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People come together when there are similar interests involved...

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People come together when there are similar interests involved...

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You get the JoCo Cruise, and it's an annual gathering for those who love sci-fi, games with many-sided dice and the musician Jonathan Coulton.

From mess to magic: a passenger takes the mic during the opening concert Credit... Tony Cenicola/The New York Times

It is the first concert of the JoCo Cruise 2019, and things are going so wrong. The musicians can't hear themselves sing. Instruments drop out at random. One of the performers, Jim Boggia, has lost his voice.

Jonathan Coulton, the singer-songwriter for whom the cruise is named, grouses that it is a "train wreck on a boat."

They carry on, trying to wrestle a show from the mess. Mr. Boggia starts playing "When You Wish Upon a Star" on his ukulele and raspily invites us all to sing along. The assembled hundreds join in a mass mumble, but one woman's voice stands out and confidently rises, clear and lovely. Paul Sabourin, another of the performers, hops off the stage and hands her a microphone. The performers complete the song to rousing cheers.

I spot the singer. She is wearing extravagantly long elf ears.

Now in its ninth year, the JoCo Cruise is a grand annual gathering of the nerd tribe. You may not have heard of Mr. Coulton, who left his job writing software in 2005 to explore a music career, but he has built a fervid online community of fans. He writes quirky, funny and often sneakily touching songs that play off geeky themes, including " Re: Your Brains," about the guy who works in the office down the hall from you and who is a zombie now, and " Skullcrusher Mountain," about a mad scientist trying to woo a woman his assistant, Scarface, has abducted. (Sample lyric: "I made this half-pony half-monkey monster to please you/But I get the feeling that you don't like it/What's with all the screaming?"). Mr. Coulton is also the in-house musician for the NPR game show "Ask Me Another," and wrote the end credits song, " Still Alive," for the best-selling video game Portal.

The JoCo Cruisers are here to hear music from him and the other performers, sure, but there's more: For lovers of science fiction and fantasy there are novelists giving talks and being generally smart and funny, there are stand-up comics, some journalists and even an astrophysicist giving a late-night lecture on when and how the universe could end. Most of the performers are what Felicia Day, the actor and writer, calls "situationally famous": not recognized on the street, but superstars at places like Comic-Con and on the internet. The cruise also caters to a broad range of fascinations, including board games with many-sided dice, tech, crafts, cosplay and a zillion fandoms.

At this point, some readers - maybe you, we're not judging - might be thinking that if they found themselves dropped into the middle of all this, they would be tempted to jump over the railing into the wine-dark sea, seeking the sweet release of death. But there are 2,000 people here, having a blast. This year, JoCo sold out the entire Oosterdam, a Holland America Line ship. It departed in early March from Fort Lauderdale, Fla., for a weeklong trip with stops in Half-Moon Cay in the Bahamas, and Tortola, part of the British Virgin Islands, as well as San Juan, Puerto Rico.

A nerd cruise might sound very specialized, but specialization is a big part of cruise travel, said Michael Driscoll, editor in chief of Cruise Week, an industry publication. Affinity cruises, as they are called, are "a huge component" of the cruise business that is all but "indestructible to the business trends." Conservatives can head out to sea with The National Review, while liberals can set sail with The Nation; sites like Theme Cruise Finder have trips that cater to every conceivable interest. The JoCo cruise is often referred to as "nerd summer camp at sea," said Paul Sabourin, half of the comedy-music team Paul and Storm and one of the four people who plans and runs each cruise. The common thread, he said, is "indoor-kid things."

It is a colorful crowd, literally. Many of the sea monkeys - the name is a play on a Coulton song, " Code Monkey," about a lovesick software writer - stand out in the everyday world, with their flamboyantly dyed hair and extensive and intricate tattoos. There is a healthy contingent of L.G.B.T. folks, as well. As I boarded the Oosterdam, I felt a little like an outsider, with my graying, undyed hair and conspicuous lack of tattoos. But I soon realized that my fellow passengers were not significantly more eye-catching than are a fair number of my co-workers and also realized there were plenty of dull folks like me, including families with children, blending into the background.

