Masks will be required at Origins Game Fair after concerns from attendees
Follows confirmed mask requirements at Gen Con.
It has been confirmed that masks will be required at the Origins Game Fair 2022 tabletop gaming convention.
In a tweet from the official Twitter account for Origins Game Fair, it was announced that attendees to the tabletop gaming convention in Columbus, Ohio, USA, would be required to wear masks due to the current COVID-19 pandemic.
According to the non-for-profit organisation running the event, GAMA – or the Game Manufacturers Association – the mask requirements have been put in place due to concerns from its members, as well as exhibitors, game masters and attendees in response to “an upward trend in the pandemic.” The need for Origins’ visitors to wear masks has been put in place “in the interest of everyone’s health and safety.”
The Origins Game Fair is an event taking place between 8th and 12th of June and will see visitors having the opportunity to play various tabletop games GM’d by volunteers – such as the horror board game Mysterium or tabletop roleplaying games like Call of Cthulhu – as well as being able to get their hands on tabletop titles from exhibitors.
Several notable tabletop publishers will be in attendance at Origins including Codenames studio Czech Games Edition, the company behind dungeon-crawler board game Gloomhaven – Cephalofair Games – and Free League Publishing, the studio responsible for several licensed TRPGs such as the Alien and Blade Runner roleplaying games.
The theme for this year’s Origins Game Fair is ‘The Art of Games’ thanks to the fact that the convention is tied into the Columbus Arts Festival that is taking place during the same weekend in a nearby venue. As such, the artist alley section of the convention – which is reserved for independent artist exhibitors – has been expanded and there will be various art-related events held throughout the convention.
GAMA’s announcement follows last week’s news that the organisers behind Gen Con – a tabletop gaming convention taking place in Indianapolis, Indiana, USA, between 4th and 7th August – will require visitors to also wear masks, as well as provide proof of vaccination. The decision was made in response to feedback from exhibitors, game masters and attendees concerning the need for safety measures for large events taking place during the COVID-19 pandemic.
UK Games Expo, an event that’s set to take place in Birmingham, UK, from 3rd to the 5th of June will not require visitors to wear masks or provide proof of vaccination, apparently due to the fact the UK government is not requiring event organisers to put COVID-19 safety measures in place.
Organisers for PAX Unplugged – a tabletop gaming event held by Dicebreaker company Reedpop, that’s due to be held in Philadelphia, USA, in December – and Essen Spiel, the German tabletop gaming convention that’s set to happen in October, are yet to confirm any COVID-19 measures.