Rick D. Day ([info]rick_day) wrote in [info]dragoncon,
@ 2008-05-06 20:43:00
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The Klingon wants to know
Poll #1183875 What is DragonCon
Open to: All, detailed results viewable to: All

DragonCon is now a

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Sci-Fi Fantasy convention
136 (48.9%)

Popular Culture Convention
142 (51.1%)

if you think it is a Popluar Culture Convention

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It should include some adult content
182 (85.0%)

it should avoid all adult content
32 (15.0%)

I would like for DragonCon to be a

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Generally Youth Oriented Convention
3 (1.1%)

Generally Adult Oriented Convention
56 (20.2%)

Both, separated physically by hotel.
57 (20.6%)

Just like it is
161 (58.1%)


(Post a new comment)


[info]storm_dancer
2008-05-07 05:55 am UTC (link)
I think you've made a false dichotomy: with the recent surge of sci-fi and comics into mainstream, we ARE pop culture.

(Reply to this)(Thread)

[info]astaria51
2008-05-07 06:21 am UTC (link)
I agree whole-heartedly.

(Reply to this)(Parent)

[info]robio
2008-05-07 12:23 pm UTC (link)
While I'd agree with that statement, you can't tell me that DragonCon isn't taking more and more strides into a non sci-fi territory. For instance, try as anyone might, you just can't spin that the panels on Happy Days had anything remotely to do with sci-fi.

(Reply to this)(Parent)(Thread)
(no subject) - [info]rick_day, 2008-05-07 12:48 pm UTC
(no subject) - [info]9jack9, 2008-05-07 02:27 pm UTC
(no subject) - [info]robio, 2008-05-07 03:10 pm UTC
Coke - [info]9jack9, 2008-05-07 03:41 pm UTC
(no subject) - [info]hazelwitch, 2008-05-08 04:52 am UTC

[info]anais_pf
2008-05-07 06:07 am UTC (link)
Sigh. I have no idea. I've never attended. I'd be interested in hearing what YOU think on this subject.

(Reply to this)(Thread)

[info]rick_day
2008-05-07 01:55 pm UTC (link)
I am all for allowing access to information in educating consenting adults in all things they are capable of sampling as they go through life.

Dragon*Con would be an excellent forum. I am sure it would attract MORE family participation because it would give Mom and Dad something extra to do during the evening, while their kiddos frolic the day events away.

(Reply to this)(Parent)

[info]jarissa
2008-05-07 06:52 am UTC (link)
If it'd been available, I probably would've picked "Media Convention" -- but so many different things qualify as "fantasy" nowadays, what with urban fantasy and alternate history and "a movie with Johnny Depp" fantasy and, well, I guess it'd be simpler if I just offer bet a peanut butter sandwich that Selina Rosen can turn anything you name into some sort of sci-fi/fantasy short story. Probably not a Rated G one, either.

(Reply to this)

[info]indigoskynet
2008-05-07 11:22 am UTC (link)
Answer choices are a little too limited to suit me.

(Reply to this)(Thread)

[info]rick_day
2008-05-07 12:47 pm UTC (link)
um, then

A. skip it

or

B. make your own



:)

(Reply to this)(Parent)

[info]mrdennings
2008-05-07 12:20 pm UTC (link)
I would have to ask why are you making "adult content" exclusive only to Pop culture and excluding it from Sci-Fi/Fantasy? I would have to ask if you have seen Battlestar Galactica in that show they frack like bunnies.

(Reply to this)(Thread)

[info]rick_day
2008-05-07 01:46 pm UTC (link)
I have not.

I don't 'do' television.

sorry.

(Reply to this)(Parent)(Thread)
(no subject) - [info]strega42, 2008-05-07 03:28 pm UTC
(no subject) - [info]rick_day, 2008-05-07 07:18 pm UTC

[info]numbereleven
2008-05-07 02:17 pm UTC (link)
Agreed. Buffy's got some adult content that makes my mother leave the room.

Not to mention some of the sci-fi/fantasy costumes! Those alone set DC at an adult level, I believe.

(Reply to this)(Parent)

[info]numbereleven
2008-05-07 12:45 pm UTC (link)
Why does its pop culture standing affect its adult content?

I've always viewed it as such. For the past three years, at least.

(Reply to this)(Thread)

[info]rick_day
2008-05-07 01:51 pm UTC (link)
Because the Pop Culture genre is much broader a level of subject matter than just sci-fi/fantasy.

Believe it or not, there are a majority of people who have never *gasp* played DnD or WOW, or even know the name of anything written by Ursula K.!

Its also easier for the DC directors to approve something of adult content (such as polyamory in literature and society) with a "popular" cultural event, than a "Sci-fi" specific (polyamory on Dune) session.

Indeed an entire 'adult oriented' TRACK could be conceivably created, if held under the Pop Culture umbrella of guideline.

