Minors At Pax East

xXFreedomCatXx

I have a son in which I am taking to PAX East. He is 12 years old. Is he too young? How many minors of his age do you think will be there?

zerzhul

This is a topic that comes up every year. You can probably find some more threads in the pax archive that talk about this issue. 12 is definitely not "too young" depending on what you want to do. The panels and such are not specifically designed around older audiences for the most part, although some foul language may be present at some of them. He should be able to partake though in most panels, the expo floor (except for rated M games), and all the freeplay areas.

PAX is really an all-ages event, but it also does not censor or adjust based on the audience. You should be able to figure out what will or won't be appropriate (for the most part) via the schedule once it goes live (beginning of March). Foul language will be the most major issue I can think of.

custosvenatus

To xXFreedomCatXx... I'm attending with a minor too... I'm sure your son will have a blast based on all the forums and pics. Enjoy!

Khadour

I've been bringing my stepson to PAX East with me every year since it started. He is now 15, and it is one of the hilights of our year. There are a number of things that you need to be aware of as a parent, most of which I covered in a post last year - I'll be happy to answer any other questions you have!

Chorazin

Content wise, you'd have to really seek out content that would be more "offensive" than the average PA strip. If you allow your child to read PA they're not going to bat an eye at most things there!

sillyzombie666

its and event filled with pokemon, trading cards , video games, toys and arcades..... i think your kids will be fine

LordBraska1999

I'm bringing my 1 year old and we have seen many kids under the age of 5 at PAX. It's really all about knowing what your kids can handle. I won't be going to a panel this year (which sucks because I was stoaked about Story Time with CliffyB) but in light of all that my friend's 3 year old had a blast 2 years ago and they are doing it again this year.

LordBraska1999

I've gone to PAX East the last few years and I have been noticing more and more people with their kids there during the event. I just wanted to start a parents thread to see what precautions most are taking (BEYOND PURELL AND A FLU SHOT) for their snotshooters and what has been done in the past as well as ideas for entertaining them while in lines, in event transport and all that good stuff. This is personally my first year going with a child. Were looking at a backpack carrier and a slew of treats. She had her flu shot a few months ago so were good there.

zerzhul

LordBraska1999 wrote: »

I've gone to PAX East the last few years and I have been noticing more and more people with their kids there during the event. I just wanted to start a parents thread to see what precautions most are taking (BEYOND PURELL AND A FLU SHOT) for their snotshooters and what has been done in the past as well as ideas for entertaining them while in lines, in event transport and all that good stuff. This is personally my first year going with a child. Were looking at a backpack carrier and a slew of treats. She had her flu shot a few months ago so were good there.

Merged into the existing thread about kids.

LordBraska1999

zerzhul wrote: »

LordBraska1999 wrote: »

I've gone to PAX East the last few years and I have been noticing more and more people with their kids there during the event. I just wanted to start a parents thread to see what precautions most are taking (BEYOND PURELL AND A FLU SHOT) for their snotshooters and what has been done in the past as well as ideas for entertaining them while in lines, in event transport and all that good stuff. This is personally my first year going with a child. Were looking at a backpack carrier and a slew of treats. She had her flu shot a few months ago so were good there.

Merged into the existing thread about kids.

Thanks @zerzhul

Gaus

I think the normal precautions are good enough for something like PAX. I tend to think of it like an amusement park. If you have an extra cell phone, give it to the kid.. ( although making a call in the convention hall is somewhat akin to torture. Getting service and having the other party actually hear the ringing ) Have a meet-up spot if you get separated. Tell them they can ask the Enforcers for help. Work on the buddy system if you have more than one. You know, basic stuff.

I'm only going to be bringing the kid for one day.. I personally couldn't imagine myself ( or him, but especially myself ) doing the whole weekend.

Skrepo

My 3 year old daughter will be coming with me one day this year. She had a blast last year at the Halfbrick booth with with me holding her to do the Fruit Ninja Kinect Contest.

Tehmightybooshy

There was this awesome booth last year in the tabletop area where you could sit down and paint a tabletop miniature(which was free). Hopefully they will be there again this year. I can imagine that would be a good place to go and relax if the kids get tired or don't want to be standing up all day!

gamerman1227

The issue I would see with younger children at PAX is the crowds, particularly on the show floor. There are A LOT of people there, all crammed together in a very tight space, you are literally going to be shoulder to shoulder with people at times. I could easily see kids getting pushed, bumped into, tripped over, etc. entirely by accident, just due to the nature of what it's like there. So if you aren't concerned with the possibility of a large overweight man potentially bowling over your children, than go for it. Otherwise, be careful.

cookiekrush

The biggest thing is to know what your child can handle and be able to wait in lines and be standing nearly the entire day. If your child is going to be fussy in lines, then you're going to have your work cut out for you. Comfortable shoes are important for your child and break/sitting time will be important as well.

I'd make sure to bring snack bars and water for your kid. A snack is important during the day (stray from the sugar snacks, because your child may be on a sugar high after) and gives them something to munch on while waiting in lines for panels and/or games.