"For people on the far sides of the bell curve, this is a once-a-year opportunity to be themselves - and it's heartwarming to watch," said Anye Shafer, a software architect from the Dallas area on her fourth cruise. "You can be - except, maybe a serial killer - anything you want to be, and people will take you at face value, and accept you for who you are."

Jenny Ross, a fifth-time sea monkey, said activities all over the ship during the week share one trait: enthusiasm. "I'm guaranteed that no matter what room I walk into, I will find people who are passionate, people who are knowledgeable, people who are excited to be doing whatever they are doing," she said. Ms. Ross and her husband, Chris, a software engineer with Microsoft, leave the children with their parents for a week while he plays board games and enjoys the music, and Jenny, who left the software world to raise the children, geeks out on puzzles and acts as an "ambassador" to first-timers, inevitably known as "new monkeys." She wore a pink sash that read "Ambassador," but it was not as eye-catching as her dark skirt, which was webbed with small lights, giving the impression of a starlit night. The couple also attached tiny hats to their hair with bobby pins; He, a red fez; she, a gold party hat.

They took a more typical cruise some years before, and "we were almost the only people under 50, and the onboard entertainment was not meant for us," Ms. Ross said, imitating the announcer: "Make sure to stick around for bingo - it's the height of stimulation!" She laughed. "I like this one better. I don't get weird looks for having a tiny hat on my head."

The cruise can be intensely social, with built-in conversation starters. Everyone's name tag has room to write down something to "ask me about . . . " So as people pass in the buffet, topics wander by that include "Dungeons and Dragons," "CCL" (Citizens' Climate Lobby), "Anxiety and Depression," "Baking!" and "My Bone Spurs."

But the cruise goes very far to make introverts and the socially awkward comfortable, as well. At check in, everyone is offered two " Friendshipping" buttons that describe your attitude toward conversation: a big green YEAH for those who invite contact, and a red NAH for those who would rather not. The concept, which has precedents in the autism community, works beautifully for the merely shy. Sections of the ship are deemed quiet zones, and those who don't want to attend the crowded, raucous evening concerts can watch a simulcast in a darkened lounge or even on the television in their cabins. The result is a floating community of friends, even if they have never met. "You'll never find a group of nicer, more kind people," said Linda Shapley, a former managing editor of The Denver Post making the trip with her husband, Ed.

One longtime sea monkey, CeeCee Stein, found the community so accepting that several years ago she decided to use a cruise as her moment to transition from male to female. "I got on the plane as Christopher, and I got off the plane as Christina," she recalled. "It seemed like the group of people I would most want to lay my soul bare in front of," she said.

She added, "I call it my birthday."

It's a make-your-own-fun environment: Fully half of the 344 programs during the week were created by the passengers; their activities are called the "shadow cruise." The programming came to 605 hours of activities or 25.46 days' worth over the seven-day cruise. There is so much to do that on the first night the organizers warn against overdoing things, laying out what they called the "5-3-1 rule": Make sure to get five hours of sleep a night, eat three meals, and "one shower or bath per day," a line that got a knowing laugh from the crowd.

On the second day, after getting sand between my toes on Half Moon Cay, I wandered over to JoustMania, one of the shadow cruise activities. Presented by a guy who goes by Loki and has a particularly fine lavender beard, JoustMania does not involve horses or lances. Players hold game controllers that look a little like microphones with a light-up top that are sensitive to motion. The idea is to jostle your opponents' controllers without letting your own be jostled. Get jostled and the color of the controller changes and a crashing sound occurs; you're out until the next round.

The game began. Music played; ragtime pieces mainly, that sped up and slowed down, which somehow affected the sensitivity of the controllers. The players warily stepped around each other, attempting slaps at arms while protecting their own controllers. It looked like a dance, or a form of martial arts practiced on a space station. A woman in a Dr. Who "Tardis" dress glided by like quicksilver on a plate. "She teaches yoga," a friend noted.

I was quickly taken out by a teenager. In my defense, I believe she may have been a trained assassin.

A few weeks before the trip, I spoke with John Scalzi, a best-selling author of science fiction and a JoCo regular. Along with his duties as a situationally famous writer, which involves leading writing workshops and doing readings of his work, he is a kind of avatar of goofy fun. Joyful and hammy, he belted out "Cruella De Vil" at the cruise's Disney sing-a-long and also hosts an end-of-cruise dance party.

