SHOULD YOU GO TO A GDQ (SGDQ, OR AGDQ):

Summary of Event:
GDQs are not like normal cons. Cons tend to have a lot more structured activity. PAX will have booths, panels, parties, etc., but they’ll also close by midnight. GDQs don’t really have a lot of structure at the moment, but the marathons are contained in hotels that have 24/7 access, with some activities that are akin to freeplay arcades. If you’ve ever been to MAGFest, the atmosphere at a GDQ is closest to that, the event is about people hanging out moreso than people going to see stuff. This makes sense given the context: A lot of attendees are runners or friends of runners that have known other attendees for months and years, and they’d rather hang out than do anything marathon specific.

REQUIREMENTS TO ATTEND:
Friends that are also attending. This is the biggy. If you attend alone without knowing anybody there, it’s going to be very difficult to find people to hang out with. Not so much because you’re an awful goon (you are the best!!), but because most people are already there with friends. That said, if you have a couple of friends, it’s super fun, and makes it easier to meet people, and you can book a room to save $$!

If you want to go to a GDQ, but don’t know anyone, hit up Discords. SA has a discord, start with that. If there’s a run you REALLY like and REALLY know a lot about, you can hop into that community discord and just shoot the shit about the game. I’m not going to give an intro in making internet friends, but the event seems tragic if you go alone.

You have to be willing to create your own entertainment as well. There just isn’t enough “official” stuff to do for a full week. If you attend for a couple of days then it’s not really a problem, but if you go on arrival day and leave the day after the marathon ends, that’s 8 nights at a hotel. That’s a LOT of time to chill in a hotel room and watch speedruns.


QUESTIONS

Are people gross?
Physically? Not really. The arcade rooms will smell if there’s rhythm games like DDR, but generally there isn’t a nerd stench. It’s still around though, hidden and smelly.

Mentally? Not really. People will joke or make small talk, but people generally aren’t dickheads and stick to themselves until you start a conversation. That said, I totally have met assholes, and you’ll hear about occasional people being assholes (like, harassing a larger streamer that had lost world record recently). There are also a non-insignificant amount of drunk people after midnight, but they’re usually contained to hotel rooms.

Is it a better way to watch runs?
It’s different. It’s harder to watch a lot of runs since you have to physically be in the space (though hotel tv or laptops are always an option), but it’s pretty cool embrace the energy of the runs or talk with other people about them as they happen live, in front of you. If you want to watch like 90 hours of speedruns though, toss it on a second monitor and save the trip.

Is there stuff to do around the hotel?
I honestly don’t know since the hotels have been varying. AGDQ will probably be at a new venue (the current one did not fit us), and that hotel was in the world’s most boring part of Virginia. SGDQ took place in Minneapolis, which was cool as heck and you could do lots of Minneapolis things while attending (go to museums, bars, etc). Also this is my promotion for Minneapolis even though I only lived there one year: It’s cool!



LISTS OF STUFF

I would attend a GDQ if:
I knew people that would attend with me
I’m comfortable creating my own entertainment
It was in an area I would like to visit


SAMPLE DAY – Note how most of the activities are “Do Stuff Not Directly Related to Marathon.” I also work a later shift than most people on the West Coast, so my sleep schedule is absolutely terrible for local times at a GDQ.
Noon: Wake up
By 1 PM: Shower (please), get dressed, see how donations are doing
By 2 PM: Find a couple of friends, go to lunch at a nearby restaurant
By 4 PM: Do something local to the area (See landmark, game store, Escape Room)
By 5 PM/Whenever Make it back to the hotel
By 8 PM: Play some board games
By 9 PM: Eat dinner, either another restaurant, or something at the hotel
By 1 AM: Drink and play video games/watch movies/etc.
By 3 AM: Hang out, let the alcohol settle, possibly wander around marathon space once sober
By 4 AM: Sleep

Official stuff to do in Past-GDQs, no promise they’ll be doable in the future:
Play Pinball
Play Arcade Games
Play Console Games (games checked out and managed by World 9)
Play your own Console Games (Rock Band, goofy bad games, etc.)
Play Board Games (not really officially managed, but volunteer ran?)
Play PC Games (they’re not great PCs)
Play in tournaments (Attendee ran, generally very casual)
Play Super Smash Bros. Melee
Eat Food
Watch the marathon
Learn about the charity being supported (More importantly, take a free PCF water bottle and sunglasses)
Volunteer (I honestly recommend Donation Processing. You get to see the donations that don’t make it through. THEY’RE VERY GOOD)


Budgeting:
Biggest factors are Hotel, Travel, and Food

Travel: Depends entirely on where you’re from and where GDQ is. I’ve never paid more than $300, but I’ve also lived near major airports. I would recommend driving if it’s a reasonable option and parking isn’t extremely expensive. Having a car is very useful and will make you everyone’s best friend for entirely shallow reasons. Embrace the popularity.

Hotel: $30ish to $130ish a night, depending on hotel and roommates. Most people room with 3 other people to cut costs and share double beds. I’m getting a little old for this, but it’s not a terrible setup, especially if your group sets up rules in advance. I’m not going to speak for women attendees, but generally I’ve seen women stay with people they know very well, significant others, or with other women.

Food (Cheap) $5 a day
Food (Restaurants) $20-$30 a day.

If you want to be cheap it’s very possible. Hit up the supermarket, grab some bread, PB & J, and use the savings for Melty Blood money matches in a utility closet. Honestly people should probably have some room food just for easy access, and also keep it healthier since restaurants aren’t all that healthy.

For restaurant food, assume $10 to $15 for a large meal, and I eat about 2 large meals a day. The more you do the hungrier you’ll be, which is another argument for having some room food/snacks. It does depend on the area though, SGDQ had more food options, but quite a few were generally more expensive.

Badge: $65?
I forgot the actual price, but I wouldn’t be surprised to see it go up a bit. You can attend the hotel without a badge, but you would have literally no access to marathon space, and GDQs go hard on badge checks, and have gone harder on them over time.


Other costs: Entertainment, Entertainment travel, shopping, expensive meals, YouTube movie rental, donating to the marathon.
Depends on what you want to do. Some runners have gone to the Casino before and blown a ton of money, other people don’t really leave the hotel. It’s a vacation, budget this as you want to.

My 8 night stay for AGDQ 2018 had the following (estimated since I’m on a plane) costs:

Room: $240
Food: $200
Travel: $230
Other Entertainment: $120

So about $850 I also didn’t do any effective budgeting because I worked a ton of overtime before I came and I was literally deflating from lack of stress.