Last week on the eve of Gen Con 2021, word got out that Jeff Bergren, the CEO of The Gaming Goat Games, was escorted out of the convention. If you need a recap on what happened, you can read the news post here.
Tonight, in a post on their Facebook and Twitter pages, The Game Manufacturers Association (GAMA) announced that they have expelled both Jeff Bergren and The Gaming Goat Games as a company from this year’s Origins Game Fair. This announcement comes one week before the show is set to begin, so it was a bit more advanced notice for Bergren and TGG. This move by GAMA also differs from Gen Con’s in that they are not only expelling Bergren, but The Gaming Goat as an exhibitor, which was still allowed to have a booth at Gen Con.
GAMA’s Statement:
“We do not tolerate harassment of convention participants in any form. Convention participants reported or caught violating this policy may be expelled without refund at the discretion of show management.
Harassment is any unwanted contact, which includes (but is not limited to): physical or verbal threats; unwelcome attention; stalking; unwanted photography or recording; offensive behavior; use of physical force; behavior that creates a disturbance or is dangerous; using sexually explicit or offensive language or conduct; excessive profanity; obscene gestures; use of racial, religious, sexual, political, gender, ability, ethnic slurs, or any other targeted comments which are intended to cause personal offense to another Origins participant, either in-person at the event or through social media channels.”
Based on numerous instances brought to the attention of the GAMA organization, including on the GAMA Member Facebook page, the Board has determined that the actions of both Jeff Bergren and TGG-Games is in violation of this code of conduct and they have been expelled from the show as an exhibitor.”
For those that haven’t been following the news, there is a lengthy post on Board Game Geek about the negative experiences and controversies surrounding Bergren and TGG.
Source: Board Game Quest