I asked him, "Am I nerd enough for this cruise?"

"Dude," he said laughing, "Yes. You are." That wasn't just about my own obvious demi- nerdiness, but also the fact that many people who are not nerdy in any way, like Mr. Scalzi's wife, Krissy, enjoy it. He refers to such people as "nerd adjacent." Besides, he noted, "the line between what has classically been nerdy and what is classically mainstream has begun to fluctuate and flow." Last year's biggest film? "Black Panther," based on a comic book. "The mainstream world and the nerd world are thoroughly intermixed now," he said.

Which brings us to Jonathan Coulton. When I first booked a cabin, I thought of him as the tent pole of the event, the reason for everything. It didn't take me long to realize he's more like its maypole: standing at the center, with an enormous and intricate dance going on around him.

Mr. Coulton and I sat together by the Lido level's open-air pool for a conversation. He said members of this community, which is active year round on Facebook, "feel a kind of ownership that transcends me and my music," adding, "If I said, 'There's no more JoCo Cruise!' I'm certain that a number of sea monkeys would take it upon themselves to do another cruise."

Still, his wry wit infuses everything. He loves that for each of the nine years, there has been a "Fancy Pants Parade" on board the ship, based on a throwaway song he wrote as an act of "desperation" to keep up a song-a-week project. Just a minute and a half long, the song tells of a competition over who has the fanciest pants. Somehow, it is poignant. And now, he noted, people promenade on the deck in fancy pants, or "fanciful interpretations of pants." There are trophies. "To have written this ridiculous song off of this ridiculous idea and see it come to be a real thing in the world, it's a remarkable thing as an artist."

How this chaotic miracle comes together is the work of Mr. Coulton, Mr. Sabourin and Greg DiCostanzo, who is the "Storm" of Paul and Storm, and Drew Westphal, the chief operating officer of the partnership. Mr. Sabourin and I met to talk in the ship's casino, a place we knew would be quiet. In a lounge across the way, the JoCo planners set up more than 40 vintage video game consoles, which drew a crowd day and night. On the casino side, the dealers had nothing to do. "Everybody here actually understands probability," Mr. Sabourin joked.

These folks haven't always had an entire ship to themselves. The first cruise attracted about 350 Coulton fans. It's grown, year by year until three years ago they were able to book a ship. This year, the ship sold out. Next year's cruise, on an even bigger ship, is selling out fast. No cruise yet has lost money, Mr. Sabourin said.

To Mr. Sabourin, the cruise is not just a job - in fact, a multimillion-dollar-enterprise - and exhausting fun, but also a mission. The organizers seek a diverse cast of performers and passengers. The cruise also raised some $80,000 for Puerto Rico after 2017's devastating Hurricane Maria.

"We're helping bring people joy, helping them learn new things and getting them out of their comfort zone," Mr. Sabourin said. "I want people to be better for having attended this event. Maybe that sounds lofty from someone who writes humorous music for a living, or incongruous for an event happening on a giant floating hotel. But I stand by it."

The third night of the cruise started with an L.G.B.T.-friendly dance party on the open deck of the ship as it slipped out of the pier at Tortola. The mood was light, and the D.J., Riz Rollins, spun songs with his husband, Rob Green. Before his first cruise last year, he said, he'd expected a very white crowd, given the reputation of nerds, but was pleased to encounter a more diverse group. "I didn't know what a 'blerd' was until the cruise," he said, using the portmanteau term for black nerds. He marveled, too, at the degree to which the JoCo culture is participatory. "It's the first time I ever saw people dance - to karaoke."

The next night was supposed to be the biggest show of the trip, an outdoor concert in a San Juan, P.R., park after a day wandering the city. The lineup included well-known performers like Aimee Mann and Jill Sobule, and the headliners were They Might Be Giants. (Ms. Mann, a Grammy-winning singer-songwriter who is anything but nerdy, said in an interview that "It's not really my crowd, but Jonathan encompasses a lot of different things under his umbrella.")

