"Is Bad Breath a Convention Problem?" Topic

In your experience, do gamers at wargame shows or conventions have 'bad breath' problems?

YES!!!!!!!

I would think body odor is a bigger problem.

I would say people who do not bathe daily are more of a problem.

"Is Bad Breath a Convention Problem?"

I have never smelled the breath of a convention.

No, it's not a Convention problem. It's a Personal problem.

No

General poor hygiene is a problem.

Yes, it is. I always ask my friends to tell me when it is time to go brush my teeth again.

I try to avoid getting that close…

Not as much as the smell of beer on a person's breath.

A general lack of soap and deodorant are a much bigger problem.

I generally attend all three of the eastern HMGS conventions, plus Little Wars in Chicago, Advance the Colors in Springfield, Ohio and Cincycon in Middletown, Ohio, and I have never encountered anyone with bad breath.

Maybe it's just good luck on my part.

Tom

Bad breath? No more than in 'real life'. General hygiene and manners on the other hand…

No, it's probably even rarer than the much decried Stanky Gamer(tm) which means almost non-existent in a stereotyped, cliched way.

How close are you guys when you game???

Yes, but as mentioned above, the B.O. problem is much worse. You have to be fairly close with bad breath, not so much with body odor…

It's only a problem if you go to conventions!

What prompted this question?

Isn't this far more common at sci-fi/fantasy cons than historical cons? The average age of a historical con attendee is 45+ (at least at the ones I go to) and they have usually learned to groom themselves by then. The younger crowd at sci-fi/fantasy cons (who sometimes cosplay in hot, heavy costumes that would make even the most dainty sweat like a salt miner), less so.

For every minor problem there is a minor solution!
link

I go to 3 – 5 shows per year in the UK and I have never understood where the stereo-type hygiene comments come from.

I think this hobby beats itself up with a big enough stick already, without adding 'pongs' to the list of things that stop us getting girlfriends etc.

Norm (typing this while in the shower) :-)

I would just like to remind those who complain about the body odour etc, that armies throughout history have smelt like that….or worse. Difficult to keep clean and fresh on campaign.

Think of it as adding some real historical atmosphere to you games.

Deodorants, soap and personal hygiene are all pretty new concepts in the span of human evolution.

I suppose its an US problem? I find backpacks more of a problem

No examples of this. Only one of a body odor kind. I have been involved in war games in one format or another since the 1960s.

A US problem? Wow.

Nope, it's just a general lie supported by nothing but a few specious anecdotes that actually prove nothing.

Twilight "Samurai: "For every minor problem there is a minor solution!"

Have them gargle with and be dipped in a vat of Dakin's Solution (bleach water)?

Or from Scripture, "Purge me with hyssop, and I shall be white as the snow."?

Burn sufficient incense that overpowers the reek (and probably sets off the smoke alarms)?

Whether thankfully scarce or frighteningly plentiful, it still begs the question of how to get offenders to realize they are offending without setting off a $#!*storm of bad feelings all around?

--hand them a stick of deodorant and a pack of baby wipes and casually mention, "Dude. Time for a booster."?
--do the above AFTER you have used the deodorant/wipes yourself in front of the fragrant one?

Other viable paths to trod here?

@Timecast: I can provide ACW era medical care if you are injured at an event. I'll even warm up my amputation saw and knife to make it less painful; I'll make sure the maggots I apply to your wound are fresh. Care for some more weevilly hardtack and brined beef?

I challenge anyone who thinks hygiene problems with gamers is a problem to go to Gen Con and then tell me its not a problem . Every year it gets worse .
In one of our games the persons smell was so bad that the other 5 players asked him to leave .

Why is this even a thread, it just adds to more negative wargamer stereotype. It's a lot of people in a confined space, it's going to smell of people, it would smell of people regardless of the people. People.

I'm not sure about it being breath problem as much as it may be a breadth problem.

D Bag lady
I would beg to differ – I have run many conventions that in both total numbers and density of attendees dwarf historical conventions . I have never seen or smelled this problem before .There are only 2000+ attendees at Fall-in
and that's not exactly a confined space .
This wargamer stereotype is earned ,not just given .

With due respect, Dice Bag Lady, these conventions are held at hotels, or the players are staying at nearby hotels (short the few that are residing in the Backseat Hilton). They have access to showers/bathtubs, soap, shampoo, and towels/washcloths. Getting wound up in the spirit of the convention is a thin excuse for avoiding or ignoring a social and hygienic standard. I and other reenactors have been camping without running water for week-long summer American Civil War reenactments, and I and others have still managed, with campfire-heated water, soap, bar shampoo, and a basin, to get our sweaty, dusty, odiferous persons sufficiently clean (and done in a period-correct fashion, to boot!) to not repel the ladies at the Saturday night dance. And the ladies of the reenacting units manage to do even better than the men. It seems to be that while the convention offenders are a small percentage, they stand out sufficiently to be noteworthy, and therefore, not just a stereotype.
Which brings us back around to questions:
-What are the solutions to the issue?
-How to break the news to those who need some gentle-but-firm updates on the effectiveness of their personal cleanliness efforts? Hand out clothespins to wear on one's nose to the other olfactorily-offended gamers? How about gasmasks?
-Is the cause a lack of basic knowledge, an active refusal to keep clean, or just a matter of priorities being out of balance?

