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Was it a mistake not going to PAX alone?
parabola
Registered User regular
Registered User regular
I was looking forward to going to PAX this year, mostly to try out Warhammer Online amongst other games. (although now i'm in beta so that didn't really matter anymore) But I decided to not go cause my friend bailed out, and I didn't feel like going alone.
Was this a mistake? I started to regret not going, but thought I'd probably not enjoy it as much. Did anyone else go alone? I'll probably go next year regardless of anything like that happening again.
Was this a mistake? I started to regret not going, but thought I'd probably not enjoy it as much. Did anyone else go alone? I'll probably go next year regardless of anything like that happening again.
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Oh well, i'll be at PAX08 for sure.
In a way I do because I know I would have enjoyed myself, but i'm fucking shy in general and probably would have had more fun going with someone I know and then meeting up with some randoms.
Oh well, I will be there next year, as long as it stays in Seattle, which it apparently is.
PAX was great, but if you're solo, there's really only about one day worth of stuff to do, not three.
That is a filthy, filthy lie sir. There are the panels (Especially the PA panels). There are the concerts. There is DS freeplay going on the whole time. There is the stuff you actually do at the booths, like play Rock Band or Eye of Judgment or other freaky things. There's the Omegathon rounds to watch, the tournaments to play in, PC, console and tabletop games, DDR machines and live action rock paper scissors madness. And above all else there are other PA fans and gamers to hang out with, chill, shoot the breeze, talk about whatever, have food with, and make new friends and enemies with.
I came solo this year and I couldn't possibly have seen and done everything I wanted to. If you ran out of stuff to do I think that you need to take a look at yourself to figure out why.
You wanna enjoy PAX? Then get your geek out and game on.
It's not a lie, it's a differing perspective. I hit the panels that interested me, the concert the first night (The OneUps alone were worth the entire cost of entry), grabbed most of the swag and played most of the games on the first day, and spent time in PC Freeplay.
I'm not much into tabletops, but considering I don't know how to play any of them, and was flying solo and had no one to play with, I'm automatically excluded from it. Similar situation for Console Freeplay, as stated above. I'm not into DDR. I tried hanging in the Handheld lounges, but couldn't get a wireless connection to hold without lag or communication errors. The Omegathon was always crowded, and as a shorter guy, I have little patience for staring at the back of people's heads.
And as I've said in other threads, maybe I had bad luck, but most of the people I tried to talk to weren't all that interested in talking.
All in All, I could have done majority of the stuff I enjoyed in one day. Hell, I did do majority of it in one day. I'm not complaining, I'm just offering a different viewpoint of it, as maybe the Op will have an experience like mine, but maybe not. Not everyone is going to have the same experience. ;D
Yes, mistake. I can confidently say that PAX 07 was the most fun I've ever had at any convention of any kind. I met umteen trillion people there. It was so easy to strike up a conversation it's ridiculous, and I had so many good chats with cool people from here and all over I can't even remember them all. But oh my god my feet hurt.
I did spend some time alone at PAX, mostly wondering the expo hall, and it was fun. Definitely lots of gaming to be had. But when I was with people (friends from the area, and from work), it was great being able to talk about the cool things you've seen. Plus, playing Rock Band on stage with people you know = teh awesome.
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This is a QFT. I wasn't even conscious of the age gap until you just mentioned it, but yeah, it's hard to identify with the younger crowd at times. (27 here.)
If you are alone, just make friends, it's easy here since everyone is a geek like you, or bring your DS and Pictochat all day.
I'd be in for that. Don't get me wrong, I have nothing against younger peeps, but it's hard to hold a conversation with a kid when you HAVE kids, hehe.
The thing of it is, though, once you exit high school, and get out on your own, age isn't that big a deal. I think it has to do with the mindset of someone who's still living with their parents, and someone who's been living on their own. The responsibility and experiences that come with it tend to color your PoV. I can find more in common with 50-60 year old than with 14-18 year olds.
No disrespect intended at all to any of the younger peeps here. ;D
Alright then! Let this be the beginning of the GPS! Geezer PAX Society! Now then...what do we do with it?
I have never had trouble with the younger set and have had friends much younger than me for much of my life. After moving out though, it is definitely a different world.
It's weird, I am 36, but I didn't have any trouble striking up a convo with anyone. I played some new card game with a ten-year old, played almost two hours of Fury with a really cool young teen named Bob, chatted in line two days with a few crowds of 20-30s, and talked the ears of every developer and rep or artist there. It was cool because nearly everyone there has about the same thing on their mind ultimately. The trick is, don't talk about WoW more than a few minutes because it inevitably turns into the boring one-sided conversation of "...and I did this, and my lock did that, and then I did this, and then I..." hahahahaha
Earley
Go with friends if you can, but no matter what go if you can.
Doesn't matter how many people you come with; PAX'll be awesome no matter what.
Anyway, being new in the area, I don't really know anyone in Seattle, so I went solo and totally rocked out at PAX this year.
