Thank you for talking about this, so I know it happened. If I can do anything to make this better for you directly, please let me know.

Whining that a playtest isn't "fully ready" doesn't live up to METATOPIA's intention. I'll ponder what was can do to reinforce the expectation setting we do. And to reiterate that we expect people to treat each others' vulnerability with appropriate compassion.

If someone's acting outside the spirit of the event, and is demonstrating that they don't understand the social contract, I encourage people to let me know.
I would treat it with the same discretion as a code of conduct report - confidential unless you ask me to take action.

Whoa. Not cool!

I'm really sorry - that isn't the spirit of the event at all.

there are so few circumstances in where I'm likely to cheer for this. most of them on this timeline.

Oh, I 100% was addressing the experience of folks in the US/Canada currently. In other places, there are other "safety nets" - ones that aren't invisible, like formal support for "the arts", universal healthcare, etc.

for any of our conventions, if a membership and a place to sleep are someone's biggest barriers, connect us. I can almost always help.

but even if we didn't have that support, I can almost always trade a membership for help actually pulling this improbable thing together - helping set up the tech, making sure panel recordings are happening properly, etc.

METATOPIA, in particular, has a silent donor who covers a small handful of memberships for designers who wouldn't otherwise be able to attend, in addition to the IGDN sponsorships.

please reach out to me next year. I'll find a spot for you.

Though.I might challenge the original framing. I don't know many people any more who work any job full-time that is their only gig, and not rely on other folks to make ends meet - financially or practically. Everyone is a dual (or more) income household, whether or not they're in a creative field.

I spend SO MUCH TIME telling new people trying to hop into games publishing that they aren't going to support themselves (much less multiple people) quickly, if ever. Even with crowd-funding, without being setup to run a business makes it a shaky proposition at best.

and the right degree of exactly tacky enough. 🥰

I run METATOPIA. It's too late to put playtests on the schedule, but if you're available to come up this weekend, I can give you a badge and a place to stay. email me (avonelle at dexposure dot com) if you want to discuss.