BUTTONEERING - #ButtonRadar is enabled! Look for the info in the OP.
Put on your horn rimmed specs, skinny jeans, and flannel shirt. You're going to be collecting some ironic accessories this year with...
PAX PRIME BUTTONEERING 2014!
Pin trading is all the rage these days, but is it organic and sustainable? Luckily you have the underground option that the masses haven't heard of in Buttoneering. Our locally sourced, responsibly raised buttons are hitting their seventh year of trading, and go great with beards and hand-knit caps. Some come on and join us, and become part of the counterculture.
What is Buttoneering?
Buttoneering is a meta-game that takes place every year at PAX Prime (and to a lesser extent PAX East and other events). You play by printing up a large number of buttons with a picture that represents you, and then find other people at your event to trade with you. It is remarkably easy to do, and it's a great way to meet people. Additionally, you come away with a huge number of buttons that are a unique souvenir of your time.
What are the rules?
Well, there are only a couple. First, if you get a button you should give a button, and vice versa. This applies to the "avatar" button, which is the one that represents you personally. If you have made other buttons representing a group, game, or are just something special, you can set your own rules for what people need to do to get them. As usual, follow Wheaton's Law for maximum fun.
How did Buttoneering start?
It started out as a problem at PAX 2008 for members of the PAX Forum Community. They wanted a way to be able to pick each other out of the crowd of more than 55,000 gamers. The initial idea was for t-shirts with everyone's avatars printed on them. Once someone pointed out the added benefit of being able to smell fellow forum members coming, other ideas were proposed.
Finally, everyone settled on making buttons with their avatars on them. After some initial research, it was discovered that one could get bulk amounts of these created for relatively cheaply, and the idea of PAX Button Exchange was born!
Where can I get buttons?
We recommended PureButtons because of their excellent customer service, good prices, and being all-around cool folks. No, we don't get paid to say that. If you're not in the U.S., feel free to ask in the thread to find info on providers closer to home, or if you're the trusting type, ask if you can ship the buttons to someone who is, to save yourself some shipping costs.
How do I participate?
Here are the steps for participating in Buttoneering:
Other frequently asked questions:
Event Schedule
We have THREE meetups planned to hopefully meet as many people's needs as possible, now with social media links to share pictures! The two morning ones are at the Juicy Cafe, which is on the second floor of the convention center, behind the escalators. The last day one is, as always, in front of the convention center.
Saturday Morning, 9AM @ Juicy Cafe
Sunday Morning, 9AM @ Juicy Cafe
Monday Afternoon, After the Omegathon in front of the convention center main entrance
#ButtonRadar
Going to be in one spot for a while? Have your buttons to trade? Use #ButtonRadar!
Tweet your location and how long you plan to be there with the hashtag #ButtonRadar, and @PAXButtoneering will rebroadcast it!* People will then know where you are and you can set up impromptu trading spots.
"But wait!" I hear you say, "everyone knows internet access is TERRIBLE at PAX! What good is a hashtag or even an account to follow?" Well! if you turn on mobile notifications for an account, and you have a mobile phone set up with Twitter, then you can get a text every time a tweet comes through on that account. SMS messages DO make it through, even when the normal internet connectivity is non-functional.
So, follow @PAXButtoneering, turn on mobile notifications, and tweet your location in your downtime with the hashtag #ButtonRadar.
*LIMITATIONS: Only one of your #buttonradar tweets will be rebroadcast per hour. All URLs, hashtags, links, mentions, and images will not be rebroadcast, so keep it to just the relevant info (where are you and for how long). The rebroadcasting won't be turned on until the Thursday before PAX.
About BUTTONEERING!.org
As of 2011, our official Buttoneering website is http://buttoneering.org. Usage is completely optional, but it does provide a number of benefits that make it worth the 60 seconds or so that it takes to sign up...
This way, we have a very convenient way for everyone to see the buttons and hopefully build upon it with buttoneering apps and the like!
So sign up, (make sure to use your forum name from here!), check your email for the confirmation, and then upload your artwork.
Before clicking on any of the links below, be aware that there are some NSFW buttons.
