This is Strange. This was also my first PAX. I managed to play 2 games. Rock Band 2 (WHY did it have to be Alanis Morissette) and about a minute of Starcraft 2. I attended no panels or anything. (I did meet lots and lots of people.)
All I did was wander the floor, and occasionally poke my nose into a booth. The enforcers were AWESOME. MASSIVE kudos to the enforcers that were constantly helping out myself and my friends. I hope to attend next year, and maybe I'll actually get to SEE the convention.
That's funny, it was my first PAX and I got to do everything I wanted to do. Played Fallout 3, Left 4 Dead, RB2, Starcraft 2, among many others, saw the keynote, Q&A, Draw-a-Strip panel, Bethesda panel, Ubisoft panel, both concerts, several Omegathon rounds, the Wil Wheaton panel, got my PAX08 t-shirt, got a decent amount of swag, got to meet Jonathon Coulton and The Oneups...
Actually, the one thing I didn't get to do was meet Wil Wheaton because he had to leave to attend a panel so they cut off the line 3 in front of me.
I did all this solo, without anyone to save spots for me, so it was all doable. I had a blast all 3 days. I'm sorry you didn't have a similar experience, but I guess you can't please everyone.
It seems to me that most of the complainers' main problem is that they essentially came to PAX to wait in line, and then got pissy when they waited in line. Look, PAX is a convention for gamers, not a convention for games. You get to play new games and (possibly) get some cool swag, but that's not the point. If you came looking for that, you very well may have left unsatisfied.
Me, I played what new games I wanted to (Left4Dead makes my year), I got to see PAA Episode 2 in action (which looks even better than the first), I met some really cool people to chat and game with for hours (Joe and Shannon, call me dammit!), and the concerts were unbelievable - especially JoCo!
Most importantly, my brother and I got Felicia Day to sign our chests.
What I really don't get is why some people are making an even bigger outcry about people crying out. Everyone's entitled to their opinion, and I don't see people who hated it attacking people who liked it.
The lines I stood in seemed much, much better today. Overall, Sunday was WAY better than Saturday. I caught most everything I wanted to see, picked up a bit more swag (I just started walking up to booths and offering to embarrass myself for swag), and hung out with awesome people.
I still think it was overcrowded, and the only way to fix that is to increase the number of attractions or decrease the number of people, but by and large, I'm going again next year.
(Sorry for butting in)
Maybe you had high expectations, but I honestly spend 1/4 my PAXes on Sumo beanbags. Yeah sure there are complaints and I have my own loves/hates/suggestions, but realize this is a product of your fellow gamers' sweat and blood, not some large corporation's greed. The fact that it exists at all is a blessing, and if you find fault, expend your own energy next year as an enforcer or volunteer to make it better. Tycho and Gabe put this on, just like everything else, in hopes that we enjoy it.
I fully appreciate PAX and find it well worth the vacation time and airfare even though I'd be hard pressed to explain exactly what makes it worth $500+. It just is to me. It's all we have, and it's OURS. Screw E3.
Some panels got packed to the point people had to wait in line and would end up having missed more than half of the panel because of it. I hope that would be fixed in future PAXis. The main theatre is an exception since it had room on one section in its prime attendance.
The LAN section needs to expand as the convention continues to grow. I don't remember having to encounter a line tenfold the length of last year occurring more often than before, especially occurring for the whole days, morning until late night.
And as for waiting an hour for registration, consider yourself lucky. I had to wait 2.5 hours for registering a weekend pass for my local anime convention.
Exhibition Hall was fine since everyone was able to get in without problems but there were times when certain booths got overcrowded, (ie the Rockstar booth when they had the dancing mascot and the other panel that was throwing out free stuff). Either way, I hanged out there more often than before and it was wonderful.
With over 40000 in attendance and growing, it's going to need to expand some more. I hope they can grab the entire convention including the 6th floor. And I kinda wish there is a way in getting to the Annex aside from walking across streets
Generals on
jsn: and there was some dude(note that: DUDE) dressed up as Mai from KOF
Jeff: I see
jsn: and I was like "I wonder how he goes to the washroom, does he just like...brush his loincloth to the side or what?"
jsn: friend was like "DUDE he's BEHIND YOU"
Jerry (Tycho) told me that the plan is to get the 6th floor next year. But, I thought last year the plan was to get it for this year, so who knows, heh.
Okay, I'm seriously stumped. I don't mean to be snarky or an asshole or anything, but for the people that went to '06 and this year, how can you possibly think that this year was more crowded? Seriously, how?
Okay, I'm seriously stumped. I don't mean to be snarky or an asshole or anything, but for the people that went to '06 and this year, how can you possibly think that this year was more crowded? Seriously, how?
