Katsucon 2016 came and went. For an east coast anime fan (and perhaps some people commuting from farther away), Katsucon is one of the more relaxed and fun cons that one could attend. With its gorgeous view of the Maryland harbor and utterly exquisite con center, it’s easy to see how this event could be a highlight of a fan’s year. For many, Katsucon went down without a hitch (barring, perhaps, the fire that happened on Saturday). However, there’s an important issue that needs to be discussed, which, sadly, is not new when it comes to anime conventions.
You all have memories with the Gazebo. Just admit it.
Trashing the con center.
“Trashing” may be a harsh word to use; however, there is no other way for one to describe it. A post circulating on Facebook highlights some of the damages caused by con-goers, including but not limited to: broken light fixtures, actual flooding of hotel rooms and graffitiing “Katsucon 2016” on bathroom stalls (so much for anonymity).
This is Sims 3-level bad.
There are so many reasons why this behavior is abhorrent, but first and foremost I want to think about the people who actually work at these hotels. They don’t get paid enough to clean up this shit. Vacuuming a dirty room is one thing; cleaning up a flooded hotel room is another. We’re adults — we shouldn’t make their jobs any harder than they already are.
Saitama would never do this, and neither should you.
In the same vein as above, we are adults (at least, most of us are). Not only that, we are ambassadors of the anime/video game community (which is kind of a cool title). When people see stuff like this, it gives all fans a bad reputation. Most of us are better than this, it’s true, but the behavior of these few bad apples are enough to ruin it for everyone.
How does one even manage to do this?
If common human decency isn’t enough to change your mind, there are other consequences of bad convention behavior. When cons get trashed, prices go up, and con-goers pay more to get into the con. For smaller cons this can be devastating, but it has its effects on bigger cons as well. You also see stricter enforcement of security at these cons, which doesn’t make it fun for anyone — but in the eyes of the hotel staff, it is necessary. According to con veterans The Dangerous Ladies, there are many changes in hotels' treatment of cons in response to con-goers bad behavior.
“Since maybe 2009-10 or so, Anime North’s Doubletree requires everyone staying in the hotel have a card. There can be no room-stuffing or parties or even visiting friends’ hotel rooms, as you cannot get past security to the stairs/elevators without getting a room key check. Coincidentally, Anime North always looks trashed by the end of the first day anyway –– there usually aren’t enough garbage cans, so people eventually start leaving it strewn everywhere.
"After a few years, AC-Cubed had no events in the hotel – just in the convention center adjacent. There’d be security patrols who would be on you the instant you entered the hotel lobby and practically follow you to the elevators. You were not allowed to linger in the lobby or public areas of the hotel under any circumstances.
"Someone put soap in the fountain at Otakon in 2015, so the fountain got turned off. There were bike police stationed there to supervise anyone going near the fountain for the rest of the weekend. I’m sure the city loves spending on that kind of thing.”
OK, the guy on the left didn't even spell Katsucon correctly.
Am I telling you not to have fun at cons? No. Party, enjoy yourself with your friends and have a good time. But be respectful. Your actions have consequences that reach further than you think. Don’t be that one person that ruins the con for everyone. You want to be able to come back to these cons year after year, after all.
This sage advice doesn’t just apply to anime conventions. It is an age-old lesson that applies anywhere that you are a guest. You wouldn’t flood the guest room at your grandmother’s house, so don’t do it anywhere else.