Click here for the list of this year's buttons!
Click here for last Prime's buttons.
Click here for last East's buttons.
Are you not on the list? Then you didn't sign up at http://buttoneering.org, so do it right away!
PAX PRIME BUTTONEERING 2014!
Pin trading is all the rage these days, but is it organic and sustainable? Luckily you have the underground option that the masses haven't heard of in Buttoneering. Our locally sourced, responsibly raised buttons are hitting their seventh year of trading, and go great with beards and hand-knit caps. Some come on and join us, and become part of the counterculture.
What is Buttoneering?
Buttoneering is a meta-game that takes place every year at PAX Prime (and to a lesser extent PAX East and other events). You play by printing up a large number of buttons with a picture that represents you, and then find other people at your event to trade with you. It is remarkably easy to do, and it's a great way to meet people. Additionally, you come away with a huge number of buttons that are a unique souvenir of your time.
What are the rules?
Well, there are only a couple. First, if you get a button you should give a button, and vice versa. This applies to the "avatar" button, which is the one that represents you personally. If you have made other buttons representing a group, game, or are just something special, you can set your own rules for what people need to do to get them. As usual, follow Wheaton's Law for maximum fun.
How did Buttoneering start?
It started out as a problem at PAX 2008 for members of the PAX Forum Community. They wanted a way to be able to pick each other out of the crowd of more than 55,000 gamers. The initial idea was for t-shirts with everyone's avatars printed on them. Once someone pointed out the added benefit of being able to smell fellow forum members coming, other ideas were proposed.
Finally, everyone settled on making buttons with their avatars on them. After some initial research, it was discovered that one could get bulk amounts of these created for relatively cheaply, and the idea of PAX Button Exchange was born!
Where can I get buttons?
We recommended PureButtons because of their excellent customer service, good prices, and being all-around cool folks. No, we don't get paid to say that. If you're not in the U.S., feel free to ask in the thread to find info on providers closer to home, or if you're the trusting type, ask if you can ship the buttons to someone who is, to save yourself some shipping costs.
How do I participate?
Here are the steps for participating in Buttoneering:
- Choose your button size and shape, and make your artwork. 1.5 inch round buttons are by far the most popular, and are a good compromise between price and size.
- Upload your artwork to BUTTONEERING!, our official Buttoneering site.
- Get your Buttons rim text: While logged in to Buttoneering, click on the magnifying glass for your button and scroll to the bottom of the page that comes up.
- Put the rim text on your button:
- If you are buying from PureButtons: Copy the text from the text box, and paste it into the additional notes when you make your order
- If you need to put the text on manually: Place the part in bold somewhere on your button, preferably along the rim where it is out of the way, but still findable.
- Order your buttons. 100-150 buttons is a good base amount, but feel free to go with more...there are usually more than 200 buttons available for trade! If you order from PureButtons, use the promo code PAXPRIME for 15% off!
- Go to PAX, trade with other Buttoneers, take pictures, have fun, and go home with a giant collection.
Other frequently asked questions:
Q. Why do you only list Purebuttons.com as a source of buttons? Are you banging the owner?
You are free to have your buttons made by anyone, make them your self if you'd like. Our prior experience shopping around last year has shown that you really can't beat the price Purebuttons offers for buttons in bulk. If you can, let us know your insider info.
Q. How do I get a button? What are these "bonus buttons"?
The buttons fall in to two categories, the "avatar" or "main" buttons, and the "bonus" variety. While there are no set rules for trading them, these general guidelines are encouraged:
- Avatar buttons should be traded for other Avatar buttons, with no challenges or criteria expected to be fulfilled other than you are both Buttoneers.
- Bonus buttons may (or may not!) have special criteria for receiving them, and may go to people outside the button game who fulfill the criteria. This could be a challenge ("What is the flightspeed of an unladen swallow?"), a requirement ("You must be a member of the CEOs of America Club"), or one may just ask for one (remember to say "Please").
Q. I want to make people stand on their head, nude, while singing "Yankee Doodle" to receive my buttons! Can't I do that?
It is perfectly within your rights, but don't expect many people to trade their buttons back with you.
