In this month’s video of the month, we’re going to take a challenging look at where the convention culture stands. Ask anyone who’s frequented conventions how the last few years have felt, and you’ll often get an answer like “Yes, it feels different these days.”
To explore this line of thought, the magnifying lens we’ll be using is a detailed commentary video titled “Conventions suck now,” by cosplayer and YouTuber Ezra Fay. In this 36-minute video, Ezra breaks down how fan events have shifted from community-led passion projects into what she describes as cash grabs. Having attended events for a decade, Ezra argues that a mix of corporate greed, unvetted shopping floors, and declining etiquette is pushing the culture to a breaking point.
The video is organized as six timestamped reasons. The first and longest is about the money. Badge prices have climbed without matching improvements to programming or venues, and she points to a $90 single-day badge for what she calls a mediocre experience. Shipped badges, she argues, should be optional rather than a mandatory added fee. She also covers artist alley table fees that leave vendors barely breaking even, and conventions that began as fan-led projects and now read as corporate.
Other reasons Ezra notes: programming that rarely justifies the ticket, weak advertising for masquerades and main events, and badly run stage shows. A thinning dealer’s room, where vetted artists get crowded out by resellers, bootlegs, and dropshipped goods. Organizers ignoring attendee feedback, with accessibility treated as an afterthought. A family-friendly push that squeezes out adult spaces. And a community that, post-2020, skews toward follower-chasing instead of building up opportunities for authentic connection.
Her conclusion is largely that organizers carry most of the responsibility, but community is the one variable attendees can fix for free. And that, she argues, is not past the point of return. For event planners, the six reasons work as a checklist of complaints worth answering before the next show. But, we suggest checking out the video, then draw your own conclusions about what aspects of conventions may be broken, what can be fixed — and who can fix what.
If you have thoughts on what has changed in the culture of conventions you’ve attended in recent years, let us know in a comment. Whether you are an event coordinator, press, or general attendee, if you have an event video to share, send it our way and we’ll be happy to feature it.
Whether you are an event coordinator, press, or general attendee, if you have an event video to share with us, please let us know and we’ll be happy to feature it!
