8 Things To Love And Hate About New York Comic Con

The Good: Cosplay Cosplay, cosplay, cosplay! NYCC is a mecca for nerds of all stripes, and the sheer number of people dressed in costumes this year was absolutely staggering. I would swear that at least one in three people I saw had at least some semblance of a costume on, and many of them had full, elaborate, and masterfully created costumes displaying their passion for and connection to the characters they were portraying. From the uncanny Blade Wolf at the entrance to the wandering Vega, the cosplayers at NYCC are second to none. If you haven’t seen them, you need to check out our cosplay galleries: Day One and Day Two. The Bad: “Tap In/Tap Out” Technology is amazing. I love the convenience of technology. It makes almost everything easier, and my smartphone’s GPS is the only way I ever found my way around New York City. (Why yes, I am directionally challenged.) Sometimes, however, people try too hard to use new technology, and it just doesn’t work as planned. NYCC 2013 had RFID chips in the badges, so you could scan in and out of the convention. This seems reasonable enough at a glance, as it prevents fraud, keeps people honest, and can even be used to offer them a glimpse into their customers’ behavior at the show. The big problem was that the “Tap In/Tap Out” scheme didn’t work as advertised. Instead of tapping your badge, you had to hold it for a few seconds against the scanner. In a small venue with a few hundred people, it might not be a big deal, but when you’re talking about 2-5 seconds for each scan for upwards of 100,000 people, you’re looking at long lines and lengthy waits just to get in the door. Of course, that’s best case scenario. During my four days there, my badge failed to authenticate no less than six times. After waiting in line to scan in, when this happened I would spend another 10 or more minutes in yet another line, just to get my badge rejiggered. A couple of hours waiting in line over the course of four days isn’t the end of the world, but it was a major inconvenience which could have very easily been avoided. The Good: The People Everybody I spoke to at NYCC this year was an absolute pleasure to interact with. From the staff to the cosplayers to the other exhibitors, everybody was thrilled to be there and eager to make new friends. If you’ve ever kept up with the Podcat, you can probably tell that I’m not always much of a talker, but I nearly lost my voice from interacting with so many incredible people over the weekend. Fans came by The Escapist booth and we talked about everything from Yahtzee’s writing style to our review methodology to our favorite games. One particularly amazing Escapist fan even brought us chocolate chip cookies with Oreos baked in (Thanks, soren7550!) They obviously didn’t last long. When you bring this many people together who are all passionate about the same things, conversation is easy. Meeting people, making friends, and forging bonds is easier at NYCC than practically anywhere else, simply because of the shared love of the culture that surrounds it. The Bad: Creepers As a male in the games industry, I have limited experience with the tribulations that women in nerd culture suffer. No, it’s not only found within the nerd culture, but I like to think that we nerds are collectively more enlightened than other subcultures, and so I tend to hold us to a higher standard. This year at NYCC, there was a well-publicized report of harassment from a particular video crew doing “interviews” at the con. From everything I’ve read, nothing was ever done about this despite the fact, as she points out in her post, that many teenage girls attend this con and may well have been subjected to similar treatment. I wasn’t there and I don’t know the full story, so I’m admittedly spreading hearsay here, but if the report is even remotely true and no action was taken, that’s a serious black mark against NYCC 2013. I realize that this kind of thing happens at practically every con in some form or fashion, but that doesn’t excuse it being permitted to continue after being reported. Ultimately, NYCC 2013 was a great experience. Not only for me, but for practically everybody I talked to. There’s room for improvement, sure, but I won’t say that I didn’t have a good time. Even when I missed the panel I most wanted to see, I spent the hour wandering instead and had a stellar experience the entire time. If you’re a part of the nerd culture, and really want to immerse yourself in it for a weekend, get your tickets to NYCC 2014 early, because they’re bound to sell out fast. Not to mention that it’s a great excuse to spend a couple of days in New York City. Who doesn’t <3 NY?