Q. Do I have to purchase hundreds of buttons to participate?
Purchase as many or as little as you want. As they say the more the merrier, more than likely you will only be able to recieve as many buttons as you have to give. Last year a somewhat active person could easily go through 100+ buttons.
Q. With 55,000+ people, how will I find you all to get my trade on?
Many if not most of us will be attending various community ran events. Feel free to stop by the Pre-PAX Dinner, the Pre-PAX Movie, Pre-PAX Pubcrawl, or the Pre-PAX Breakfast. We'll be there in droves. Most people don't have problems finding others in any crowd. We stand out pretty hard.
Q. I want to make sure I get EVERY SINGLE BUTTON I can, will there be a Buttoneer meetup?
YES. See the schedule for the events. The one that is traditionally most attended is always in front of the convention center after the last round of the Omegathon.
Q. You said this is a game! How do we know who won?
Everyone is a winner! Especially you! You're so special, you know that?
Q. Will I be able to fly with my buttons. Are they considered an instrument of death?
As confirmed by the US TSA and experience from past years, 1" -1.5" buttons are not classified as an instrument of death even if you have a 100, and can be carried on or checked (they did say that depending on the TSA Agent you may be asked [forced at gun point] to check the buttons).
But remember this only applies to people whose flight originates in the US. If you are flying into the US with buttons make sure you check with your TSA equivalent before bringing them on a plane. The TSA people here also highly suggested that you check with US Customs (contact via your local embassy) before you try and bring them into the country (they indicated that the problem isn't with the button it's with what you could be hiding in the button). Recap: If you're in the US you can fly w/ buttons, if you're not you're probably better off mailing.
You are free to have your buttons made by anyone, make them your self if you'd like. Our prior experience shopping around last year has shown that you really can't beat the price Purebuttons offers for buttons in bulk. If you can, let us know your insider info.
Q. How do I get a button? What are these "bonus buttons"?
The buttons fall in to two categories, the "avatar" or "main" buttons, and the "bonus" variety. While there are no set rules for trading them, these general guidelines are encouraged:
- Avatar buttons should be traded for other Avatar buttons, with no challenges or criteria expected to be fulfilled other than you are both Buttoneers.
- Bonus buttons may (or may not!) have special criteria for receiving them, and may go to people outside the button game who fulfill the criteria. This could be a challenge ("What is the flightspeed of an unladen swallow?"), a requirement ("You must be a member of the CEOs of America Club"), or one may just ask for one (remember to say "Please").
Q. I want to make people stand on their head, nude, while singing "Yankee Doodle" to receive my buttons! Can't I do that?
It is perfectly within your rights, but don't expect many people to trade their buttons back with you.
Q. Do I have to purchase hundreds of buttons to participate?
Purchase as many or as little as you want. As they say the more the merrier, more than likely you will only be able to recieve as many buttons as you have to give. Last year a somewhat active person could easily go through 100+ buttons.
Q. With 55,000+ people, how will I find you all to get my trade on?
Many if not most of us will be attending various community ran events. Feel free to stop by the Pre-PAX Dinner, the Pre-PAX Movie, Pre-PAX Pubcrawl, or the Pre-PAX Breakfast. We'll be there in droves. Most people don't have problems finding others in any crowd. We stand out pretty hard.
Q. I want to make sure I get EVERY SINGLE BUTTON I can, will there be a Buttoneer meetup?
YES. See the schedule for the events. The one that is traditionally most attended is always in front of the convention center after the last round of the Omegathon.
Q. You said this is a game! How do we know who won?
Everyone is a winner! Especially you! You're so special, you know that?
Q. Will I be able to fly with my buttons. Are they considered an instrument of death?
As confirmed by the US TSA and experience from past years, 1" -1.5" buttons are not classified as an instrument of death even if you have a 100, and can be carried on or checked (they did say that depending on the TSA Agent you may be asked [forced at gun point] to check the buttons).
But remember this only applies to people whose flight originates in the US. If you are flying into the US with buttons make sure you check with your TSA equivalent before bringing them on a plane. The TSA people here also highly suggested that you check with US Customs (contact via your local embassy) before you try and bring them into the country (they indicated that the problem isn't with the button it's with what you could be hiding in the button). Recap: If you're in the US you can fly w/ buttons, if you're not you're probably better off mailing.