...
:?:
This year was not that bad.
Holy Heck that's a lot of people!
I didn't think it was all that crowded. The lines were long sometimes but I think the main problem were the lines were never well defined. They just sort of grew in whichever direction was convenient. Next year I think at the very least there needs to be more of those line rope thing-ies
Randomfool on
I do Pokecrawl things. Professor Team Instinct, Hufflepuff supporter.@loofmodnar
Speaking of which, has anyone attended some other conventions and would like to comment on how some of those went? I'm sure some in Seattle have attended another convention 5 months before PAX. Or people might have attended GENCON, or SDCC, etc...
Pictures of PAX about to come soon.
Generals on
jsn: and there was some dude(note that: DUDE) dressed up as Mai from KOF
Jeff: I see
jsn: and I was like "I wonder how he goes to the washroom, does he just like...brush his loincloth to the side or what?"
jsn: friend was like "DUDE he's BEHIND YOU"
This was my first PAX and I didnt really enjoy it as much as I was expecting. (though I did enjoy it)
We came to mostly to see the exhibit hall, but the wait in lines were too long just to fiddle with a game for a few minutes, most of the swag was pretty lame, and there were hardly that many booth girls (though the ones that were there were really good, the girls at the Rockstar booth seemed to be really into the game).
So we hardly got to play any games really, even the freeplay was waay too long of a wait. And I really didnt have any intention to sit around and play my DS, I could do that at anywhere else.
Dont get me wrong, the whole experience was really cool, but given the cost and effort to get to Seattle it just wasnt as cool as I was expecting.
Yeah, it was crowded. As someone noted in a recent post, though, PAX 06 was way worse -- and he provided pictures to prove it. That's not to say that it's okay to be as crowded as we were this year, and a couple of "important" people (read: people who are running the show, not just "normal" Enforcers) said we were overcrowded. That's not necessarily a sign of poor planning, though. IIRC, PAX had a multi-year contract with WSCTC, and this is the unfortunate result. But who could've guessed that E3 would shut down and PAX would take over as the largest gaming con in the country?
As for Enforcer complaints -- wow. Eat a dick. Not that I'm an Enforcer, but I know a number of them, and you have to realize that they're working for free and they have specific duties. Most of the guys I know, for example, were Enforcing in the computer room only. That means that when you saw them outside of that room, they were either off-duty or were on some other business. If you asked them a question about another part of the con, there's a reason they weren't much help -- that's not their job. The "perks" they get? Free entry, and maybe some free pizza. To do a metric shit-ton of work.
Lines: They happen. It's a big con. Get the fuck over it and stop being so butthurt.
Swag: As others in the thread have noted, you have to TALK TO PEOPLE to get most of it. Yeah, that means lines sometimes, but other times it doesn't. The point is, they don't want to give away free shit to people with no interest in their games. Show some interest, get rewarded. I went and talked to a guy at the Turbine booth for a while, and walked away with a pair of t-shirts for my first MMO, Asheron's Call -- one for me, and one for my dad (whom I said would take my shirt if it didn't fit me).
Most of the other things I want to say have already been said. (Of course, so has much of this, but these points needed to be made again!)
Of course, I may be spoiled. I was in BYOC, so I had somewhere to go when I didn't want to wait in line. That's not to say there weren't issues. Even in BYOC, you can't get away from assholes -- so when a TF2 team keeps yelling, "One, two, three, <UNINTELLIGIBLE>," you end up with an awful headache. And I do agree, it's too crowded much of the day. Uncomfortably so. Worse for me, I was feeling sick Friday evening and most of Saturday, so waiting in lines was out of the question -- it's kinda tough to weave your way out of a line if you "get sick," as they say.
However, PAX is definitely about the community. My favorite part of PAX, every year, is in the wee hours of the morning -- 1am, 2am, when most everybody is gone, but the truly hardcore are left. It's calmer, it's quieter, and there's time to kick back and relax after what has undoubtedly become a stressful day at some point (that's the trouble with being there every hour PAX is open, aside from food breaks). And you can talk to some awesome people -- friends you've already made, or new friends, whatever. If you don't like PAX because of it being crowded, try staying late.
Get there early if you worry about lines.. I got there at like 8 and waited to get in so i didnt have to wait around for 20-30 min and i was barely even in the expo hall, DONT BUY ANYTHING, What a waste of money.. I mean there stuff you can only get there buy it then if not dont waste it, Kind sad that your pax suck, but mine was great this is my 3 year
I waited four minutes in line to play Mortal Kombat vs DC, walked right up to Viva Pinatas 2 twice, waited six minutes to play the World of Warcraft expansion - this was sweet. Beyond the expected lines of people assembling - like people waiting for panels, tourneys, or cool Recon helmets - I thought PAX was awesomely managed.