It was pretty restrictive being at PAX without knowing anyone, especially if you're just a casual gamer and don't have a DS, don't know the cultural celebrities, aren't into DDR and either aren't into tabletop gaming or didn't bring your Magic cards. I had a great time the two days I attended, though. Everyone was very approachable, there were plenty of game demos and action happening in the expo hall, and the concerts were loaded with energy, both from the audience and the performers.
It is all a matter of perspective, though. I'm not an uber-gamer and I didn't -- still don't -- know anyone, but I had a great time.
I am not unhappy I did. It was great, awesome panels, awesome concert, awesome exhibition hall, AWESOME PC Freeplay, props to intel, props to the people who set it up, props to the people who ran it.
I've been to PAX 3 years now, but haven't made many friends really. I'm not much of a talkative person. I, as many geeks, am a bit anti-social, but as a rule, I'm a quiet person. So striking up a conversation is not my bag, as it were. If someone wants to talk to me, I'm all for it. I love talking to people about things and discussions, I just usually don't initiate the conversation.
But,as the saying goes, "Your mileage may vary." Some people would have more fun solo, some would have more fun in a group. Some have more fun doing half and half. Depends on the person.
I think it would be cool to get a group of solo people from here next year, and all kinda hang out together. No ties to anything, no obligated "lets hang out" feeling, nothing. Just "Hey, we all have no one to hang out with, lets hang out when we get bored!"
WTF?
As long as you enjoy yourself and don't have a problem meeting people...
+1
I felt the same way. I went alone, since most (80%) of my friends aren't geeks/nerds (sorry guys, its true, don't get all offended), and the 20% that are can't afford it.
After friday, besides the panels and concerts, I pretty much did everything. I don't own a DS, so that didn't help me in any way (I have no interest in portables, nor do I enjoy straining myself to play them), I'm not into tabletop or card games (though Munchkin is pretty fuckin cool), and to top things off, I'm more into retro stuff (8/16/32bit) than new stuff, so the lack of retro gaming kinda disappointed me. I know it's not CGE, but a little retro gaming wouldn't hurt.
THAT SAID, I did meet a lot of cool people, and made some cool new friends, but I have to say, going by yourself does suck. Cause it sucks not having a good friend with you to experience things.
Yeah, you can meet new people and kick it and stuff, but you're usually feeling left out, since they're with their own crowd, and they generally wanna do their thing with THEIR crowd, and you're left out in the cold.
It's no fun being a third wheel.
I likely won't go next year unless my best friend comes with. But he probably will (once he graduates after this quarter, he'll be raking in a fat paycheck, so he'll be able to afford it!).
Sounds like from what I'm hearing its best to go with as few people as possible, and then split up if necessary and meet people that way. That was the original plan of mine anyways. But it sounds like other people had fun alone, to each his own, I think I made a good decision... At least now I have more money to spend on games.
That was the exact same feeling I got whenever I did manage to find people to hang with, like my "pick up group" for the Uncharted stuff. It was fun, but they ran off as soon as it was over.
fri/sun i did pannels and things.
While both were fun, sometimes it's good to come up with a time and place for the group to meet upl like twice in a day(once morning, and once later) so that you can break into doing what you want.
Honestly I wish when i had spent fri and sun bored waiting, I had more people to talk to.
So
To sum up.
Lines suck.
Lines entertaining with friends.
Pax is the home of lines.
ergo having some people to entertain you in line is a good plan.
But yeah, you can do pax alone and have fun. You'll meet people.
Remember posting on my Pax 08 suggestion thread that they need more fighting tourneys?
Awesome Artist and Awesomer Friend.
Console Freeplay - There is no better place to make friends at PAX than asking to join a game of Smash Brothers, Mario Kart, etc. with only three people. The mad insane geniuses at the console freeplay were giving out four controllers even if there were only three people checking out the game. FTW. You might even be able to start a game by yourself and let the new friends come to you.
Asking Questions - People love to talk about themselves. Second to that, they love talking about things they like. I always ask people what they're liking (or looking forward to) at the show. It's cool because sometimes you learn about stuff you didn't know was there. Also, they're generally just as bored standing in line as you are. :P Other good questions include, "What DS games did you bring?", "Did / do you like <insert name of game, panel, or musical group here>?", and "Which one is Gabe and which one is Tycho?" ;-) Also, half the people there are wearing stuff that has to do with some game or web site and can be used to spark conversation. Failing all of that, simple, eternal debates like pie vs. cake or pirates vs. ninjas (although that one may be a little played out) can help get people talking too. What's the coolest costume or t-shirt you've seen so far? There's always something to talk about.
Parties - Check the forum (or just ask people in line) about any parties or meetups. If it's a booze party, remember to bring some.
Doing these things won't guarantee you new best friends forever, but they certainly made my solo PAX more enjoyable.
But it turns out that I had fun either way - solo, I usually found someone to talk to as long as I was brave enough to start the conversation. I didn't have to worry about checking with my friends on what to do next or just follow behind them like a 3rd wheel to be polite, either!
And holy crap! I'm 41 - I felt old before, but if you 28-year olds think you're too old to relate to people at the con then hth did I manage to find so many people to talk to? I'd better get back to my Craftmatic bed.
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