employees test positive. And we are a health system that had 100% vaccination for all employees. I'm totally fine with unvaccinated people at the same table with me.