WiFi at Tabletop Games Cons

[Phil Masters]

A quick poll for opinions and thoughts:

We can have open WiFi set up and available in the venue, if we think it's worthwhile. However, the college charges a non-trivial fee for this, and we'd either have to swallow the cost from our budget - which, all else aside, means that non-WiFi-users are subsidising the users - or run an honesty-box donations system (which would probably not recover the full cost anyway).

So I'd be interested to hear how many people, if any, regard this as a necessity for the modern convention, how many would be willing to contribute towards the cost, and how many think that mobile computing devices are a snare and a distraction from the gaming anyway.

Drop me a line at phil@philm.demon.co.uk if you don't want to discuss it here.

[dpmcalister]

Personally I think it's something that's nice to have but not a necessity. If push comes to shove (and as long as I have a 3G signal on my phone) I can hook my netbook to the 'net through the phone. With that in mind, I wouldn't pay to gain access to it but neither would I base my decision of whether to attend any particular convention on whether it offered free WiFi.

[SJE]

I would find it useful, a lot of my games are on the Ipad, but every now and then you need to download a FAQ or erratta to sort things out. That said, I could use 3G (and do when WiFi charges are too high).

[Evilgaz]

A quick poll for opinions and thoughts:

We can have open WiFi set up and available in the venue, if we think it's worthwhile. However, the college charges a non-trivial fee for this, and we'd either have to swallow the cost from our budget - which, all else aside, means that non-WiFi-users are subsidising the users - or run an honesty-box donations system (which would probably not recover the full cost anyway).

So I'd be interested to hear how many people, if any, regard this as a necessity for the modern convention, how many would be willing to contribute towards the cost, and how many think that mobile computing devices are a snare and a distraction from the gaming anyway.

Drop me a line at phil@philm.demon.co.uk if you don't want to discuss it here.

I don't think it can be called a necessity, but it's certainly something that several people get excited about if it's there. Knowing how tight budgets for conventions can be, I think your honesty box idea is good. Costs for individual wifi at venues is often silly prices, so I'd imagine most honourable delegates wouldn't mind chucking in a couple of quid. But you know, there's nowt as queer as folk.

[maddz]

Nice to have, but in my case not a necessity as I can do what I want to do at home before coming into the con (I live 15 minutes down the road so I get to sleep in my own bed!) If I really need something, we have wi-fi dongles.

[Phil Masters]

I don't think it can be called a necessity, but it's certainly something that several people get excited about if it's there. Knowing how tight budgets for conventions can be, I think your honesty box idea is good. Costs for individual wifi at venues is often silly prices, so I'd imagine most honourable delegates wouldn't mind chucking in a couple of quid. But you know, there's nowt as queer as folk.

Fact is, though, that we'd need a couple of quid from everyone at the con. And I know what people are like; they may honestly intend to put some money in the box, but getting round to it is another matter.

Plus, I think that the college bedrooms have open Ethernet ports (I'll have to check that), so it's not like we'll be cutting people off altogether...

[PaulofCthulhu]

Pretty much the same as dpmcalister.

If people really need the access, they will likely have 3G already. A perk but not an essential.

[dr_mitch]

WiFi access at a con is not something I personally would use at all. I'm not going to try to speak for other people of course.

[Newt]

I see it as a nicety and in some ways a distraction from the con.

I quite liked having Ethernet in my room at last year's Continuum, to browse the net when I was calming down before bed though.

[David A Harvey]

Free wifi at a con is an occasionally handy bonus but usually I`m too busy being at a con to make use of it

That said, if there were serious plans to use wifi to enhance the con and the gaming I'd be in favor but this doesn't seem to be the case here.

[w00hoo]

Can't see me being at Consternation (although not ruling it out completely, the summer is looking quite bare Con wise) but will say that wifi is handy to have but not worth paying for when I go to a Con. I liked the option in the rooms at Continuum, meant I could listen to iPlayer during down time, but I didn't miss it at the various Naish cons. Providing the Con Desk can get access for those true GM emergencies then its a nicety and nothing else, not worth gambling Con funds on. Practically speaking, an honesty box isn't going to cover the costs if they are in the three figure range, which is what it sounds like (reading between the lines).

[catty_big]

Think I'll be using my dongle (Oo er missus!).

Ethernet ports in the rooms, eh? I think I'd be worried about being sucked through them into a monster-filled parallel universe. However, it's an RPG con so, well, bring it on!

[Phil Masters]

Just to let people know, to be fair; given the general responses we received on this topic, and what the venue charges, we won't have free WiFi at Consternation. Apologies to the one or two people who seriously wanted it, but we really couldn't justify the expense, and would have been unlikely to recover the cost through a voluntary system.

I was in the Castle pub not far from the college the other day, and I did observe that it advertises free WiFi there. So if people are desperate...

(I'm afraid that the Ethernet ports in the rooms also require payment. Sorry, but that's how it goes. My impression is that we've gone from "WiFi is rare and a specialised requirement" through "Free WiFi is a necessity!" to "Everyone's got 3G anyway, so why bother?" in about two years...)

[maddz]

There are one or two other hotspots in the area, but I'm not sure if they're operational at the weekends as they're office hot spots (my offices included - and they actively discourage people working at weekends). Judging by some comments I've heard, you can use the hot spot sitting in the car waiting to get into the Castle Court car park, which means if you sit on top of the Castle Mound, you probably have a choice between the CCC hotspot and the Castle hotspot.

[Phil Masters]

Judging by some comments I've heard, you can use the hot spot sitting in the car waiting to get into the Castle Court car park, which means if you sit on top of the Castle Mound, you probably have a choice between the CCC hotspot and the Castle hotspot.

I now have a vision of a cluster of Web-addicted gamers sitting on top of the Castle Mound in the rain...