AGDQ 2015 Attendee Rules

MURPHAGATOR!

sumichu

Edit history:

sumichu: 2014-12-17 02:39:39 pm

MURPHAGATOR!: 2014-12-05 11:12:40 pm

MURPHAGATOR!: 2014-12-04 07:39:08 pm

MURPHAGATOR!: 2014-12-04 07:36:06 pm

2014-12-04 07:25:01 pm

Terraffirmative!

Hello all,

With the growth of the marathons, it's important that we expand on and clarify the rules to make sure that the marathon is a safe and enjoyable experience for everyone. Please take some time to review the rules, and feel free to ask here if you need any clarification about anything.

Attendance

Badges must be worn in a visible location at all times in our public areas. If you aren’t wearing your badge, staff can and will have you leave the marathon areas to go get it. Badges do not have to be worn around your neck, but need to be completely visible (for instance, hanging off of your belt is fine unless covered by your shirt. Having it with you in your pocket or another location where it is not visible to a staff member is not acceptable). If you lose your badge, we will charge you $5 for an extra, and you’ll have to show us proof of identity again.

Alcohol and Drug Policy

There is no alcohol tolerated in any of the public rooms or hallways.

AGDQ is an event for all ages and there will be minors in the area. Therefore, alcohol will not be tolerated in our public areas. Note that this includes the food room. You are welcome to do whatever you please in your room, just keep it there.

If you attempt to enter the event under the influence of illicit substances, you may be subject to the following consequences:

First Offense: Verbal warning
Second Offense: Barred from entry into event spaces for 24 hours
Third Offense: Removed from the event and possibly banned from attending future events

Games Done Quick is not responsible for your actions if you are arrested for public intoxication, underage drinking, or anything else related to drug and alcohol use.

Possession of Illegal/illicit drugs will merit immediate ejection from the marathon.

Harassment policy

We expect attendees to treat others with respect and conduct themselves like adults (regardless of age). If there is a conflict or issue, then please try to privately resolve the problem.

If you find yourself unable to resolve the problem on your own, or if someone is harassing or abusing you, then please contact a staff member. If we don't know about the problem, then we can't help you!

If a situation gets out of hand, the offender may be ejected from the hotel and barred from future events.

That said, please only involve us if said problem is a serious issue. For example, someone snoring loudly is not a serious issue (try earplugs!). Someone verbally abusing you and/or hitting you is a serious issue.

Food

-Food is only allowed in the food room. Food found in other areas will be thrown away immediately with no warning.

-Closed container drinks are allowed inside all rooms, open containers are only allowed in the food room. Open containers found outside the food room will be thrown out immediately with no warning.

-Unattended food and/or drink will be thrown out immediately.

Stream Room

The stream room is the focal point of the whole event, and therefore merits a few extra rules.

-No detracting from the runner’s presence. This includes signs, costumes, stuffed animals, grandstanding or any form of taking attention from the runner without the runner and event staff’s consent. The runner must inform us of any of these things that they approve of prior to the run. It also includes being generally distracting by talking or having your phone on, any really anything else that may arise that takes focus away from the run.

-Do not touch any cables or consoles during a run. You do not want to be the person who ends someones run by messing with the hardware. If you have equipment being used, wait until between runs to reclaim it.

-The work area is off limits to anyone that is not working, scheduled or on staff. This is not considered a public area. If you are not trained with certain equipment, do not touch it.

-The couch area is off limits to anyone who is not approved by the runner. This includes the rows immediately behind the couch as well if the runner has extra people he or she wants to have there.

-Do not move chairs up to get a closer view of the runner’s TV. We have a projector, enjoy it. If you move chairs up to the couch, we will ask you to leave the stream room altogether.

Misc

-Do not do anything that may damage equipment. Behavior that might cause damage to the event or hotel equipment will result in having you asked to leave the premises.

-Keep yourself clean by showering regularly. If you smell, staff can eject you from the marathon area, as it is disruptive to others around you.

