San Francisco, CA
We are dealing with two issues here:
1. wetness
2. bacteria
We are not going to manage bacteria on a game ever, so throw that expectation out. Wash your hands when the tournament is over, just like you would leaving any arcade. Wash again when you get home. It's all you can do (unless you need to wear gloves/mask for a medical condition).
We *can* all however, manage the wetness in a tournament. It can become a new custom and level of respect.
I think someone should invent and brand and bring 100 to the next show of:
1. a small cotton hand towel
2. a belt-clip retractable line cord mech
3. attach the towel to the line cord
Use that at tournaments. When you get home - throw the towel in with your wash like any T-shirt. Don't go to a tournament without your retractable pin-towelie.
If everyone had one, and did a quick wipe down after any sweating on a game, it would be a step in the right direction. It least take the grossness out of the game that can be managed. Nobody should EVER have to play a wet machine. It's no different than being at the gym.
-mof
PS: Pin-towelie.
It's about a $1.10 solution (for a 100pc order): $0.80 for each retractable badge holder with a carabiner hook, and $0.30 for each shop rag. Cut a 1/2" slit near any edge of the rag, and it's locked in. You can skip the badge holder, but I like the idea of letting it hang out to dry between games, rather than stuffing it in a pocket. Super sexy look too in red or blue or white.