It rained: Off and on, at first, but after Mr. Coulton's performance, and just before They Might Be Giants were supposed to take the stage, it turned into a pounding downpour. Many people sheltered at the open-air bar, which at least had a roof. We were all drenched and cold, and it looked as if the concert had been rained out just before the biggest act. At another music festival, customers might grumble, or even riot. These people began singing.

" Don't stop believing," they belted. The bartenders, loving the happy crowd, handed out rum shots with anise liqueur, and then rum shots with cider, further fueling the ebullient mood.

A chant suddenly went up: "We're going back to the boat! We're going back to the boat!" The musicians had decided to move the equipment back to the Oosterdam to finish the concert there. A crowd that understands probability knew that this might not come off. Making it even less likely was a rule that guests have to be off a boat one hour before its scheduled departure. If they were not, the cruise line could be fined tens of thousands of dollars. The deadline was midnight. And it was already well after 10 p.m.

Shoes squelching and fingers pruny, we hustled back to the ship in the rain, and into a lengthy security line. Mr. Coulton and the Giants' John Linnell (the one who plays the accordion) rushed by to the right of the line, wet and bedraggled but determined. The crowd cheered them on.

Back on the ship and after a lightning-fast sound check, the doors to the ship's main performance hall opened. It was just after 11. The audience rushed in. Many had taken a moment to return to their cabins to towel off, and were wearing everything from Holland America Line bathrobes to bathing suits and footed pajamas. The band blazed through a 50-minute set, with crowd-pleasing hits like "Birdhouse in Your Soul" and "Dr. Worm." They hustled off the stage by 11:55, and were off the boat at precisely one minute before midnight.

As Mr. Linnell stepped off the ship, his hair still damp, he said, "It seemed impossible."

But somehow, it had worked. Once again, beauty had emerged from chaos, another train wreck on a boat - or off of it, technically, and then back on it again - had been averted. With even more chaos, even more beauty, and joy.
52 PLACES AND MUCH, MUCH MORE Follow our 52 Places traveler, Sebastian Modak, on Instagram as he travels the world, and discover more Travel coverage by following us on Twitter and Facebook. And sign up for our Travel Dispatch newsletter: Each week you'll receive tips on traveling smarter, stories on hot destinations and access to photos from all over the world.

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What Happens When You Put 2,000 Nerds on a Boat?

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You get the JoCo Cruise, and it's an annual gathering for those who love sci-fi, games with many-sided dice and the musician Jonathan Coulton. It is the first concert of the JoCo Cruise 2019, and things are going so wrong. The musicians can't hear themselves sing. Instruments drop out at random.

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Here's what a published author says about JoCo Cruise...

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Here's what a published author says about JoCo Cruise...

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Those of you who follow me on social media probably know that for the last several years, I've been a part of the JoCo Cruise. What's more, over the last couple years, they've brought on Worldbuilders as their official charity, and they donate a portion of the proceeds every year. (More on that later, for those of you who are fans of Worldbuilders.)

For those of you who don't know, (and why would you, because I haven't ever written a blog about it, though I've meant to for years) JoCo Cruise is kinda like a convention, except it's on a cruise ship. So you can go to a panel about writing, go to workshop about game design, then go and drink rum out of an actual Pineapple on a beach. Or go snorkling. Or sit by the pool. Or go listen to some live music. Or hang out with your fellow geeks and play games. By the pool, at the bar. With, and I cannot stress this enough, rum.

If that wasn't cool enough, last year the cruise took over the *entire* boat. So not only are there no normal cruise-goers giving us the side-eye. But we have full control over all the event spaces, so the amount of programming has become truly insane.

You can see the full schedule from last year right here, just so you know the scale of what I'm talking about.

(Some of the guests from a previous cruise.)

This year is only going to be bigger and better, and booking has been going on for a while now.

It's a chunk of change. But if you're in the habit of going to conventions, you know that after you factor in hotel rooms, taxis, all your meals, badges, and extra events, you can easily spend as much as the cruise just attending a 4 day convention. More if it's a convention like San Diego Comic con...

And this cruise isn't just four days. It's a 7-night, 8-day trip, with stuff going on literally at all hours. And the price includes all the JoCo Cruise events, 24 hour room service, all your onboard meals, use of the onboard gym, etc etc.

But Pat, I hear you say, "What sort of things happen on the cruise?"