-Don’t litter. If staff see items on the floor, they will be thrown out. What’s an important item to you may look like litter to a staff member, and our areas need to stay clean.

-Don't sleep out in public places. If staff finds you asleep, we will wake you up and ask you to leave the marathon areas.

-Don’t touch the prizes, many are fragile and hundreds of people handling them will break them. The only time you can touch a prize is if you're going to show it on stream.

-No casual gaming allowed in the practice rooms. In order to ensure that marathon runners have available TVs to practice, please keep casual gaming in the casual room. Note that practicing a game that you are not playing in the marathon will be considered casual gaming. Staff will ask you to shut off your console; if you do not comply (sorry, but we will not wait for you to finish a run), we will be forced to shut it off for you.

-Do not be distracting to runners who are practicing. If you become a nuisance to people who are practicing, you will be removed from the practice room.

-People with runs in the next 24 hours have priority in the practice rooms. If you have a run coming up and can’t find an open practice station, feel free to ask staff to help you find a space.

-Keep walkways and assorted public areas clear. It’s easy to fire up a conversation with someone you pass by in a doorway, but keep others in mind and move your conversation a few feet. It’s courteous to others and bunching up in a doorway is a fire hazard.

-Be aware of local laws and hotel rules. Things such as smoking inside the hotel, drunk in public, or use of illegal drugs all fall under this, but keep in mind that being part of the event does not somehow exclude you from them.

Thank you for your time, and I'm looking forward to another successful event.

Thread title:

Hello all,

With the growth of the marathons, it's important that we expand on and clarify the rules to make sure that the marathon is a safe and enjoyable experience for everyone. Please take some time to review the rules, and feel free to ask here if you need any clarification about anything.

[size="20"][b]Attendance[/b][/size]

[b]Badges must be worn in a visible location at all times in our public areas.[/b] If you aren’t wearing your badge, staff can and will have you leave the marathon areas to go get it. Badges do not have to be worn around your neck, but need to be completely visible (for instance, hanging off of your belt is fine unless covered by your shirt. Having it with you in your pocket or another location where it is not visible to a staff member is not acceptable). If you lose your badge, we will charge you $5 for an extra, and you’ll have to show us proof of identity again.

[size="20"][b]Alcohol and Drug Policy[/b][/size]
[b]
There is no alcohol tolerated in any of the public rooms or hallways. [/b]

AGDQ is an event for all ages and there will be minors in the area. Therefore, alcohol will not be tolerated in our public areas. Note that this includes the food room. You are welcome to do whatever you please in your room, just keep it there.

If you attempt to enter the event under the influence of illicit substances, you may be subject to the following consequences:

First Offense: Verbal warning 
Second Offense: Barred from entry into event spaces for 24 hours
Third Offense: Removed from the event and possibly banned from attending future events

[b]Games Done Quick is not responsible for your actions if you are arrested for public intoxication, underage drinking, or anything else related to drug and alcohol use.
[/b][b]
Possession of Illegal/illicit drugs will merit immediate ejection from the marathon.[/b]
[size="20"][b]
Harassment policy[/b][/size]

We expect attendees to treat others with respect and conduct themselves like adults (regardless of age). If there is a conflict or issue, then please try to privately resolve the problem.

If you find yourself unable to  resolve the problem on your own, or[b] if someone is harassing or abusing you, then please contact a staff member[/b]. If we don't know about the problem, then we can't help you! 
[b]
If a situation gets out of hand, the offender may be ejected from the hotel and barred from future events.[/b]

That said, please only involve us if said problem is a serious issue. For example, someone snoring loudly is not a serious issue (try earplugs!). Someone verbally abusing you and/or hitting you is a serious issue.

[size="20"][b]Food[/b][/size]

-[b]Food is only allowed in the food room.[/b] Food found in other areas will be thrown away immediately with no warning.

-[b]Closed container drinks are allowed inside all rooms, open containers are only allowed in the food room.[/b] Open containers found outside the food room will be thrown out immediately with no warning.

