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I’ve been trying to write this for a couple of weeks now.
It’s a bit dated, but please bear with me.

Okay.
Short version.

Gencon –
A place where people like to play (games) with other people in a generally non-sexual fashion.  Some people like to pay tribute to particular games, television shows, or movies by creating a costume.

These costumes, often created by hand over the span of several years, can be really elaborate.  People really strive to look like authentic characters from their media.    It’s really pretty impressive.   Well, some are impressive.

But, it’s a matter of taste, of course.  Some people don’t give a crap and dress up anyway… anyways… it’s a tradition.  A lot of these costumes are skin tight or fairly revealing.

Insert the MeToo movement.

These people are suddenly a problem.   “Cosplay is not consent.”

This line assumes a lot of things.
—  That all male gamers are a$$ H0les and would pester women who are dressed up like an elven bar wench or Samus in her zero suit.
————-  As a long-time gamer, trekker, RPGer, ect ect ect…  99% of the guys are pretty accepting of women in gaming — especially when they’re wearing outfits like that.    Games mimic real life.    They can look, but not touch.  Also, some guys understand that games are just games and there’s a real-life person who works and might have children under that spandex and chain mail.

The cosplayer is just there to have a good time and, as I know from experience when I was skinner… and under 40… sometimes having a professional soccer team check me out can be empowering and a real confidence boost.  I’m not saying that cosplay women are specifically there for a psychological boost, it doesn’t hurt.

Bottom line —
It’s a chance to step away from the norm and into a sub-culture that’s generally nice and pretty accepting.

The MeToo movement has pretty much killed that in Gencon.

There were still a couple of people dressed up, but the women tended to wear huge southern style Princess Peach skirts.  The most notable and common male costume was Miles Morales in a cheap Spider-Man suit.
—  I’m talking really cheap.   Probably on par or worse than what Miles wore for a brief time in the Spider-Verse.  There was a lot of knock offs walking around.   They traveled in groups and it didn’t matter what color skin was underneath the made in China spandex.
It was quite obvious they were all trying to be Miles when he first started – just from different universes – and not 100% sure what they were doing.

Thankfully, MeToo hasn’t had a huge impact on the artwork.    Art is art and if happens to be of a woman in a chain bikini with steampunk goggles, so be it.   I don’t have to look at it.  I don’t have to agree with it.  But, I support the right for adults to purchase said items.
If anything, there’s a bigger audience for art like that.  Straight men, certainly.   Some straight women, sure.    But what about lesbians?   They’ve fought hard to get to where they are in society.  Who is an overly shamming and restrictive society to tell these women that they can’t enjoy and purchase artwork that appreciates the female body in fictional genera?

That’s not fair to them.

Just… leave art alone.
Remember the Prohibition?   Think what would happen if art replaced alcohol.

Anyway…  this short version is getting pretty long.

Media –  games, movies, books, – reflect society.
Society is reflected in the media.

Apparently, society is getting to the point that it’s intruding on a generally gentle sub-culture who has been highly misunderstood but generally accepted.    It’s making people of both genders feel guilty about something that they enjoyed in the past but has become all but silently forbidden for now and the future.

Cosplay was something people enjoyed.   People enjoyed investing time, money, and creativity into the costumes.  People, regardless of how they identify themselves, look forward to seeing it.

Gencon had bright orange tape square on the ugly Convention Center carpet.  The people in this square wanted their pictures taken.    That was their consent.   There was a snotty sign that indicated that it was okay to take their picture.

—  No one cared.
They were almost like freaks and no one wanted to be associated with that — as far as I can tell.  That orange tape box might as well been an unshameful cry for attention.  The three people inside it looked so sad that they had to stand there in an attempt to be appreciated.

Again… sad.
Shamed by people who once accepted them unconditionally.  Feeling disappointingly desperate from something they used to enjoy and take pride in.

Cra-zy.

Be nice to people.  Be civil.
You don’t have to like them, but if they want to dress up like hunky Kratos and a sexy Rita Repulsa during a convention to take a break from being an accountant and secretary — let them.   Don’t judge.
Don’t make them feel uncomfortable.

Be respectful.

… no one should have to tell gamers this.
We’ve been unfairly persecuted as Satan worshipers. nerds, inverts, and the cause of mass shootings for years.

How is something like this even an issue?

I’m definitely rambling.
Have a good night.

———————————-
This was the beginning of what I was trying to write but didn’t get around to finishing.

The more it changes, the more it stays the same.

Gencon is something that we look forward to every year.  The games… the people… the costumes… but it’s lost a lot of intensity over the years.  It’s also really changed and continues to change.

The quality and amount of people in cosplay have significantly reduced.   This year had to be an all-time low.

I only saw one elaborate costume and I wasn’t too sure what game it was from.    I’m thinking Folklore, but not sure.   It was an awesome costume.   The guy (or girl) was up on bouncy stilts and everything.

But, other than that… meh.  Huge meh.  A couple of girls were walking around with huge skirts.    Think Gone with the Wind wide southern skirts.   That’s fine, but it was just standard fare.   It’s like something that you’d buy for Halloween or out of Hot Topic.

 

At one point, Square Enix, Sony, and others graced the event list and dealer room.   That really doesn’t happen anymore and hasn’t for years.   Big named authors don’t appear, which is okay.   If you’re not into board games or miniatures, there’s really not much of a reason to attend.  Which is a big duh.    Gencon boasts of being the board game convention, but the old lady just seems to be getting tired.

Why pay for $110 four-day pass to play the same ol’ games?  That’s on top of paying for the specific tickets for events.

But, I really don’t go to Gencon for the events or the dealer room.   Okay, maybe the dealer room a little bit…  but for the people.

The quality and amount of people in cosplay have significantly reduced.   This year had to be an all-time low.

I only saw one elaborate costume and I wasn’t too sure what game it was from.    I’m thinking Folklore, but not sure.   It was an awesome costume.   The guy (or girl) was up on bouncy stilts and everything.

But, other than that… meh.  Huge meh.  A couple of girls were walking around with huge skirts.    Think Gone with the Wind wide southern skirts.   That’s fine, but it was just standard fare.   It’s like something that you’d buy for Halloween or out of Hot Topic.