Honestly? So much stuff. It's almost ridiculous to try to mention all of it.

There's performances every night. Dozens of musicians. Last year there were some cool magicians I've since seen on TV. Last year we had Nightvale on board, and I participated in one of their shows.

I myself usually do some panels, some readings, some performances.

Well, there's usually a fair number of podcast recordings, like the one I did with Max last year...

"Hey Pat."
"Yeah Max?"
"Hey Pat."
"YEAH MAX?"@JoCoCruise @MaxTemkin @PatrickRothfuss #unattendedconsequences #jococruise2017 pic.twitter.com/j0IcyFemXT

- Kerry (@kerryforward) March 15, 2017

This year, I've let Paul and Storm know that I want to sing at least once.... So there will be that train wreck to watch as well...

Tak made its debut on the Cruise, and was first playtested there. This year Travis McElroy is going to be there. So I'm guessing we'll have some fun and games with him. And some D&D if I have anything to say about it...

There are things like the Gaming Room and Library, where you can settle in and play a board game with anyone who happens to pass by.

There's concerts every night that have performers like The Doubleclicks, Paul & Storm, Jonathan Coulton, and so many more.

(Jonathan Coulton, complete with Zombies trying to eat his brains, here.)

(Jean Grey here. I became a fan of hers *because* I saw her on the cruise.)

And, I mean, you're on a CRUISE.

For those of you curious about the price, here's someone's complete breakdown of all of the costs associated with this trip:

Today on @thebillfold: The Cost of Attending #jococruise2017 https://t.co/sb3gXAoB8w

- Nicole Dieker (@HelloTheFuture) March 14, 2017

"But Pat!" I hear you cry. "The cruise isn't until February, why would I want to book so soon?"

Well, there are a few reasons...

First of all the sooner you book, the more options you get for booking your cabins. Actual cabin placement is made in order of booking, with preference for folks who have booked early.

There's also a " Refer a Friend" program where folks who already booked on the 2018 cruise can refer a friend. When both of them make their booking they'll each receive a $125 onboard credit to their accounts, which they can use for fancy food, adult beverages, or buying merch and swag in the stores onboard. You can read up on the full info here, but it's a limited time offer, so book soon.

If you don't already have a friend sailing on board, there's another special opportunity you can take advantage of: the Worldbuilders Charity Booking.

If you enter the offer code "worldbuilders" when booking a new cabin, two things will happen:

1. Worldbuilders will receive a $250 donation on your behalf

2. Everyone in your booking will have guaranteed attendance at a special onboard meetup with me.

This doesn't count if you make a booking and cancel, obviously, and there's a couple of other rules and restrictions as well ( all of which you can read here) but once again, it's a limited time offer, so if you're hoping to get in on this one you should book now.

There's also ALSO a Child discount of $250 per child under the age of 3 (at the time of sailing). That's gonna be true the whole time, but it was still worth noting. I almost always bring my boys, and it's a ton of fun to have them there. Oot wants nothing more than to spend as much time as humanly possible in the on-ship pool.

Anyway, there's a whole bunch of options, all broken down on their Pricing Page, but, as with everything, the sooner you book, the better off you are.

So... yeah. There's a reason I go on this every year. It's a lot of fun.

One thing I learned in working with Nerdcon is that no matter how cool something is, there's no guarantee it's going to last forever. So if you've been thinking about it for a while, maybe jump in and try it this year.

Here's the booking link one more time.

Hope to see some of you there,

pat

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Those of you who follow me on social media probably know that for the last several years, I've been a part of the JoCo Cruise. What's more, over the last couple years, they've brought on Worldbuilders as their official charity, and they donate a portion of the proceeds every year.

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So..There Are Beautiful Photos..but what is JoCo Cruise about?

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So..There Are Beautiful Photos..but what is JoCo Cruise about?

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Wanna know what all the excitement is about with conventions?

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Another Gen Con convention experience with a balloon sculpture

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Exotic Location from travel from JoCo Cruise convention

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Cabo Saint Lucas, location port for JoCo Cruise convention

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First Balloon Sculpture at Gen Con

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If you need further tips on making friends, the article below is good reference.