Having a meeting place in case you and your child get separated is key as cell phones are great, but hard to listen and feel when there are huge crowds of people and loud noises.

If your child is young, make sure they know they can go to an enforcer for help if you get separated and know your cell phone/home number by heart or have a note with your contact info. Even though everyone at PAX is usually very nice and sweet, it's generally not a good thing to go up to any stranger.

I saw many children at the expo last year and at many different conventions. I think it's a great event for parent-children bonding.

Oroso

Obligatory "Strollers are not permitted in the Expo Hall" reminder.

Also, cookiekrush's post is right on the mark.

zgamer200

So I'm 16, and I also don't have any form of ID, what does that limit my being able to do at Pax East? I don't really know as this is my first ever Pax East.

zerzhul

zgamer200 wrote: »

So I'm 16, and I also don't have any form of ID, what does that limit my being able to do at Pax East? I don't really know as this is my first ever Pax East.

You only need an ID in order to pick up a badge at will-call. If your badge is being sent to you, that part isn't an issue. As far as being 16 goes, some booths on the expo floor with mature content will ask for ID before letting you in (mature rated games, etc). Panels and concerts do not check ID. The freeplay areas do usually ask for an ID to hold as collateral when checking out a game to make sure you'll bring it back (although age is not a factor there), so you might be limited in that area as well.

vespachica

My 13 year old has gone to Prime for about 4 years now and LOVES it. My (now) 7 year old went to Prime last year and while our style was cramped a bit, she loved it as well. We are all into games.

My best advice is to take plenty of snacks and water, plan some rest times, etc. You know your kid best so you know what he/she can handle. My 13 year old can go-go-go (and has been like that since he started going) but my 7 year old, not so much. We found lots of places to sit and just people watch. It was still fun.

Also, we varied our activities so we weren't doing just the expo hall or just tabletop, etc.

Good luck!

(I'm super jealous, reading these threads on East when we aren't going.)

sillyzombie666

remember if you are going to use a cell phone if you get lost, have a back up plan since a comon complaint is cell phones not being able to make calls / send texts because there are so many phones in one spot. same thing with hand held walkie talkies so many people on one channle

gamerman1227

Yeah, I distinctly remember that Cell Phones were a no go on the convention floor last year, way too many people in too small an area.

niles136

Hi I'm 15 and I'm going with my 18 year old sister, do you think I'll still be aloud to go to the mature booths?

Kilonum

No, they are playing it safe and not letting in anyone under 18 even if they are with a parent or guardian.

koolaroo

Kilonum wrote: »

No, they are playing it safe and not letting in anyone under 18 even if they are with a parent or guardian.

18 or 17? Mature games are for 17 and above but what is the general booth policy.

Kilonum

18 is general policy.

niles136

Well that sucks, but is that for all, even games like AC4 and ESO, or just mature ones, like when I went last year I could go to all except Witcher 2

Father

Ill be bringing my 4yo on Friday. Do people want to meet up with the kids and let them play together maybe at lunch time?

Rooniedoo

I'm 12. I've been going since the first Pax East and it's pretty fun. Even though I can't go to a lot of panels >_> Kids can do a lot of things...And if you wanna go to a M rated panel...Just drop your kid off at the freeplay.

gamerman1227

Rooniedoo wrote: »

I'm 12. I've been going since the first Pax East and it's pretty fun. Even though I can't go to a lot of panels >_> Kids can do a lot of things...And if you wanna go to a M rated panel...Just drop your kid off at the freeplay.

If you actually ARE 12, I wouldn't go around announcing it. According to the internet provacy act, the mods are obligated to delete your profile here since it's illegal to collect personal information from persons under 13.

Oh, and advising people to just "drop their kid off" anywhere is terrible advice. A. What sane person is going to leave their kids alone with a group of strangers and B. Since when is PAX a babysitting service?

zerzhul

If you think someone is violating the forum rules, please use the report function to bring it to the moderator staff's attention.

In addition, telling parents what to do with their kids is not really within this thread's remit. This is more for information about limitations for minors and potential activities and whatnot for minors.

koolaroo

Kilonum wrote: »

18 is general policy.

Well thats really dumb. I can legaly play any game the isn't AO.

zerzhul

I've not heard of the 18 being general policy thing before, I assumed it was 17, but I don't have anything to contradict it. I've only been to two booths ever that carded, the duke nukem booth and the bioshock 2 booth. I'm sure others card, but there are a whole ton of vendors that do not card. It's really a YMMV situation.

pureval

We brought my 5 year old last year and it was fine. He had a blast and the other attendees were really good around him. People would ask our permission before taking a photo and even tip toed past him when he fell asleep during the concerts. This year we are bringing him and his baby sister. That should be an adventure.

themacguru

It should be no problem. It's a great crowd and great event. Enjoy it.

cyberdecker

I brought my 4 year old this year for the first time. Would be nice for her to meet some other kids her age. Would definitely be interested in meeting up, hanging out, and seeing what kind of kid related stuff there will be to do with a pack of kids.