Event Schedule
We have THREE meetups planned to hopefully meet as many people's needs as possible, now with social media links to share pictures! The two morning ones are at the Juicy Cafe, which is on the second floor of the convention center, behind the escalators. The last day one is, as always, in front of the convention center.
Saturday Morning, 9AM @ Juicy Cafe
Sunday Morning, 9AM @ Juicy Cafe
Monday Afternoon, After the Omegathon in front of the convention center main entrance
#ButtonRadar
Going to be in one spot for a while? Have your buttons to trade? Use #ButtonRadar!
Tweet your location and how long you plan to be there with the hashtag #ButtonRadar, and @PAXButtoneering will rebroadcast it!* People will then know where you are and you can set up impromptu trading spots.
"But wait!" I hear you say, "everyone knows internet access is TERRIBLE at PAX! What good is a hashtag or even an account to follow?" Well! if you turn on mobile notifications for an account, and you have a mobile phone set up with Twitter, then you can get a text every time a tweet comes through on that account. SMS messages DO make it through, even when the normal internet connectivity is non-functional.
So, follow @PAXButtoneering, turn on mobile notifications, and tweet your location in your downtime with the hashtag #ButtonRadar.
*LIMITATIONS: Only one of your #buttonradar tweets will be rebroadcast per hour. All URLs, hashtags, links, mentions, and images will not be rebroadcast, so keep it to just the relevant info (where are you and for how long). The rebroadcasting won't be turned on until the Thursday before PAX.
About BUTTONEERING!.org
As of 2011, our official Buttoneering website is http://buttoneering.org. Usage is completely optional, but it does provide a number of benefits that make it worth the 60 seconds or so that it takes to sign up...
- Upload your buttons and see everyone else's
- Easily track the ones you've collected
- Lots of cool filters and sorting to help you find the button you're looking for
- Hosting for your finished button designs with the code to embed it in the forums
- Keep up with your collection from year to year, event to event, so you can see just how much awesome you've seen
This way, we have a very convenient way for everyone to see the buttons and hopefully build upon it with buttoneering apps and the like!
So sign up, (make sure to use your forum name from here!), check your email for the confirmation, and then upload your artwork.
Before clicking on any of the links below, be aware that there are some NSFW buttons.
Click here for the list of this year's buttons!
Click here for last Prime's buttons.
Click here for last East's buttons.
Are you not on the list? Then you didn't sign up at http://buttoneering.org, so do it right away!
Every time you write parallel fifths, Bach kills a kitten.
3DS Friend Code: 2707-1614-5576
PAX Prime 2014 Buttoneering!
3DS Friend Code: 2707-1614-5576
PAX Prime 2014 Buttoneering!
jonxp on
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Posts
3DS Friend Code: 2707-1614-5576
PAX Prime 2014 Buttoneering!
Honestly, You can take them on the plane in your carry-on and not be questioned about it (I have done it every time since the Buttoneering started.) ...Granted, it may vary depending if the TSA member is being nice or not. Generally speaking, though, it's okay.
The buttons themselves vary in size; but the most common ones are the 1.5'' circle buttons or 2'' square buttons. Doesn't take up as much space as you think it would.
You could always have it shipped to the hotel you will be residing during the Convention or--if you have awesomely epic friends living close to Seattle and/or driving up/down there--have someone stow it away for you for the time being.
Oh! And to answer your first question; yes, we do. That's what rooms are for, though! When you go back to stow away your swag/shopping goods, dump out the buttons you have received during trading and refresh your own button inventory.
And I am super excited, as always, for this. Especially since, sadly, this will be my last PAX for a while. That whole saving up to get married and honeymoon has to be in the way once 2015 hits. I know what I want...I just have to craptacularly photoshop it.
And HI JONXP. LET US PLAN THE BUTTON BOARD.
PAX Prime Attendee since 2006, BYOC Attendee 2008-2012, Buttoneer 2010-2014
https://www.pinnypals.com/pals/alegria
SHALL WE DO THE SAME THING WE DO EVERY YEAR?
