So I'm back ... but is everyone else gone?
ElectricTurtle
SeeressWARegistered User regular
SeeressWARegistered User regular
in PAX West
After a decade of being away from PAX I have decided to return. However as I look around the community I see almost nobody I recognize (except @PikaPuff and @Coldbrew ). It seems like most of the crew from the naughties has grown up and moved on. I'm curious if anybody else who was active before 2012 is still around?
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But I also think in part the show caters to a different audience, there's not as much of a prospect of AAA (which I hope changes but who knows) and there's a visible emphasis on streaming. I've kept going because I love indie games though depending on how this goes, it may be my last year, at least for a while. But attendee participation and things to do has kind of taken its toll, and most of my friends who go to PAX are not planning on coming anymore so my crew is pretty small this year, with definite uncertainty about the future of attendance.
I would be ecstatic if this year changed my perception back enough for me to convince friends to go again though.
PAX was interesting last year. It didn't have much in the way of content or exhibitors like it has in recent years pre-covid, but it reminded me of the days when PAX was Meydenbauer Center - a smaller, more intimate affair. While I loved the lack of lines, I hope more people turn up this year for the sake of the exhibitors and indies seeking more exposure.
These days I mostly only go for the concerts, just about all of my friends that I used to go with stopped attending.
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(Well technically there are twitter links but twitter tends to serve a different purpose vs. forums and discord.)
They should really add a "community" menu on west.paxsite.com with links to the forum and pax community discord.
The discord servers during the online PAX events were hopping though. They could really use a better community onramp between events.
I really think that PAX has the ability to bring everyone into the tent of gaming fun. There's a kind of positive attitude that I get from PAX where almost anyone you meet could bring some happiness to your life - from exhibitors who talk about their games, to panelists who talk about any and all games, to attendees who are all there to have fun and talk about and play games! Games and tournaments also provide structure for social interaction, making it easy and expected. Not to mention that it's great when people magically show up just when you needed someone to fill out your gaming table - or maybe you show up and get to join a game yourself!
West used to have all that too.... but covid really killed a lot of that unfortunately. There's a post for the pre-PAX game night this year (and we did a small one last year) but the other stuff hasn't returned..... yet.
Indeed, my former spouse and myself used to run the first Pre-Pax dinner from 2005-2009. I also started the Dim Sum Brunch tradition that Hypatia ran in my stead for a few years. I plan to revive that, in fact, but I think the dinner is better left buried.
I do think there's an opportunity there for new communities to form and hopefully people get as much enjoyment out of them as we all did/do out of the earlier paxen and this type of community.
Yeah apparently... like I started a thread just trying to collect 9 people to go to brunch with me. Posted it both here and the Discord. Total signed up after several days: zero.
It's bloody surreal, when I did the first brunch 14 years ago it filled up in ONE DAY. And the Pre-PAX Dinner... well you were there. We had HUNDREDS of people. Seeing the community this disengaged mere weeks before PAX makes me sad.
mmm, that pig tho. I miss citizen public house
It was all nice while it lasted at least. I'd probably join in for some things but I only plan to be down there for a couple days and don't even have a place to stay yet haha.
I popped in to see if there was a room-share thread (rarely get a hotel, but it'd sure be nice now that I'm getting into cosplay)... but it's like a ghost town.
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Yeah, it was a little shocking to see threads from last year on the front page this close to the convention. That being said, I showed up for the room share thread and am just waiting to hear back from Zerzhul on whether it's cool to start one up. My entire usual group I've been going with since 2010 had to drop out for different reasons, which is definitely a bummer but I intend to try to make the best of it and still have a good time.
As far as the community goes, I feel a perfect storm of world events, a decent amount of the folks running the events getting to a point where they're no longer attending/able to attend, and a rather lackluster con last year really took a toll. On the hopeful side, as long as the con keeps going and people care about it, that doesn't stop the community bouncing back.
I would be interested in that, half because I introduced him, though it'd be awkward to see myself in my mid 20s ostensibly male form...
*I do remember a dinner one E3, maybe before 2010? It was at a seafood restaurant.
Now that I am both geographically close to a PAX and have the freedom to attend conventions as an attendee, I'm a little saddened that there isn't as much of a forum hubbub about it as there used to be.
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No, it's always a staple at West too. In fact, this year the map shows a physical Cookie Brigade location in the Sheraton level 3.
Thanks for considering it. I hope you enjoy your cruise and the convention.
I feel like the community aspect of PAX has long departed. It feels like it died with Robert leaving and Reedpop just trying to make it a cash grab. I have many friends who stopped going after they took over and can't really blame them. Obviously covid didnt help nor the shift from forums. Sakuracon feels like the last community con in Seattle. 😔