I enjoy the process of finding cards I’m after in person which has led me to collect-a-con each year, all things considered it’s been a pleasant experience.
This year was a little different. It felt like primary purpose of the event shifted from buying & selling cards to “content” creation.
Vendor POVs, attendees holding up an entire line to film every card in a case, vendors negotiating “deals” with other vendors (both with cameras pointed at each other), everyone wanting to do a coin flip etc.
I finally just left empty handed because I found the pageantry of the situation exhausting.
Maybe I’m just being dramatic, but if this trend continues, I think it will push all the collectors out of collect-a-con which is a bummer.
I’ll live and let live either way but I’m curious to hear if anyone else feels the same way (vendor or buyer)?
I haven’t been to a convention, but I really REALLY dislike this new attitude that people think they can just film everyone else without their approval.
I was walking around prague a few weeks ago and a young guy practically pounced on a mom pushing her kid in a stroller and shoved a microphone in her face while his friend was filming
Firstly I can only emphathize with your feeling. Changes in cultures to something that we hold so dear and are passionate about can be hard. Although difficult, I personally find these changes inevitable and also out of my control. Considering the environment we live in with social media and digital platforms, everyone seems to be in for their own self interest.
However, I genuinely also believe that there are really good, wholesome and quality people out there who also care deeply about the hobby and everyone involved in it. Just the example of Coop, who I think is a stand up figure and creates quality content. His vendor POV videos show how completely wholesome people within this space can be. I also feel that these videos help bring in the new kids into collecting. Teaching and showing them that it is great to go to these conventions to meet people, interact and make friends while collecting.
I have also been to a few local conventions where I feel the content creation aspect is less compared to the larger, more famous conventions. Smaller places tend to have a more relaxed atmosphere where not everyone is chasing after the clicks. I think these can be helpful to not get completely discouraged from these events.
Lastly, I would try to also lean into a bit more of the community aspect. What I mean is, make some friends and go to these events together, hunt for cards together. I think it would make it easier for me just to have friends around and be miserable together with them . I hope you can somehow find your next events to be more enjoyable.
I was at world’s this year and they had some vendors (for the first time?)
I was kind of cut off from the items by some guy recoding the displays on a stick camera. It felt weird, probably how you felt. I’m there to browse items to potentially buy and some rando is streaming/making short form video content.
It felt odd. At least with @Coop13 he records himself. With some rando recording the display it just left me uninterested in actually buying anything.
This is how I feel when I see young people filming every aspect of their life for clout and content. It makes everyone around them feel uncomfortable. Cons are already claustrophobic and smelly, why worsen the experience further?
Appreciate all the kind words! It has been an interesting shift going from one of the only people filming at shows to being one of many. Vendor and convention/show content has been so popular on YouTube I can’t say i’m surprised. Brand new channels getting multi thousand views on their first videos is crazy as someone who has been making videos for 5 years and was lucky to break a few hundred views.
I know this is only tangentially related but I see this at the gym too. I know “person filming their workout at the gym” is a bit of a cliche these days but I’m glad my group studio has a no phones policy because people be wild
I’ve been a vendor at card shows since earlier this year. Multiple other vendors who do the content creation thing have asked me why I’m not recording and uploading my shows and seem baffled when I express I’m just not interested in that at all.
Everyone is trying to follow in the footsteps of others and make it big in social media, but there can only be so many. I appreciate the people and vendors who just talk to me casually about their own collection instead of being handed a card, and being asked “follow me on my socials” before they even ask if I have any. (I dont)
Ya I have found it more and more appealing to record at these events, not only for accounting principles on what the heck did I even sell, but for the potential theft that may happen to me or around me like @RattlePokemon as shown on his channel.
I think as prices climb and climb, this will just be a security thing more than content.
But myself, I have never done a “Vendor POV”, but I am really thinking about doing it these coming events early 2025.
My notes can’t keep up with the sales that I do at these events. Having a video sounds like a blessing to keep track of everything that I sell.
(Trash accounting that I have down at previous shows shown below )
On the plus side: The demand for convention-based content is rooted in an interest in the human-to-human event experience.
5 years ago, we had not one convention that was meaningfully built around the non-play TCG experience.
Now, Collect-a-con alone has announced 18 events for 2025. They average 20,000 attendance per show. In total, there are literally more than 50 between just the things that I’m aware of. Add in small and local, probably hundreds. Meanwhile, TCG is consuming large parts of NYCC, Gen-Con, SDCC, and more.
Just so cool to see. Makes me happy. The future is bright.
100% This! For those who weren’t around pre 2020, collecting conventions were non-existent. Collect-a-con’s are a net positive.
As for the POV content, I think you could easily ask someone to not be recorded, or simply shop at one of the many other vendors. But all of this is here to stay. I remember making this post earlier in the year:
Basically POV convention content is more palatable. Its why shows like antiques road show and pawn stars do well; you don’t need to know much about the product to still enjoy and understand the interaction.
I have always wondered how vendors go about bookkeeping. My assumption has always been “they don’t”. The security aspect is also very valid and if you have the footage why not upload so others can enjoy it? I don’t have an issue with that.
What I find frustrating is dealing with those who are obviously prioritizing the content over the actual interaction.
. I hope you can somehow find your next events to be more enjoyable.
amen
)