Really, I attend a lot of trade shows, I am familiar with them. Also festivals (in my pre trader days), tournaments and reenactments. Most of the "smell" appears to be general humans in hot room with no air con, you get the odd smelly person, but you do on the bus, or in the supermarket queue, or just general life.

There are tactful ways to tell people, but in the instance discussed it's a passing stranger you'll never see again, so it's just going to make them feel terrible about themselves – What if the person has social anxiety or other issues and it's taken a lot to get there, and then some random guy tells them they smell? That's more a "between friends" type of chat.

I just think there's a hell load worse traits to have than smelling a bit (which could also be related to health issues too – see it's a total minefield to avoid) – you know, like being cruel, bullying, spiteful, untrustworthy….the list goes on.

Where do you draw the line at policing or shaming people? Do we only let people in shows if their waistband is under a certain size, or their fashion choices tick some boxes?

Some people smell more than other people, you'll never know by looking at them why that is, but surely more important issues are "HOLY COW THAT DISPLAY TABLE IS AMAZING! OH MAAAAAAN THESE GUYS STOCK THAT THING I HAVEN'T SEEN FOR YEARS!" rather than making faces or rude gestures at other people just out to have a nice day.

My two cents anyway.

We're a small community as it is, so should just be extra excellent to each other.

(and again, I haven't noticed any increase in average human smelliness at trade shows than anywhere else…)

Annie I can't say that I am as tolerant as you regarding niffy people, but I agree that I wonder why this is even a thread – simply because I just don't pick this up as a problem at the con's and we could do without the negative stereo-typing.

It's bad enough that I play with soldiers, without now worrying whether I should bathe more than once a month. I have decided to trawl through some YouTube videos that cover recent big shows and see if I can see anyone who looks like they might smell. I will compile a list for Bill.

I did go to the well attended Brit-Con (UK) last weekend and can't report any smells – but I was getting delirious as my wallet emptied – so who knows!

I definitely think it is a more US than UK thing.
Smelling a bit is excuseable (ok not fully ,but more excuseable) but it is the very rank individuals that spoil the games for others .
It has nothing to do with shaming people for the sake of shaming people -
Perhaps they have sensory problems and cannot tell ?
Indeed if it is someone passing by ,let them go by without drawing attention to them . BUT if it a situation where they are gaming in a group I am in and they stink (not smell a little) I will mention it to them ,and have done so .
I am assuming that you have no problem asking someone not to smoke near you because of the smell? Or telling someone that they have had too much to drink ? or are too loud for the situation?

grtbrt did you ever stop to think that the person smells bad not because of hygene problems but there might be some medical problem that the person can't control?

I had a friend once who passed away some years back and there were times where he did smell somewhat and for my other friends they never asked him about it and it fell upon me to tell him not to game with us anymore.

Afterwards he went into the hospital for some problems and that's where he passed away.

So it's quite possible that his smell was caused by some medical problem.

I'm not saying that about everyone but there are exceptions to everything so I wanted to point that out.

absolutely there are exceptions to everything -But what would be the (acceptable ) explanation for the smelly clothing ? Sorry but a medical explanation is only a possibility in a tiny percentage -even though a high percentage of wargamers have diabetes not many suffer from
Ketoacidosis(4-5 per 1000) So maybe 1 at a convention and by the time it gets that bad he needs medical attention. There are some Thyroid conditions as well – but again low percentage .
if we include all the major medical conditions then it may be up to 4 people at a convention . and they will have other symptoms that are noticeable .

Well I just wanted to say what I said I know it doesn't amount to much but there it is.

Every show should have a nice bowl of candy at the sign up desk.

Mints.

Don't forget sugar free ones too!

Bad breath is not something I've noticed unless it was part of general poor hygiene.

Gamers with poor hygiene. A stereotype? Perhaps. But it's not unique to gaming conventions. Attend a comic or toy show and you'll see much the same. Hell, pop into a comic shop or FLGS and you're bound to find someone who thinks it's ok to wear those clothes one more day or skip a shower or three. If a place like that has a noticeable funk to it, there's a reason why.

That being said, I attended Gen Con in 2012 and I expected it to be gross. It wasn't. Most people didn't exhibit bad hygiene. Then again, I didn't stay at any of the ICC hotels. I stayed close to the airport to avoid annoying LARPers outside my room at 2 am.

I don't know about it being more of a US vs. UK problem. I have never gamed in the UK. There are people with poor hygiene everywhere. Sadly, many gravitate towards my hobbies.

Not me, of course. I am fastidious with regard to hygiene and am impeccably clean at all times.

Bad breath? Not really a problem.

The farts and B. O. tend to mask the halitosis.

"Bad breath? Not really a problem.

The farts and B. O. tend to mask the halitosis."

Which is why no open flames are allowed there.