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This past weekend, I had the pleasure to attend Otakon in Baltimore, Maryland. This was the last year that the convention was held in Baltimore and the convention definitely went out with a bang. From an amazing show floor and a welcoming mass of fans to the high energy of their "dance" (aka rave) and so much more, I could not have wished for a more fun or exciting experience to end Otakon's run in Maryland. However, what really set this convention apart was how many people I got to meet and become friends with over the course of those three days. As such, I wanted to offer a few tips to others on making friends at a convention.

1. Respect and Consent

I'm going to give some tips here on how to make friends, but at the end of the day, the biggest thing you need to keep in mind is respect. Not everyone is going to want to talk with you. Not everyone is going to want to keep in contact after a conversation. Not everyone is friendly and respectful. As with making friends outside of a convention, the key to starting off any friendship is with respect. If someone is giving you the "please dear god, leave me alone" vibe, gracefully step away. If they turn their body away, that is a clear sign the conversation is ended. Do not engage in any physical contact without permission - this includes hugs. If they are also excited to talk, join in the excitement. If they are enthusiastic and you want to ask to chat later, ask politely. But everyone has the right to say no and to walk away. Not everyone you meet is going to be your friend: some may just be acquaintances for the day, others may become friends you see only at cons, others still may just blow you off. You never know until you try. And the only way to try is to be respectful.

2. Common Interests

Now this may seem kind of silly seeing as if you are at a convention, you would naturally assume that everyone would have the same common interests. Not the case. Otakon is primarily an anime convention that hosts a number of panels, anime showings, artists, animators, and voice actors/actresses of the field. But, that does not mean you wouldn't also find select niches of Star Wars, Harry Potter, steampunk, comic books, and other geekery of all kinds there as well. This is true for almost any convention at this point. When heading to a convention, it is definitely a good idea to check out forums and Facebook groups before hand, particularly about specific fandoms you are interested in.

Prior to any convention, I take a look at Facebook and join general convention groups as well as specific meetups. Generally, these are meant for cosplayers, but anyone from a fandom is welcome to the meetup to not only take pictures, but to also get to know each other. People tend to be a bit more open and sociable when given the opportunity to communicate via the Internet so by joining these groups, you can meet and discuss with other fans prior to the convention. It's a great way to ease yourself into the situation.

3. The Line Game

At every convention you go to, you are going to end up in a line whether it is to pick up a badge, attend a panel, or just to move to a different location within the center. During this time, you'll be in close proximity to other con-goers and, for a particular long line, you may be near each other for quite some time. I have found that this is the perfect opportunity to strike up conversation with my fellow line members, sometimes just to pass the time and other time to make a new friend. There are two key aspects to keep in mind during this time: body language and, again, common interest.

For the first, it is important to note the body language and vibe you're getting from whomever you are thinking of striking up a conversation with. If they are standing there, with their arms crossed and their eyes glued to their phone screen, it's best to leave them alone. Unless, of course, they are playing Pokemon Go, in which case you are required to discuss how difficult it is to find or hatch a Lapras and your woes over your friend catching a Dragonite out in California. Which leads us straight back to common interest.

Take note of what the person is wearing or pins on bags or, if they are with someone else, what they are discussing. You're going to be so close to each other you are going to overhear conversations no matter how hard you try to avoid them and nine times out of ten, if there is a lull in their conversation and you turn and offer your input, a conversation will begin. If you see someone wearing a Kill la Kill shirt and you want to share your thoughts on how much you love/hate the show, now's the time. If you overhear them discussing the new Ghostbuster movie, by all means, respectfully join in their conversation. We're all fans and we want to share our passion.

4. Extending the Friendship

Here is the part where a lot of people get hung up at a convention and don't know how to transition from "Hey, I just met you" to "You seem pretty chill and I'd love to hang out some more.". The easiest way to do this is to simply be honest and straight forward. I have found a "Hey, this has been a great conversation. I was going to head to [common interest] panel today. Did you want to meet up beforehand?" or "Hey, this has been a great conversation. Could we exchange numbers/Facebook/Tumblr/Myspace?" Always offer an option and give the person an out. Someone may not be comfortable with giving out their number. Someone may not want to meetup again. Never demand and never follow a person. That is going to lead to you a) looking like a creeper and b) getting you either spoken to or kicked out of a convention.

