GDC has been interesting. I was hoping that I would have more public relations insights to share, but the only thing that has stuck out at me is that if you’re going to pay a whole lot of money to get a booth at a conference, you should probably staff it with people who aren’t socially retarded. I stood at the Sony online booth for about 2 minutes, looking at their brochures while the pimple-faced attendants talked to one another and completely ignored me until I left.
Instead, my post today will be about hobos.
San Francisco is a bastion of hobos, owing largely to the nice weather and liberal guilt. So far, I’ve seen a chinese Charlie Chaplin, a couple of people who screamed at me, and a guy wearing a top hat. I don’t know if he was homeless, but I am of the opinion that if you’re not an English nobleman and you’re wearing a top hat, you’re automatically a hobo. It’s the way of the universe.
However, the prize for best hobo I’ve see so far goes to the guy outside the conference centre who said to a group of passing GDCers:
“So, if I panhandle in binary, will you guys give me money? 1000110001011…”
An honourable mention goes to the Jamaican dude with the sign that said “United Negro Pizza Fund.”
The lesson here is clear. If you’re going to be a hobo, you might as well have a sense of humour about it.
