Disney Lorcana launch brings out the worst in Gen Con attendees, with reported shoving and verbal abuse

polygon.com:

The launch of Disney Lorcana at this year’s Gen Con convention in Indianapolis was marred by chaos, as long lines and poor crowd management led to alleged unsafe conditions for attendees on the first day of the event. Many social media users reported pushing, shoving, and verbal confrontations with other fans. While things ran more smoothly on the second, third, and fourth days of the con, both Gen Con and publisher Ravensburger clearly could have done more from the outset.

The formal launch of Disney Lorcana, a novel trading card game akin to Magic: The Gatheringand Pokémon Trading Card Game,isn’t until Aug. 18, when it arrives in retail stores and with online vendors. But a special pre-sale, including starter decks and other accessories, was promised beginning Aug. 3 at this year’s Gen Con. Ultimately thousands showed up, with historically long lines that wrapped around the massive Indiana Convention Center by the end of the week. But the situation inside the ICC was fraught on the first day of the convention, and it seems both Ravensburger and Gen Con staff manning the doors were largely unprepared for what occurred when the convention opened.

Compared to other gaming conventions, entry into Gen Con is a fairly casual affair. Traditionally there are no lines, no bag checks, and only a handful of convention center staff and Gen Con volunteers on hand telling people not to break into a run. Thousands of fans sort of gather in a big clump a few hours before the gates open, and then disperse into the vendor hall to do their shopping.

The Disney Lorcana fans Polygon spoke withshowed up a lot earlier than other Gen Con attendees on the first day of the convention. Perhaps they were driven by the hype surrounding the game,