After you have made plans or exchanged information, do not blow up their social media or phone. Sending a quick "It was great meeting you!" is a great way to open the doors for further interaction. If they respond, feel free to start a new conversation, just as you would with any other person you are trying to become friends with. Remember: Respect and common interest. I know I've said them several times throughout this piece, but they really are the cornerstone to any friendship.

So there you have it: my tips on making friends at a convention. These are not the end all, be all when it comes to interacting with new people. Nor is it a sure-fire way to make friends. But they are ideas and beliefs that have worked for me. When you're out at your next convention, just remember to be respectful, focus on common interests, and most importantly be yourself. At the end of the day, we're all a bunch of nerds sharing our passion at a convention.

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This past weekend, I had the pleasure to attend Otakon in Baltimore, Maryland. This was the last year that the convention was held in Baltimore and the convention definitely went out with a bang.

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Below is an article that highlights and gives advice on meeting people at a convention

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Going to a convention can be a very fun experience and a frightening one. While you're happy to go to dig further into your hobby or interest you're going to have to talk to people. Here are a few tips to make going to conventions easier.

Common misconceptions

One of the key things that you need to get through your head with convention is this: these people like the same things you do. A convention is set up precisely so that you can meet!

That makes talking to people at a convention a lot easier than just talking to a random stranger. At least at the convention you know that you have something in common.

Second thing: people who are showcasing something at a convention are excited to tell others about their thing, whatever that may be. Whether it's a boardgame, a new comic, their costume, whatever: they are happy to tell you all about it!

And third: there are people at the convention who are just as terrified or as awkward at talking to other people as you. If you see a fellow loner at a convention just walk up to them and ask one of the conversation starters that you can find down below.

They will probably be very grateful to finally have someone to talk to!

Keep those three things in mind at all times. Save them in a text on your phone if that helps you!

A - You have something in common

B - These people WANT to talk to you about their interest!

C - There are always others like you. Find them and make them your ally

Starting a conversation

Ok, with the mindset issue addressed it's time to move on to actually talking to people.

Let's say you're going to a games convention that focuses on boardgames, RPGs and tabletop games.

You've spotted a game that looks interesting and you want to know more about it. But here's the problem: people are already playing it.

You don't have to immediately step in and start a conversation or see if you can join the game. Just walk up to them and ask if you can just watch.

Just ask: hey, your game looks interesting, mind if I just watch as you play and maybe ask the occasional question?

That's all that you need to do. Barring a few assholes virtually everyone will agree. They might even invite you to play along next round/next game (if applicable of course) or they'll start to explain the game to you.

By asking this question you also avoid the "third wheel" risk of interrupting a private session or special situation. You show that you don't want to interrupt and that you are interested.

And again: these people are very happy to tell you about their game! Otherwise they wouldn't be showcasing it at a convention.

What if you have to wait for other people?

Let's say you're going to a convention with some friends. Maybe you arrive early or they arrive late. Now you're stuck without a squad. Crap.

Not to worry, this is perfect practice or observation time!

Get a drink and park yourself somewhere where you can just watch others. Take some time to watch people's body language for example. You can watch:

Their feet - these indicate intended direction of travel

Their general posture - are they nervous?

Their face - what expressions do you see?

Now don't be a stalker about this. That's not the point here. Just be a fly on the wall and see what interesting behavior you can spot.

The best time to practice social skills is when you do not have a buddy. That's when it comes down to you and your actions. Try a conversation opener:

Hey! What interesting games have you seen so far?

Hey, what's your favorite game at the moment?

Hi, I'm looking for <insert game type>, have any good suggestions?

Those three can start a very interesting conversation about all sorts of games that you might have heard of yet. And who knows, by the time your friends (finally!) show up you might have made a new friend.

The key thing

The most important thing here is to have fun. Have fun practicing, have fun talking to people with the same interests and laugh along with others.

Yes, a convention can be exhausting, but it'll only be as awkward as you make it.

Good luck and have fun! 🙂

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Going to a convention can be a very fun experience and a frightening one. While you're happy to go to dig further into your hobby or interest you're going to have to talk to people. Here are a few tips to make going to conventions easier.