Gen Con | Gen Con Indy 2025

Attending With Kids

Posted by werebat

My wife and I will be attending with our entire family (4 kids!) in 2022. Their ages will be 10, 15, 17, and 22. The 22 year old will be with his GF and as he is an adult I obviously don't need to worry about him going off on his own. But the others...
I have attended twice in the past, both times with at least one kid who was 12 years old at the time. I seem to remember seeing a set of rules about kids at the Con WRT how far away from parents they are allowed to be - same event, same room, same hall, same hotel, etc. There were different rules for different ages. Personally I would not feel worried about letting my two younger sons (ages 15 and 17) wander and attend events together without my wife and I, but I do not know if the Con rules allow for this. Obviously my daughter (10) will need to be with a parent or adult guardian at all times.
Where should I look for this information?

Posted by narzat

Check out the policies here https://www.gencon.com/attend/policies at the FAQ below:

Children ten and under are admitted free when accompanied by an attending adult. If your child wishes to participate in an event that requires purchasing an event ticket, you will need to purchase a Gen Con badge for them. Children over the age of ten are subject to the standard badge costs. For the children’s protection, parents must register all children ages ten and under at the Customer Service or Badge Registration kiosks onsite. A wristband will be issued at that time listing the parent or guardian’s contact information. The wristband must be attached to the child’s wrist while in the convention center in case the child and parent become separated. More information can be found in our Attendee FAQ.

Posted by narzat

I'll add my understanding that your teens (15 and 17) should be able to go wherever they like in the public areas of the Con, although some specific events have age limits based on content, GM preference, etc., so make sure to double check those individually before buying them tickets. My teen son has had no trouble safely navigating the Con solo in recent years, and had a blast.

Posted by werebat narzat

 narzat wrote:
I'll add my understanding that your teens (15 and 17) should be able to go wherever they like in the public areas of the Con, although some specific events have age limits based on content, GM preference, etc., so make sure to double check those individually before buying them tickets. My teen son has had no trouble safely navigating the Con solo in recent years, and had a blast.

Thanks. Looks like things have changed over the years because I definitely remember there being some rules about child age and how far they could be from a parent or guardian before.

Posted by helenbb

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Posted by traveller helenbb

 helenbb wrote:
I'll add that sometimes age limits are flexible. When my son was 17, he wanted to attend a couple of events that were listed as 18+. We contacted the GMs in advance (before event registration) and asked, explaining that he would be accompanied by a parent. Most GMs/event organizers were okay with it, stating that it was more 'guidance'. A couple were not okay with it, so we knew not to register.
Puppet Slam actually checks ID at the door to ensure attendees are the correct age. I think they're the only ones who do this. Maybe also Dub that Hentai... never attended that one, so I can't say for sure.

Cosplay deviants check ID

Posted by armadilloal

The burlesque shows check ID as well, but I suspect that shouldn't be a surprise.

Posted by mikeboozer werebat

 werebat wrote:

Thanks. Looks like things have changed over the years because I definitely remember there being some rules about child age and how far they could be from a parent or guardian before.

To be clear the rules have not changed. children should be accompanied by an adult. Older underage teens need to have a plan established if they are at an event you cannot attend.

We prefer to keep the lost child issue as minimal as possible.

Mike

Posted by werebat mikeboozer

 mikeboozer wrote:

 werebat wrote:

Thanks. Looks like things have changed over the years because I definitely remember there being some rules about child age and how far they could be from a parent or guardian before.

To be clear the rules have not changed. children should be accompanied by an adult. Older underage teens need to have a plan established if they are at an event you cannot attend.We prefer to keep the lost child issue as minimal as possible.
Mike

Thank you. Where can I find these rules? I remember reading the specifics years ago but it was... years ago. I cannot seem to find them now.

Posted by traveller

#10

Look Here (Policies)

Posted by chelledg

#11

So, I just signed my 8 year old up for a Child Wristband. Then I tried to add an event ticket for her wishlist, and it says she needs a badge to get event tickets. But when I try to go back to add a badge for her, it won't let me, since I already signed up for the wristband. I can work around it for Event Reg tomorrow, but need to know how to fix before or at GenCon.

Posted by mikeboozer chelledg

#12

 chelledg wrote:
So, I just signed my 8 year old up for a Child Wristband. Then I tried to add an event ticket for her wishlist, and it says she needs a badge to get event tickets. But when I try to go back to add a badge for her, it won't let me, since I already signed up for the wristband. I can work around it for Event Reg tomorrow, but need to know how to fix before or at GenCon.

Have you emailed [email protected]

That is the only way to get it fixed.

Mike

Posted by chelledg

#13

Will do. Thank you!

Posted by petermitchell

#14

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