Conventions & Events

Origins Game Fair 2023: Inclusivity

Origins Game Fair 2023 Featured

For several years before the pandemic, pride parades occurred the same weekend as Origins. For most of us, this was a welcomed occasion, despite the increased traffic and congested restaurants. While the typical parade didn’t occur this year, the Pride Gamers of Columbus had a room prominently displayed with a rainbow banner near registration and badge collection—not some corner of the convention center. With unabashed visibility at the forefront, Origins continues to demonstrate its acceptance and support of all individuals, and that is as important as ever with the current dialogue and proposed legislation in the US.

Steering away from politics, Origins has made its harassment policy incredibly clear, as it consistently has in recent years. Masks were welcome but by no means mandatory, and several booths in the dealer’s hall offered books, games, and artwork that were LGBT-friendly. Origins has done admirable work in improving the safety and acceptance of all people and continues to tout this important banner.

Upon visiting the Pride Gamers of Columbus each day, I was greeted warmly, and the room offered raffles, artwork competitions, and casual, child-friendly games on most of the tables within. While not crowded, the room was always busy with people enjoying life-size King of Tokyo, conversation, or information offered by the organization’s representatives. If you have the time in future years, you should stop by and say hi. My daughter and I had a grand old time participating in the art competition and Hungry Hungry Hippos.

Origins 2023 Polymorph Table
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.