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While it's not a bad solution, I seiousely dislike VIP badges. They sell them for Emerald City ComicCon and there is nothing worse than making sure you are in line for something *hours* early just to have to wait an extra hour (or more) while all the VIP bagde holders get to show up at any time they feel like and cut in lines. One of my favorite things about PAX is that everyone who is there is equal. There are no VIPs, no one gets special treatment.
"Brilliant! Oh wait, if we were meant to fly, we would have been born with little bags of nuts."
2015 PAX Prime Omeganaut (I will forever hate Katamari)
That's not entirely true. There are VIP badges at PAX, they just aren't sold.
While at the Borderlands 2 booth I had a group of VIPs cut in line. After they passed the booth guy asked my group why we didn't just buy the VIP badges.
I told him I would if I could.
For exhibitors, it's really up to them how they want to treat people. For example: they let media folks do whatever, usually, even though a media badge doesn't "grant" them that access.
Indeed, although personally I feel like that hasn't been as bad as in the past. I still remember a few years ago where it seems like just about everything I got in line for I got bumped, in some cases twice in a row. Not to mention running into dudes practically bragging that they got their media badges to avoid the lines. Media registration tightened up after that. I'm sure there's definitely still some of that around though.
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I have been in awkward scenarios where I booted someone off because I was media, and although I respect that vendors want to get their game out to the media folk... Kicking people off demos and/or cutting in line is just not cool. More vendors should really do the behind closed doors approach for things like this to avoid both upsetting others and to provide a separate spot for media to participate without taking away from the experience of others.
Attending: PAX Prime 2016
Twitter @Pogoplay
You have to factor in user utility, you have to factor in other costs, which are different for each person, you have to factor in substitutes, or possible substitutes that could arise due to pax being crazy expensive.
You have to factor in the money you lose at the com because you charged more up front, you have to factor in the money your (very important) sponsors lose, and their utility to pay their fees with their target audience affected by higher prices.
Tl;dr, raising the price will cause far more problems then they fix. The best short term solution is a small price increase caused by removing 4 day passes, which ensures the maximum amount of your target audience will at some point walk in those doors.
I actually thought the list/appointment/interview system was a welcome improvement. I'm sure some skipping still happens, but I saw first hand some booths (EA one year springs to mind) telling media folks that if they didn't have an appointment or interview scheduled at that particular time, they had to wait in line like everyone else. I've actually been on the receiving end of one of those awkward scenarios, where I got bumped twice in a row at Square Enix's booth a few years ago while waiting for a demo. The rep felt so bad about it and was so apologetic. I think he gave me some extra swag. I also remember being next in line, I think for either Uncharted 2 or 3, and having a group of media folks stroll up and basically lock the booth down for 15-20 mins. I want to say some of the more egregious Wheaton's Law violations were before the appointment system, or at least before the appointment system was more noticeable. I don't even particularly have a problem with media. You guys have a job to do, and PAX very quickly became one of those types of events that needed coverage. I think it just bugged me that some folks were, and a few probably still are, so blatant about it.
Yes, I do recall going to PAX 2010 and just starting out as media and it being a common thing of people giving me stern looks and others asking me why I wasn't taking "advantage" of the perks that media got me.
Kinda wish media doesn't get as much flak as it does, but with people literally destroying the media reputation by 'pretending' they are media it harms us more than anything and I am glad that PAX enforces stricter rules regarding Media registration than before to stop it from happening; although a few still bleed through.
The majority of us are not uptight pricks and a lot of us who work for small media websites like myself are actually doing it because we have the same passion as the rest of the community and enjoy writing about games.
Attending: PAX Prime 2016
Twitter @Pogoplay
"Brilliant! Oh wait, if we were meant to fly, we would have been born with little bags of nuts."
I got put behind a media group for tiny brains, and honestly? Indies need the media exposure, I can't blame them at all for doing that, plus since we waited patiently, they treated us to the same extended media demo, so we got to play some of the game that wasn't shown to the general public!
In general: if you aren't a dick, good things happen for you.
Examples: When we reported on Oculus Rift and World of Warplanes it wasn't anywhere near the public access, even though Warplanes had had a show floor booth setup. Same with the Razer Blade announcement, it was in a back-room of the Razer booth away from the public. As mentioned before, you get put on the media mailing list and you can take interviews with any of the exhibitors or vendors that reach out to you. Most of these are scheduled, and if they're at an actual booth it may appear that you're cutting a line for quick access as press. What's really happening is that you have deadlines to meet and there isn't really a way around that, typically the person you get to talk to has a demo set aside for these things or they'll wait until a demo frees up and stick you ahead of the line quickly. I don't see a way around this for invitational and scheduled meetings like this.
If I were voluntold to attend as Media and report on anything and everything, that might be a different story since there's just so damn much to see and do through the entire event. But it shouldn't be to hard to obey the rules and wait your turn like everyone else if you have a Media badge but really just want to check something out personally.
Wasn't able to attend last year, but now that I've read this about certain people abusing their special passes I'll have to keep an eye out for it. Not to tattle on anyone of course, but just to see what kind of extend it's really at.
If the secondary market was the only means of procuring passes, then I would say there's a problem with scalping. Even then, the problem would be in the scale, not existence, of the secondary/scalper market.
I don't consider myself as having a lot of money. Cheaper tickets means more money to spend on merch at the indie mega booth. Higher pass prices have no bearing on my ability to attend PAX. It would have an effect on my desire to attend as that money needs to come from somewhere out of my budget for the entire trip.
I see the entire discussion as looking for a solution to a problem that doesn't exist.
So again, if media gets limited items like swag, I'd be upset.
I used to make a lot more appointments, but felt so bad about being moved to the front of the line when I showed up for games on the main floor that I stopped making those appointments.
I try to be discreet and respectful with media badges. All I really need is the occasional reliable wifi and power charging access from the media room (for some reason, some of the outlets around the centre tend to be dead these days), I'm willing to get in line to try out other stuff with everyone else if that's an option. Most of the folks applying for/receiving a media badge can deal with the occasional waits to get hands on access to games, unless you have a massive crushing deadline.
PAX is for the gamers.
I don't understand why media should be given special privileges at PAX.
While I agree with you, E3 is still a hard venue to get access too especially if you are a smaller site. PAX gives us the opportunity to still do coverage although we aren't a AAA news website.
Attending: PAX Prime 2016
Twitter @Pogoplay
I have no issues with media outlets attending and reporting on PAX. Any game journalist worth their salt is a gamer and a journalist. PAX should be for all gamers, even the loud mouthed ones that make their living shouting about what they see through what ever bullhorn they have handy.
I do disagree with putting the journalist before the gamer. Media access should be limited to make their job transparent to those attending as gamers. Anything else will have PAX devolve into nothing more than another media circus to supplement and supplant E3.
Oh my Dayum
Oh my goodness
They goin' Ham
Lines at PAX are another rub for me. Many times it seems like the exhibitors only want to compete on who can get the longest lines. They'll hide their demo behind walls and force players into a queue to see it. I understand that there is some material in games that people think should be hidden young and developing minds and the walls serve that purpose. Most of the time, I leave those demos wondering why the walls were necessary. I typically conclude the walls weren't necessary and the only reason was to create a sense of mystery and hype.
Many, many other gamers could not make PAX, press coverage is as close as they are going to get, if press are stuck behind 3 hour lines, how much coverage do you think they will get? Time is a finite commodity.
A loud man said to me many years later: "Embrace the suck, Private. Embrace the suck."
Words of wisdom I pass down now.
[ X ] Badge
[ X ] Hotel
[ X ] Plane
Wish me luck!