It'll probably be that much better next year as they've now learned good lessons on using this space effectively. *thumbs up*
I'd like to point out: The PC network was a total clusterfuck. I'm talking ping spikes to ~100, and my ping was almost never below about 30. But I never heard anyone bitching -- genuinely bitching -- about it. Personally, instead of bitch about server issues, I set up my own CS server, 100-tick, and ran it most of the weekend. (If you played on The PAX Penis Enlargement Factory server, that was mine!)
This was my first year at PAX, mainly for the BYOC section. I came for a lan party and got much much more! I can't wait until next year.
The only issue I noticed is that there wasn't more people actively participating in BYOC. It seemed like nearly half of the spaces were being used for people to dump their stuff. It'd be a cool if there was two advertised BYOC events.. 1) something more like a lan party, intended for those who're here to spend the majority of their time gaming -- and 2) a place to stash stuff and play casually. With the room being so large and casual vs lan gamers spread out, it was hard to organize games over 20 people. (unless it was TF2 =P)
But seriously, I've heard about PAX here and there from the past, but it was way over what I expected. The ability to feel at ease about yourself in such a large crowd is something I've never fully felt before.
There are so many food options in and around the PAX, there is no need to be waiting too long. I believe these options were even spelled out in expo guide.
I think the convention center in Portland is larger, at least they don't have tiny little hallways to walk through. However, that'd require driving to portland, and the convention center is in a much less desirable location then the WSCTC in relation to the city.
Okay, I'm seriously stumped. I don't mean to be snarky or an asshole or anything, but for the people that went to '06 and this year, how can you possibly think that this year was more crowded? Seriously, how?
Remember this:
:?:
Or how about this:
:?:
This year was not that bad.
So true. This was the best PAX so far. The quality (and quantity) of the games on the show floor was a cut above previous years. BYOC was fun as ever. The crowds were a bit worse than last year but not as bad as E3, definitely not even close to PAX 06. The amount of schwag publishers give away has been dwindling for years, this is nothing new. You people need to quit your whining. Maybe you weren't so utterly antisocial, and actually made an effort to enjoy the company of others, you would have had a better time.
This was my first year at PAX, mainly for the BYOC section. I came for a lan party and got much much more! I can't wait until next year.
The only issue I noticed is that there wasn't more people actively participating in BYOC. It seemed like nearly half of the spaces were being used for people to dump their stuff. It'd be a cool if there was two advertised BYOC events.. 1) something more like a lan party, intended for those who're here to spend the majority of their time gaming -- and 2) a place to stash stuff and play casually. With the room being so large and casual vs lan gamers spread out, it was hard to organize games over 20 people. (unless it was TF2 =P)
But seriously, I've heard about PAX here and there from the past, but it was way over what I expected. The ability to feel at ease about yourself in such a large crowd is something I've never fully felt before.
There are so many food options in and around the PAX, there is no need to be waiting too long. I believe these options were even spelled out in expo guide.
I think the convention center in Portland is larger, at least they don't have tiny little hallways to walk through. However, that'd require driving to portland, and the convention center is in a much less desirable location then the WSCTC in relation to the city.
I had a blast and can't wait for PAX'09!!!
Oh man I would so love to see PAX in Portland. It would be a 10 minute drive for me.
On the other hand, Kumoricon, the anime convention was also going on this weekend at Portland.
This was my first year at PAX, mainly for the BYOC section. I came for a lan party and got much much more! I can't wait until next year.
The only issue I noticed is that there wasn't more people actively participating in BYOC. It seemed like nearly half of the spaces were being used for people to dump their stuff. It'd be a cool if there was two advertised BYOC events.. 1) something more like a lan party, intended for those who're here to spend the majority of their time gaming -- and 2) a place to stash stuff and play casually. With the room being so large and casual vs lan gamers spread out, it was hard to organize games over 20 people. (unless it was TF2 =P)
But seriously, I've heard about PAX here and there from the past, but it was way over what I expected. The ability to feel at ease about yourself in such a large crowd is something I've never fully felt before.
There are so many food options in and around the PAX, there is no need to be waiting too long. I believe these options were even spelled out in expo guide.
I think the convention center in Portland is larger, at least they don't have tiny little hallways to walk through. However, that'd require driving to portland, and the convention center is in a much less desirable location then the WSCTC in relation to the city.
I had a blast and can't wait for PAX'09!!!
