Every year thousands of people descend on the San Diego Convention Center to devour geek pop culture like the locusts we are. For four days in July, you can”t shake a stick at the Internet without hitting a minimum of three articles related to Comic-Con. It”s a feeding frenzy of fandom; one that is documented in up-to-the-second photos and video.
But this year, SDCC is taking a hard stand on encroaching technology. So if your game plan includes of the following banned items, it”s back to the drawing board!
#1: No Selfie Sticks of any kind.
That means you, GoPro poles. If you can stick your phone or camera on it and have it telescope away from you to capture the moment, it”s banned. The reasoning? Safety concerns. With thousands of people on the show floor at any given time, injury via being smacked with a Selife Stick is at an all-time high. Anyone caught using one will be asked to put it away. This policy extends beyond the convention hall and into the surrounding grounds outside and ANY of the official Comic-Con hotels that are hosting events.
#2: No Periscope streaming. No Google Glass.
If you thought technology had finally cracked the code on how to watch Hall H panels without sleeping outside overnight, think again. This year SDCC has once again banned all attempts to livestream from inside any programming or event rooms. Regular old-fashioned video recording is also not permissible. Should you be one of the six people on Earth who have prescription Google Glass? You better bring your spare non-sci-fi glasses instead or accept life as a blurry smudge.
#3: No drones.
I don”t know who thought they”d fly their GoPro strapped to a drone close enough to a celebrity to get the perfect shot, but that HAD to have happened in order for this policy to be put in place, right? Even if you just want a bird”s-eye view of the convention grounds outside, that too is forbidden. Also on the no-fly list? Helium balloons of any sort.
#4: No vaping.
Smoking has been banned from Comic-Con for years, but vaping and e-cigarettes are now added to the list. If you”re caught lighting up in non-designated smoking areas, you will be ejected from the convention for non-compliance.
You can see a full list of SDCC rules and regulations over here.