Conventions & Events

Origins Game Fair 2019: Attending Origins as a Parent

Origins Game Fair 2019

My wife and I made the big decision to attend Origins as new parents this year. We wanted to bring Zoe to her first gaming convention and share with her something we found incredibly important to us. Although she was only nine months old at the time and probably incapable of remembering anything about the experience, maybe something was tucked away to bring out the best in her. Some of our friends did confess, “You’re bringing her where?! Really? Why!”

Admittedly, a noisy, busy convention center in downtown Columbus may not be the most child-friendly place to bring an infant, but folks might be surprised! The showrunners at Origins have clearly worked hard to make the convention a welcoming place for all people, parents included. Taking place during Pride Festival (as it has in every recent year), Origins has a duty to common sense and inclusivity. Every year, we’ve witnessed improvements in acknowledging and supporting LGBTQ people, whether they’re attending the show officially or not. They’ve made strong public statements about making sure women feel safe no matter how they choose to dress or interact with other attendees. This year, they’ve even added a room for children with autism who may have unique sensory needs.

All of these improvements merit applause, but what I’ll be focusing on here is parental support. Aware that new parents may be bringing loved ones and that gaming continues to become more adult-oriented, Origins offers a day care, nursing station, and quiet space for families. Relatively speaking, each of these facilities are easily accessible, and we had no trouble using any of them. While we didn’t personally take advantage of the day care, we heard praise from several other parents attending the convention.

Several other parents? Yes, we were shocked by how many strollers and just-mobile children we saw all around us this year. Maybe it’s because we’re new parents ourselves, but it seemed like children were everywhere. Beyond the official support from Origins, we didn’t encounter one single person who gave us a dirty look or wasn’t tremendously accommodating. If we were trying to make our way through the busy dealers room or just take an elevator, people enthusiastically moved, oftentimes with a big smile toward little Zoe or with a humorous quip about how we have the right of way. At no point was I made to feel as if we were inconveniencing others, though we obviously made an effort to not get in their way, either.

So will we be bringing Zoe next year? That remains to be seen. The fact of the matter is that no matter how easy the showrunners and attendees tried to make our lives, bringing an infant to this event was sometimes difficult. Much of our time was spent entertaining Zoe, changing diapers, feeding, or just consoling a fussy baby. At night, she was so distraught to be in a new space that it took several hours for her to get to sleep. It’s not that we don’t want to share this part of our lives with her just yet, but the experience maybe wasn’t as beneficial for Zoe as we would have hoped. The upside to this is that grandpa and grandma may get some close bonding time with their granddaughter next June. Despite our challenges, I applaud and acknowledge Origins’ efforts to be inclusive to all people, and we couldn’t be happier with how the convention has grown not only in size but in social awareness.

Jerry Williams

Jerry Williams

Jerry has been reviewing games at RPGFan since 2009. Over that period, he has grown in his understanding that games, their stories and characters, and the people we meet through them can enrich our lives and make us better people. He enjoys keeping up with budding scholarly research surrounding games and their benefits.