Preparing for BlizzCon: There will be funk
BlizzCon approaches! Preparing for BlizzCon is your regular source for tips on how best to prepare for Blizzard's gaming extravaganza. These helpful hints are particularly suited for convention rookies. But if you are a con veteran, we'd love to hear your advice and wisdom in the comments as well.
In almost every one of this series, someone has requested in the comments that we all practice good grooming before attending BlizzCon this year. But it doesn't matter if we post odor preventing techniques here, broadcast them on The WoW Insider Show and it gets picked up by international news -- there is still going to be funk at the con. Not even Anna Torv being photographed wearing a "Well-groomed Geeks are HOT" t-shirt is going to prevent the offending smells coming from some of the attendees. In the interest of promoting tolerance, I'm going to give explanations for some of the odors you will be smelling.
Some cultures have different grooming habits than yours. There will be people from all over the world at BlizzCon and also Americans who continue to practice their families' cultural habits in the U.S. Not everyone showers daily or uses deodorant and honestly, body odor just doesn't bother them. These cultures are not inferior to yours, they are just different. The U.S. obsession with daily scouring is actually pretty recent in our history (and the possible health risks as a result are currently being studied), with weekly baths and the rewearing of unstained clothes being common in the first half of the last century. So, if the smell comes with an accent, take that into account.
Change in diet + close quarters = unpleasant odors. The human body produces odors according to what gets put in and how it is used. We're all going to be eating differently and hanging around in packs for hours. Even if we all shower daily, apply deodorant and wear clean clothes, there will still be olfactory attacks as the day wears on. It's just chemistry.
Some people just don't care. Yes, there will still be people who refuse to make the effort to groom properly. Such is life.
The funk at BlizzCon is really not as bad as many other geek-intensiveevents I've been to, so it's not like you're going to have to wear a scented face mask. Also, telling people they smell solves nothing. Really, the only thing you can do is make sure you're not the one smelling. And we'll all appreciate it.
BlizzCon 2009 is coming up on August 21st and 22nd! We've got all the latest news and information. At BlizzCon, you can play the latest games, meet your guildmates, and ask the developers your questions. Plus, there are some great looking costumes.