(Reply to this)(Parent)(Thread)
(no subject) - [info]jellibean, 2008-05-07 03:16 pm UTC
(no subject) - [info]numbereleven, 2008-05-07 03:51 pm UTC
(no subject) - [info]rick_day, 2008-05-07 06:59 pm UTC
(no subject) - [info]jellibean, 2008-05-07 07:12 pm UTC
(no subject) - [info]rick_day, 2008-05-07 07:17 pm UTC

[info]fierymermaid
2008-05-07 02:04 pm UTC (link)
I'm gonna guess that if D*C marketed itself purely as pop culture, then that would go hand-in-hand with an effort to be more "mainstream." Usually mainstream efforts mean trying to make things kiddie-friendly. Just look at anime conventions in recent years. I started going when anime was sooo not mainstream (you had to get your stuff on fansub videotapes). Most attendees at cons back then were college age and older. As such, the con had a more adult vibe. Now anime is is getting pretty mainstream and almost all anime cons are marketed as "family friendly" and are full of kids and have very strict rules. Most anime cons now have rules that say you can only have cardboard prop weapons with your costume. Why? Cause dumb kids hurt each other with weapons in years before (at AWA one year, some stupid kid got a sword from the dealer room and almost cute a woman's ear off when he was swinging it around).

(Reply to this)(Parent)(Thread)
(no subject) - [info]rick_day, 2008-05-07 02:08 pm UTC
(no subject) - [info]numbereleven, 2008-05-07 02:09 pm UTC
(no subject) - [info]fierymermaid, 2008-05-07 03:38 pm UTC
(no subject) - [info]numbereleven, 2008-05-07 03:49 pm UTC
(no subject) - [info]fierymermaid, 2008-05-07 04:13 pm UTC

[info]puzzleoflight
2008-05-07 02:15 pm UTC (link)
There is adult content at Dragon*Con and has been for years. Spat-Cave, anyone?

(Reply to this)

[info]tiaralynn
2008-05-07 02:20 pm UTC (link)
The vibe behind question strikes me as a bit elitist, akin to the snobbish kids who won't listen to their favorite indie band when they become "mainstream" (or people who "don't DO tv", as if those of us who do are somehow deficient). Comics, SciFi, it's all a part of pop culture, but I think DragonCon is ABSOLUTELY SciFi/Fantasy. There aren't tracks celebrating Judd Apatow, Grey's Anatomy or trends in Chick-Lit. It's a very targeted audience; just because elements of SciFi culture are becoming mainstream doesn't mean D*Con has ceased to be a niche con. It doesn't make smaller Cons superior simply because D*Con is well-attended by geeks at all levels, from uber-fans to Dude-Who-Kinda-Likes-Star-Wars.

As for the adult content, why the hell not I suppose, within limits. I think it's awesome that families bring their kids -- it's cool seeing a geek dad with his geek kid running around being geeky -- so I think there needs to be room for both. But "adult" needs to be defined as well, I think. If we're talking explicit, then it definitely needs to be confined to an area out of respect for anyone who doesn't care to see it. I'd argue that the panels and discussions are definitely "grown-up" content, if not "adult".

(Reply to this)(Thread)

[info]jellibean
2008-05-07 03:13 pm UTC (link)
just because elements of SciFi culture are becoming mainstream doesn't mean D*Con has ceased to be a niche con. It doesn't make smaller Cons superior simply because D*Con is well-attended by geeks at all levels, from uber-fans to Dude-Who-Kinda-Likes-Star-Wars.

Well-said all-around, but especially this. I don't think Dragon*Con is going that 'mainstream,' it's just that the Sci-Fi/Fantasy genre is. And I agree with your distinction between "grown-up" and "adult." I wouldn't mind some adult-themed panels, but that's not the main focus of Dragon*Con, and I like it that way.

(Reply to this)(Parent)
(no subject) - [info]numbereleven, 2008-05-07 03:54 pm UTC
(no subject) - [info]weswilson, 2008-05-08 01:01 am UTC
(no subject) - [info]numbereleven, 2008-05-08 01:17 am UTC
(no subject) - [info]mephron, 2008-05-08 02:45 pm UTC

[info]soultron
2008-05-07 02:30 pm UTC (link)
Where's the option for DragonCon no longer gives 2 shits about gamers and therefore I won't be going anymore.

(Reply to this)(Thread)
(no subject) - [info]rick_day, 2008-05-07 02:37 pm UTC
(no subject) - [info]robio, 2008-05-07 03:08 pm UTC
(no subject) - [info]numbereleven, 2008-05-07 03:58 pm UTC
(no subject) - [info]robio, 2008-05-07 04:08 pm UTC
(no subject) - [info]numbereleven, 2008-05-07 04:36 pm UTC
(no subject) - [info]pagan3000, 2008-05-07 06:23 pm UTC

[info]caravankidd
2008-05-07 02:49 pm UTC (link)
Does seem like every years it's less about us geeks and getting more geared toward people who see themselves as pop culture enough to not count themselves as geeks.

Don't really see it doing well forever as everything must be kid friendly. It's nice that a whole family of geeks can enjoy the con, but shocking as it might seem some geeks don't have kids. Of course you don't want it all adult either because there are some pretty cool kids things on TV like Transformers Animated.