-[b]Unattended food and/or drink will be thrown out immediately. 
[/b]
[size="20"][b]Stream Room[/b][/size]

The stream room is the focal point of the whole event, and therefore merits a few extra rules.

-[b]No detracting from the runner’s presence.[/b] This includes signs, costumes, stuffed animals, grandstanding or any form of taking attention from the runner without the runner and event staff’s consent. The runner must inform us of any of these things that they approve of prior to the run. It also includes being generally distracting by talking or having your phone on, any really anything else that may arise that takes focus away from the run.

-[b]Do not touch any cables or consoles during a run.[/b] You do not want to be the person who ends someones run by messing with the hardware. If you have equipment being used, wait until between runs to reclaim it.

-[b]The work area is off limits to anyone that is not working, scheduled or on staff.[/b] This is not considered a public area. If you are not trained with certain equipment, do not touch it.

-[b]The couch area is off limits to anyone who is not approved by the runner.[/b] This includes the rows immediately behind the couch as well if the runner has extra people he or she wants to have there.

-[b]Do not move chairs up to get a closer view of the runner’s TV.[/b] We have a projector, enjoy it. If you move chairs up to the couch, we will ask you to leave the stream room altogether.

[size="20"][b]Misc[/b][/size]

-[b]Do not do anything that may damage equipment.[/b] Behavior that might cause damage to the event or hotel equipment will result in having you asked to leave the premises.

-[b]Keep yourself clean by showering regularly.[/b] If you smell, staff can eject you from the marathon area, as it is disruptive to others around you.

-[b]Don’t litter.[/b] If staff see items on the floor, they will be thrown out. What’s an important item to you may look like litter to a staff member, and our areas need to stay clean.

-[b]Don't sleep out in public places.[/b] If staff finds you asleep, we will wake you up and ask you to leave the marathon areas.

-[b]Don’t touch the prizes[/b], many are fragile and hundreds of people handling them will break them. The only time you can touch a prize is if you're going to show it on stream.

-[b]No casual gaming allowed in the practice rooms.[/b] In order to ensure that marathon runners have available TVs to practice, please keep casual gaming in the casual room. Note that practicing a game that you are not playing in the marathon will be considered casual gaming. Staff will ask you to shut off your console; if you do not comply (sorry, but we will not wait for you to finish a run), we will be forced to shut it off for you.

-[b]Do not be distracting to runners who are practicing.[/b] If you become a nuisance to people who are practicing, you will be removed from the practice room.

-[b]People with runs in the next 24 hours have priority in the practice rooms.[/b] If you have a run coming up and can’t find an open practice station, feel free to ask staff to help you find a space.

-[b]Keep walkways and assorted public areas clear.[/b] It’s easy to fire up a conversation with someone you pass by in a doorway, but keep others in mind and move your conversation a few feet. It’s courteous to others and bunching up in a doorway is a fire hazard.

-[b]Be aware of local laws and hotel rules.[/b] Things such as smoking inside the hotel, drunk in public, or use of illegal drugs all fall under this, but keep in mind that being part of the event does not somehow exclude you from them.

Thank you for your time, and I'm looking forward to another successful event.

MURPHAGATOR!

Edit history:

MURPHAGATOR!: 2014-12-04 08:12:04 pm

2014-12-04 07:25:29 pm

Terraffirmative!

Holding this post for clarifications or specific details.

One thing that I'd like to emphasize is to contact staff when there are problems. We may not be aware there are issues, and any information you give us is helpful in creating a better environment for everyone.

Dragondarch

2014-12-04 07:42:12 pm

Pudding%

Quote:

No casual gaming allowed in the practice rooms. Please keep casual gaming in the casual room. Note that practicing running a game that you are not playing in the marathon is considered casual gaming for our purposes. Staff will shut off your system if you are playing casual stuff in the practice room, no warning.

Rooms? As in we have more than 1?

MURPHAGATOR!

Edit history:

MURPHAGATOR!: 2014-12-04 07:47:15 pm

2014-12-04 07:47:05 pm

Terraffirmative!

