The new forums will be named Coin Return (based on the most recent vote)! You can check on the status and timeline of the transition to the new forums here.
The Guiding Principles and New Rules document is now in effect.
PAX should be four days
heathkit
Registered User new member
Registered User new member
I know I'm not the only one who feels a little let down that there's just not enough time at PAX to do all the awesome things you'd like. It seems that every year, I never have enough time to get in as much gaming as I'd like - I hate having to choose between going to the concerts and starting a late night game of BSG.
This year worked a lot better than last year because it was a little more spread out and better organized, I felt. Why not spread it out over four days instead of three next year, so people can have time to do everything they want to without feeling rushed?
This year worked a lot better than last year because it was a little more spread out and better organized, I felt. Why not spread it out over four days instead of three next year, so people can have time to do everything they want to without feeling rushed?
heathkit on
0
This discussion has been closed.
Posts
Some one did actually ask that question about an extended PAX in boston. I believe the response was how badly did we want to kill Kiko in the process.
This was my fourth PAX, and I'm beginning to approach, especially with it being biyearly now, a sort of PAX zen. One PAX made me realize that I'd never be able to see everything I wanted. Two PAXii (aided by my Omeganaut status and the ability to cut in lines) let me see many more of the panels/big events I wanted to as well as got me more into the PAX culture such as buttoneering. Three PAXii let me see the tournament side of things, all the PC freeplay stuff, and some of the really cool smaller exhibits tucked away. Four PAXii allowed me to do all the tabletop I had always wanted to do at a PAX, but never had the time for. PAX zen allows me a longer-view of PAX. I fully expect to go to PAX every year for the rest of my life. Ideally I'll see PAX East and PAX Prime each year, but certainly one or the other should be doable. PAX is a continuum, approaching infinity, not a series of individual events. As such, I am less disappointed if I missed a particular panel this year or miss a particular type of activity six months from now. I will approach perfect PAX saturation, having done everything at least once, but ultimately there will be more things to do, and it is a never-ending journey towards PAXlightenment. I still have not done the concert scene. Some PAX I will do that. I still have not been to the pre-PAX dinner, some PAX I will do that. I have not spent all that much time in the console freeplay areas playing random strangers in games I've never tried on consoles I don't own, but some PAX I will do that. That is PAX zen, and while the PAX is ever-changing, ever-ending, with different games, different panels, different events, and different people, it is one PAX, forever and ever.
(You just say the letters)
QFT!
As an Enforcer, this is all even more true, since I have less time to "walk the floor" as it were. So the more years I volunteer, the more of PAX I get to see. I make sure to check out something new every year.
the only benefit to having a 4 day pax would be to spread out the concerts (aka concerts on friday and sunday) so that I can keep caught up on sleep...
Yeah likewise for me, I skipped Halo: Reach and Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood entirely because the lines were huge and I know I'll be buying both. I did go see TFU2 though because the booth was much more accessible walking by.
(You just say the letters)
I ended up wasting most of Friday looking for Riot
I'm thinking that next year we (GeekNights) will rent out an unused hotel ballroom, rent a bunch of tables, and make it an unofficial post/pre-PAX tabletop room. I think that would take the place of a PAX extension. This probably won't be the Sheraton if PAX is using their ballrooms again, but there are other rooms out there. I'm going to start investigating it very soon.
Also, if PAX was extended; Khoo would explode.
I don't know if he would explode. He would definitely need to buy another suit though.
who am i kidding khoo owns infinite suits
As far as being hard on the enforcers, there's no shortage of volunteers every year. They could just bring on more people to cover extra shifts, then all the enforcers would have more time to play. Of course, people at the top like Khoo would die, so they'd have to make sure there's enough delegation and competent senior staff.
I guess I'm just biased because I grew up in Dallas, where Quakecon and CPL were both four days - three days just seems a little bit short for a con like this. I feel that if they kept the same number of panels and media events, but just spread the whole thing out over four days instead of three, there would be more time to do everything without people getting exhausted.