3DS Friend Code: 2707-1614-5576
PAX Prime 2014 Buttoneering!
Fun side note - after all the button collecting I have been doing for 10+ years, I was getting photographed last year at PAX Prime more often than some of the cosplayers around me. Wondering if I should take a trenchcoat and layer them as some manner of scale mail armor for this year?
Oh - and a plastic bag of 150 1.5" round buttons will fit in the cargo pocket of a pair of cargo shorts. Some perspective.
The most common size, 1.5", ends up taking up a very small amount of space. I've been lugging 200 - 300 and unless you're REALLY hard pressed for space, you should be able to squish 100 in your carry on.
[x]In awe that my 30 minute badge window prediction was pretty close to accurate.
[x]Badge (HOLYCRAPIGOTA4DAY!)
[x]Hotel
[ ]Airfare
[ ]Buttoneering Buttons
[ ]Challenge Coin
Alternately, do you know anybody who is driving to PAX who could take delivery for you?
I've been guilty of dragging my feet in times past. Figured there's noting wrong with being a bit early this year. On that topic...
A note about timing
I'm not contacting PureButtons until after tickets go on sale. I'd also strongly suggest not buying buttons until that time as well. Go ahead and start working on and thinking about designs, but wait until you're sure you'll be at PAX before plunking down the dollars.
3DS Friend Code: 2707-1614-5576
PAX Prime 2014 Buttoneering!
WHY YES GOOD SIR THAT SOUNDS LIKE A PLAN.
PAX Prime Attendee since 2006, BYOC Attendee 2008-2012, Buttoneer 2010-2014
https://www.pinnypals.com/pals/alegria
With our discounts, about $27~ give or take if I remember correctly. I usually paid roughly $50 for 200, but $10 was for the digital proof because I'm paranoid.
[x]In awe that my 30 minute badge window prediction was pretty close to accurate.
[x]Badge (HOLYCRAPIGOTA4DAY!)
[x]Hotel
[ ]Airfare
[ ]Buttoneering Buttons
[ ]Challenge Coin
I'm in!
And now to think of what to use for my design... probably Leanan there on the left, with a bit of writing/text. Might need to get my body to do a new design for her.
Edit: Typo
Yeah, they have a way to do "metallic" finishes. It's actually printing your design on clear plastic with the metal of the button showing through. It makes for some cool effects (like the Captain America shield someone had one year), but it is at an additional cost.
3DS Friend Code: 2707-1614-5576
PAX Prime 2014 Buttoneering!
That sounds awesome. Now I have to come up with something that represents my family or maybe just me and I will do a separate deal for my 5 year old who will be joining us for one day. He is completely into games of all types and I think he will get a serious kick out of PAX and the trading of pins.
That was mine!
/shameful blush
I still have a handful left I will bring this year... pending badges anyway.
Was my biggest buttoneering disappointment when I also missed them.
No clue what I'm going to put on a button this year. Not sure I can top my KSA button from last year.
Sounds like I should use my same captain design again this year....
PAX Prime Attendee since 2006, BYOC Attendee 2008-2012, Buttoneer 2010-2014
https://www.pinnypals.com/pals/alegria
My PINS
Verbosity is my charm point.
If you look at my buttons, only one has been anything artistic at all (last year's dragon) and I got a friend to draw it up for me. The rest have been photos (mine or from the internet) that I've edited to add text and stuff in GIMP. Including this one.
PAX Prime Attendee since 2006, BYOC Attendee 2008-2012, Buttoneer 2010-2014
https://www.pinnypals.com/pals/alegria
If I can get badges this year, and I find the time between now and PAX to design something, perhaps I'll join in again. I can't really commit to anything until closer to the time, though.
(You just say the letters)
If you mean text on the rim, yes they do.
Don't Panic.
This brings up a good point, while we have "officially recommended" rim text, feel free to add to it! It's just the bare minimum to make it easy to tell who and where the buttons are from.
3DS Friend Code: 2707-1614-5576
PAX Prime 2014 Buttoneering!