With the disclaimer that I have not seen the actual room layout, yes that is my understanding.

Cool Matty

2014-12-04 07:53:21 pm

Crawlathon WR, get down on my level.

There is one main room for casual gaming, as well as a potential smaller room for smash, tournaments, etc.

Bl00dyBizkitz

2014-12-04 07:55:49 pm

Quote from Cool Matty:

There is one main room for casual gaming, as well as a potential smaller room for smash, tournaments, etc.

Sounds somewhat similar to the ESA setup, very nice.

kirkq

Edit history:

kirkq: 2014-12-04 07:58:14 pm

2014-12-04 07:57:16 pm

Die Hard 2013.

Quote from MURPHAGATOR!:

Closed container drinks are allowed inside all rooms

Golden

2014-12-04 08:04:44 pm

Voice

So will TVs be gradually moved to the casual room over time? Last GDQ iirc the casual room played host to something like 3 TVs.

I would agree that marathon practice runs deserve priority on the TVs, but I also think the practice room environment at GDQs like the last one were very enjoyable. I would like to see more practice room races, etc. Shutting off people's consoles seems a bit extreme.

Also, kudos for allowing closed container drinks. I appreciate that!

Garrison

2014-12-04 08:08:12 pm

I hope the situation with practice rooms casual rooms etc is more like agdq 2013 than agdq 2014 then. I didn't go in the casual room at all last agdq because 80 smash players that smelled like poopoo.

MURPHAGATOR!

Edit history:

MURPHAGATOR!: 2014-12-04 08:09:29 pm

MURPHAGATOR!: 2014-12-04 08:09:13 pm

2014-12-04 08:08:24 pm

Terraffirmative!

SGDQ 2014 shouldn't really be used as a comparison point for the rules and such. That venue had a lot of unfortunate stuff about it that created situations staff either didn't realize were happening or had no way to address, primarily because the rooms weren't really rooms but one big room separated by curtains. For instance, no one that I talked to on staff had any idea that there were only 3 TVs in the casual area at first, and also no one really knew where the casual area was.

The curtain thing also caused a lot of other issues, such as the practice area being bombarded with noise from the food/watching area TV.

The setup is much more similar to AGDQ 2014 where the rooms are completely seperated, which should make for a better environment for everyone.

Edit: if the casual room becomes overridden by only smash, or just generally starts to smell bad, let staff know and we'll do what we have to in order to make it a usable space for everyone.

metalsmith

2014-12-04 08:20:44 pm

Just to clarify on the drinks, any drink that has a sealable top is okay to bring into all areas? for instance, if you can turn it completely upside down when closed without spilling anything.

and as far as the stream room is concerned, it sounds like the rule of thumb is 'don't be distracting or an attention whore', I would like to clarify though, if I wore a 3 piece suit (dress pants, shirt and vest) and tie, would that be considered distracting from the run, would it be up to the discretion of a particular staff member if it is, and if so, will someone mention it before you get to a seat?

Just trying to gauge if a distraction can go two directions, so to speak. and thank you for the note on the smell. it's just common courtesy to take a shower daily.

MURPHAGATOR!

2014-12-04 08:26:48 pm

Terraffirmative!

W

Quote from metalsmith:

Just to clarify on the drinks, any drink that has a sealable top is okay to bring into all areas? for instance, if you can turn it completely upside down when closed without spilling anything.

Correct, as long as you keep it sealed when you aren't actively drinking it so that it cannot cause damage to equipment. Note that this is a change from previous years because as people pointed out, it was stupid to not allow these but to allow open cups of water. The only exception is the tech area, but that area is off-limits to anyone not volunteering or on staff anyways.

Quote:

and as far as the stream room is concerned, it sounds like the rule of thumb is 'don't be distracting or an attention whore', I would like to clarify though, if I wore a 3 piece suit (dress pants, shirt and vest) and tie, would that be considered distracting from the run, would it be up to the discretion of a particular staff member if it is, and if so, will someone mention it before you get to a seat?