Maybe even just extend the BYOC and tabletop out a day earlier, but keep everything else the same. I guess there's nothing to stop people from just doing that on their own, as was mentioned upthread. I guess I'll try to do a better job next year of finding cool events for Thurs and Sun.
How would you guys feel about a slightly longer, but slower-paced PAX experience?
I know Anime Vegas a couple years ago (also Labor Day weekend) ended up adding a 4th day because people were having so much fun.
I was fully rested for Friday and went to bed 300a.
Woke up at 700a feeling alright on Saturday and went to bed at 300a.
Woke up at 1030a on Sunday didnt get to the expo till 1130a was suffering for it all day.
Sunday is already a short day, it'd be nice to just have a big enough block of time for sleep and morning prep for the final Hurrah that Sunday is.
Steam - NotoriusBEN | Uplay - notoriusben | Xbox,Windows Live - ThatBEN
Making PAX 4 days would almost certainly end up in many people only coming for 3 days, leaving more room for others to come.
On the convention / exhibitor side of things, more staff would be needed to spread out the workload over four days.
If you do this, you will be my hero. If I knew for a fact there would be tabletop before and after I'd alter my schedule based on that.
I think that fan or industry-arranged mini-events before or after the con are where the future is. As someone else said, I Thursday to be the first day of PAX with the dinner and the pub crawl. I would love love LOVE to spend Monday morning (not too early) playing a few solid sessions of D&D somewhere nearby. With fan events we can have 4-5 days of convention without the staff having to die horribly.
Triwizard Drinking Tournament - '09 !Hufflepuff unofficial conscript, '10 !Gryffindor
Nerd blog at culturalgeekgirl.com
I believe I have just quoted you sir.
For reals though, as an Enforcer, I don't know what I'd do with myself if PAX was 4 days long; I'd probably go insane. That's why suggestions for a PAX Europe or a third U.S. PAX send me into a bit of a tizzy.
Anyway, it's already unofficially four days, and IMO, the Thursday is always the best. Less crowding and more chill people. Not that everyone isn't chill, they are, but the sheer number of people mushed together will inevitably lead to some degree of grumpiness.
Massive Crystal Cavern!
I cannot second this idea strongly enough. Sunday wouldn't have to be any longer if it were just later. Having more time to catch up on sleep before one big last push would keep Sunday a stronger day overall.
Of course, having PAX Prime end later works well when it's Labor Day weekend... but since it's going to be earlier next year, it might be trickier to push the Sunday times back.
Have live feed rooms so that you don't actually have to be in an auditorium in order to watch a panel.
Not possible to get everything done in 3 days, let alone two...and PAX gets bigger each year.
One thing I do miss that the other convention had was 24 hours access. I didn't get as much tabletop gaming as I wanted because it'd be like midnight and I didn't want to feel rushed by the 2AM closure so I just went back to the hotel. Perhaps if the convention center is too large to monitor 24 hours, the 24 hour location could be some other location that's much smaller, like a really large room in a hotel next door and just have all tabletop gaming there or something.
Switch: US 1651-2551-4335 JP 6310-4664-2624
MH3U Monster Cheat Sheet / MH3U Veggie Elder Ticket Guide
I think it's always been on Labor Day weekend before, but it won't be next year.
In regards to extending the number of days, we as a geek community already do it. Think about the Thursday night events, and I am sure there are people that went crazy on Monday since it was a holiday. What about the groups that travel by train and game for three days straight while traveling across the country? The three days of PAX are really the main event, but since we are such a diverse community, we have created a rich atmosphere before and after that main event. Calling PAX a three day affair is almost an insult to every person geeking it up outside the main event.
Keep it at three, and we geeks will take care of the rest. See you next year!
When will it be? Does anyone know yet? I want to book the hotel really early so I pretty much lock in the time.
Thanks!
So PAX is already four days for many of us.
"Read twice, post once. It's almost like 'measure twice, cut once' only with reading." - MetaverseNomad