So maybe the answer really is both but they could use a system like the games and movies us so parents would know what's okay for the kids and what they shouldn't take the kids to.

Kind of have your cake and it too. Fun for the kids so we have a next generation of geeks while still letting the adults geeks enjoy the fun of being an adult geek so they can pester their non-geek friends with stuff like I got drunk with a green woman just like Kirk in Star Trek.

(Reply to this)

[info]nsingman
2008-05-07 04:03 pm UTC (link)
I'll freely confess that I'm biased. I'd like to get rid of the kids just because it would cut down on attendance by several thousand, and Dragon*Con has been ridiculously overcrowded for years.

(Reply to this)

[info]danceswthcobras
2008-05-07 04:09 pm UTC (link)
Realistically people of adult interests *are* going to attend DragonCon due to the overlap between fandom and polyamory, leather/BDSM and GLBT. The convention can either give the adult track its own space and strict instructions to keep all adult costumes and activities in that space, or deal with the fact that it's going to be wandering the halls and showing up at random parties. Currently it's wandering the halls because it doesn't have a designated space, and that's not necessarily the best situation for the family folks who don't want their kids to see "Slave Princess Leia" wearing a costume made of three bottle caps and a handkerchief using a flogger on a well endowed transvestite from the Rocky Horror Picture Show.

(Reply to this)(Thread)
(no subject) - [info]fierymermaid, 2008-05-07 04:18 pm UTC
(no subject) - [info]numbereleven, 2008-05-07 04:39 pm UTC
(no subject) - [info]izzy23, 2008-05-07 04:43 pm UTC
(no subject) - [info]fierymermaid, 2008-05-07 05:13 pm UTC
(no subject) - [info]fierymermaid, 2008-05-07 05:15 pm UTC
(no subject) - [info]jellibean, 2008-05-07 07:19 pm UTC

[info]livvylove
2008-05-07 06:27 pm UTC (link)
I typically go to Anime cons that have a younger audience. I'm 25 and my friends have told me that Dragon*Con is much more fun because of the minimal kiddies running around. So I am excited to be going to my first Dragon*Con this year. So I can't reply to poll but I'm interested to see how this con will be since it's not family friendly and that's the reason why I wanted to try it out.

(Reply to this)(Thread)
(no subject) - [info]ninsianna, 2008-05-07 06:59 pm UTC
(no subject) - [info]livvylove, 2008-05-07 07:14 pm UTC
(no subject) - [info]orcapotter, 2008-05-08 01:26 am UTC
(no subject) - [info]mephron, 2008-05-08 02:57 pm UTC

[info]philstar22
2008-05-07 08:14 pm UTC (link)
I'm all for adult content, but I'd like to keep the convention generally sci-fi and fantasy related. Things slightly connected like science fact is okay, but I think that popular culture content not related to sci-fi or fantasy should be kept to a minimum.

(Reply to this)

[info]weswilson
2008-05-08 01:03 am UTC (link)
I think that there is a place for adult content in conventions, but Dragon is not the place I want it. This is the place I want to take my kids to show them how much fun being a dork can be. I think the room parties are the place for adult content.

(Reply to this)(Thread)
(no subject) - [info]rick_day, 2008-05-08 01:09 am UTC
(no subject) - [info]weswilson, 2008-05-08 01:15 am UTC

[info]orcapotter
2008-05-08 01:21 am UTC (link)
I honestly think it's great just the way it is. I'm 25 and have been going to anime cons for the past five years, and just as many have noted already, as anime/manga becomes more mainstream, the more accessibility the younger folks have. As result, the maturity levels and offerings at anime-centered cons have gone downhill as far as keeping the adult interest.

D*Con has always been a sci-fi/fantasy con, and it has always been adult oriented. Personally, and call me biased since I have no interest in "adult-themed" topics, I don't see how that has any place in a sci-fi/fantasy con where it's not applied to, well, science fiction and fantasy. If you want a panel on sexuality as presented in Battlestar Galactica or a presentation of Klingon sex toys, sure, have at it. But to have a general adult-themed oriented track distracts from the overall focus of the con. This is not necessarily in retaliation that families with children shouldn't be exposed to such things, but as a sci-fi/fantasy fan, I know I don't want to see that sort of stuff. Granted, if the Powers That Be decide to offer such things, I would hope they would do so tastefully -- sorta like how it's an unspoken rule that the more adult costumes are reserved for late-night.

On the flip-side, I sure hope that D*Con DOES NOT begin to censor things in favor of attracting more kiddies. IMHO, if your child is not mature enough or old enough to be exposed to Adult Geeks At Play, hire a babysitter or drop them off at Grandma's. You are doing yourself and others a disservice by having a kid who clearly cannot appreciate or take advantage of what and adult convention has to offer running around and being a chore. That goes the same for the tweens and teens ... that's why so many older anime fans have stopped attending anime cons; they are now primarily breeding grounds for yaoi paddles and violent fan behavior.

So keep Dragon*con as-is, please.

(Reply to this)(Thread)
(no subject) - [info]rick_day, 2008-05-08 02:48 am UTC

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