I don't really think it matters who invented the idea that Perth fandom would be devastated by running a worldcon. It does appear that Perth fans have believed and regurgitated it as though it is their own, mostly using A3 as a justification IME.
I'd certainly take issue with your timeline regarding games conventions though. The golden age was definitely the 80's, with Phantastacon peaking around 800 participants, Arcanacon heading in that direction (600 maybe?), MAGInc running regular roleplaying tournaments, and that's just Melbourne. I would call the abysmal Games '87 the best marker of the downward slide. That was the last RPG con I went to, because it was truly crappily run and because of the number of good sf cons that were available as a more enjoyable alternative.
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Re: More Ranty History!
Date: 2009-06-03 08:20 am (UTC)I'd certainly take issue with your timeline regarding games conventions though. The golden age was definitely the 80's, with Phantastacon peaking around 800 participants, Arcanacon heading in that direction (600 maybe?), MAGInc running regular roleplaying tournaments, and that's just Melbourne. I would call the abysmal Games '87 the best marker of the downward slide. That was the last RPG con I went to, because it was truly crappily run and because of the number of good sf cons that were available as a more enjoyable alternative.