We aren't enforcing a dress code here. That said, a tie is not a distraction, a but 4 foot tall hat is. If somethings borderline, staff might talk to you about it.

W[quote="metalsmith"]Just to clarify on the drinks, any drink that has a sealable top is okay to bring into all areas? for instance, if you can turn it completely upside down when closed without spilling anything.[/quote]

Correct, as long as you keep it sealed when you aren't actively drinking it so that it cannot cause damage to equipment. Note that this is a change from previous years because as people pointed out, it was stupid to not allow these but to allow open cups of water. The only exception is the tech area, but that area is off-limits to anyone not volunteering or on staff anyways.

[quote]and as far as the stream room is concerned, it sounds like the rule of thumb is 'don't be distracting or an attention whore', I would like to clarify though, if I wore a 3 piece suit (dress pants, shirt and vest) and tie, would that be considered distracting from the run, would it be up to the discretion of a particular staff member if it is, and if so, will someone mention it before you get to a seat?[/quote]

We aren't enforcing a dress code here. That said, a tie is not a distraction, a but 4 foot tall hat is. If somethings borderline, staff might talk to you about it.

Radman

2014-12-04 08:29:11 pm

For Fun! For GLORY!!

So just to ask, as I know hats are generally a no, but if its relative to the run (ie my Lucario hat for the Pokemon run), it's generally ok, or should I always ask first?

Lightning55

2014-12-04 08:30:34 pm

Radman, I'd assume to be how big the hat is. If it's severely distracting, probably not. I don't think it's an issue if it's just a normal hat. It's still an event meant for everyone to have fun at.

ONOGMuffins

2014-12-04 08:31:32 pm

Quote from Radman:

So just to ask, as I know hats are generally a no, but if its relative to the run (ie my Lucario hat for the Pokemon run), it's generally ok, or should I always ask first?

Make sure you ask the runner first if it is something other than a baseball cap or a beanie.

Lee

2014-12-04 08:32:09 pm

On the other hand, it is entirely possible to be overdressed. While I don't believe that a 3 piece suit would be too distracting, there are such things as social conventions to be observed. Not explicitly banned by the rules, because it really shouldn't be, but I'd give it some thought to not be singled out as "that one weird guy in a suit." In general, a good rule of thumb is if you're questioning whether you should be doing something or not, either have a good reason for why you're doing what you're doing, or just don't do it. If your reason is "just cuz," that's probably not a good enough reason.

It's asking a lot of people, but please, use good judgement and common sense.

Radman

2014-12-04 08:34:16 pm

For Fun! For GLORY!!

I wore it for the entire Pokemon block at SGDQ so there's a ref to go on, but no one seemed to object to it then. Tongue

metalsmith

2014-12-04 08:52:46 pm

Quote from Lee:

On the other hand, it is entirely possible to be overdressed. While I don't believe that a 3 piece suit would be too distracting, there are such things as social conventions to be observed. Not explicitly banned by the rules, because it really shouldn't be, but I'd give it some thought to not be singled out as "that one weird guy in a suit." In general, a good rule of thumb is if you're questioning whether you should be doing something or not, either have a good reason for why you're doing what you're doing, or just don't do it. If your reason is "just cuz," that's probably not a good enough reason.

It's asking a lot of people, but please, use good judgement and common sense.

I only ask because it's fun to get dressed up nice every once in a while, but it does attract a lot of attention.

on that note, is there a 007 run? Tongue

ziggirawk

2014-12-05 06:40:50 am

I was going to wear dress clothes. This would be my first time meeting a lot of good friends that I've made in the speedrunning community and I thought looking nice for the first meeting would be a good idea. So my advice would be to just wear it for the first day or for a relevant run, make the impression, then switch to casual clothes.

ONOGMuffins

2014-12-05 03:04:56 pm

Quote from ziggirawk:

I was going to wear dress clothes. This would be my first time meeting a lot of good friends that I've made in the speedrunning community and I thought looking nice for the first meeting would be a good idea. So my advice would be to just wear it for the first day or for a relevant run, make the impression, then switch to casual clothes.

As long as all the bits of a body that the average parents wouldn't want their kid to see is covered you can wear whatever you want outside of the stream room. You can even wear it in the stream room if you aren't being disruptive. Again, its the difference between being dressed nicely and a huge top hat.

Vucious Creed

2014-12-05 06:04:33 pm

Glad my fanboy lvls aren't THIS high

Probably another thing to address is the possibility that attendees may want to observe preparing runners in the practice room. I would like to assume that people would have sense and not disturb the runners while watching them practicing their runs, and/or respect the runner if they don't want anyone around as a distraction risk. However, it would be good to address if even people could be allowed to observe since I'm sure that a decent number people might want to do so.

Either if the number of observers would be limited (obviously because runners have priority in the practice room) or will just outright be restricted from viewing, which might be a bit of an extreme scenario, but still one to put out there. I just want to hear thoughts about this situation assuming that this hasn't been necessarily addressed yet.

Crak Atak

2014-12-05 07:00:35 pm

Hax I used all of my strengthz

Would it be possible to make exceptions for commentators wanting to learn a run better to play it in the practice room? I understand runners of the game get priority but I feel it would create synergy between runner and commentator if there is space in the practice room.

ONOGMuffins

2014-12-05 09:26:45 pm

Quote from Crak Atak:

Would it be possible to make exceptions for commentators wanting to learn a run better to play it in the practice room? I understand runners of the game get priority but I feel it would create synergy between runner and commentator if there is space in the practice room.

Other people are allowed in the practice room to watch, but the consoles are for the runners. If you want to work on synergy with your runner sit with them when they are practicing and talk to them, ask them about the tricks, where the times you need to talk while they do the hard stuff, how to explain things and so on.

ONOGMuffins

2014-12-05 09:27:50 pm

Quote from Vucious Creed:

Probably another thing to address is the possibility that attendees may want to observe preparing runners in the practice room. I would like to assume that people would have sense and not disturb the runners while watching them practicing their runs, and/or respect the runner if they don't want anyone around as a distraction risk. However, it would be good to address if even people could be allowed to observe since I'm sure that a decent number people might want to do so.

Either if the number of observers would be limited (obviously because runners have priority in the practice room) or will just outright be restricted from viewing, which might be a bit of an extreme scenario, but still one to put out there. I just want to hear thoughts about this situation assuming that this hasn't been necessarily addressed yet.

Practice rooms have always been open to spectators to WATCH, they just can't PLAY. If they want to play they can go to the casual gaming room.

[quote="Vucious Creed"]Probably another thing to address is the possibility that attendees may want to observe preparing runners in the practice room.  I would like to assume that people would have sense and not disturb the runners while watching them practicing their runs, and/or respect the runner if they don't want anyone around as a distraction risk.  However, it would be good to address if even people could be allowed to observe since I'm sure that a decent number people might want to do so.

Either if the number of observers would be limited (obviously because runners have priority in the practice room) or will just outright be restricted from viewing, which might be a bit of an extreme scenario, but still one to put out there.  I just want to hear thoughts about this situation assuming that this hasn't been necessarily addressed yet.[/quote]

Practice rooms have always been open to spectators to WATCH, they just can't PLAY. If they want to play they can go to the casual gaming room.

Vucious Creed

2014-12-05 11:06:31 pm

Glad my fanboy lvls aren't THIS high

It's not about them playing; that was already established in the first post. It's about them being a possible distraction in terms of crowding; especially considering the large number of people estimated to attend. With the possiblility of a lot of on-lookers viewing in on practicing runners, I just want to make sure that the practice area is 1) not too stuffed with people where not even other incoming runners could come in and practice (along with commentators to discuss the run, if necessary), and 2) crowd noise in the practice area if any group of folk become a bit too chatty and disturb another set of people trying to prepare for an upcoming run.

Like I said, I would like to assume that people should know better, but I just want to make sure I get the thoughts of the staff to see how they would handle the situation if this occurs.