Oh man I would so love to see PAX in Portland. It would be a 10 minute drive for me. (I was so horribly lost in Seattle. Freeway exits on the left? WHAAAT?)
On the other hand, Kumoricon, the anime convention was also going on this weekend at Portland. It would have been quite the cluster-foodge.
You know, it was crowded, but I don't see that as a problem with the con; I see it as a sign that a whole lot of people wanted to come. Other than the fact that everything was in high demand, well, I'm sorry if a few people had bad experiences, but I honestly think that this was the best large event of any kind I've ever been to. I hope next year there's more space and more panels, but I have no doubt that that would just result in more people. Just enjoy what you can do and take the rest as an opportunity for more free play, yeah?
it seems that the main complaint is that not enough free stuff is given away. the items that are available are in low quantity, high demand, and require some amount of effort to gain. while this may be true, it's still better than nothing. Penny-Arcade puts no 'swag' requirement on the exhibitors. they give things away of their own volition. as stated there is the monetary issue of mass producing items to then be gifted for free. Penny-Arcade themselves offer a goodies bag that contains small items (cards, magazines, adverts, etc) for free. i don't consider this as part of the admission, as anyone can acquire multiple of these goodie bags. you can't really expect the exhibitors to produce 50k (t-shirts, ipods, nintendo ds, etc) for every convention goer. somewhat related was the prize redemption center. i'm not entirely sure how you win the prizes, but when i walked past, the booth was loaded with games, posters, plushies, etc.
in any case, swag is not included in the price of admission, it is the cherry on top.
So I sit here, reading all these complaints about not enough swag or not enough booth babes or what have you. "Wow" is the only thing I can think of.
I went to PAX '06 (all three days, and took the family for one). I had to go on a deployment for '07 and thusly gave away the three passes (three-days each) to people that could use them. I couldn't go this year either due to the fact of moving to the entire opposite side of the Earth.
I always felt PAX was a place to go and see/play you favorite upcoming game. A chance to maybe meet developers of a game or product. An opportunity to meet with like minded people because you are one of a few set of people that enjoy a particular subject. Like when I got to chitchat with the NWN 2 guys about whether they were putting beards on the female dwarves or not.
All this talk about not getting swag seems shallow. I can, however, understand the complaints about not getting to play a game. So would you rather a developer spend all their money to give 50,000 people a free t-shirt, or have them buy more computers/consoles so you can have more playtime with the game. Would you like this to turn into a multimillion dollar blowout like E3, causing companies to stop coming because they can't afford it?
If I hadn't moved to Japan, I would have gone to PAX. Guess I will just have to settle for the Tokyo Game Show instead.
I really enjoyed PAX08! My only big complaint is with myself -- I get so wrapped up in BYOC stuff, I miss other events! (I'm a LAN party addict, so BYOC is a perfect fit for me.)
Being in the BYOC area so much, I missed out on a lot of the lines and crowds. But I'm sure the event will rent out more space next year to compensate. (By the way, it was much easier to get from one set of escalators to the other if you did it on floor 3 instead of floor 4 -- the crowds in those tiny floor 4 hallways were kind of maddening at times.)
I do think the swag was worse this year than any prior PAX (I've been to them all). And no Nvidia/BFG expo booth giving out cards this year? (They did give some away at BYOC, which was awesome except I didn't win.) On the other hand, 90% of swag is just cool junk I don't really need -- even decent swag often falls into this category. So on the plus side, that's less clutter later!
As for the DS Wi-Fi, I think the main problem is that it's spread vertically on several floors. The DS range really isn't that good, so it causes problems to have them so spread out. And if you have someone on floor 3 hosting Mario Kart, people on floors 2 and 4 can join it, but then floor 2 is talking to floor 4 and the lag gets pretty bad. The sheer number of DS's probably doesn't help either.
If I had one suggestion for change, I would prefer if the event ran later on Sunday. I'm not very good at getting up early on a weekend, especially after staying up past 3am on Friday and Saturday nights. When I roll in at around 12:15 and have to pack/transport my PC for the last 45 minutes or so, that's only 5 hours of PAX on Sunday. I need more! :P
This was my first time at PAX and I thought it was awesome. My favorite part about it was meeting and chatting with people, because everyone there was great and really friendly. Also, the pub crawl was a blast!
The one problem I had (aside from the massive crowd at times), and someone else touched on this, was waiting in line forever only to have the media come in and cut in front of everyone. I had waited at the Dead Space booth for about 2 hours and saw 3 different media groups come in, get shown a demo (about a 25 minute showing) and then chat a bit and ask questions. The booth only had 2 demo stations also so the wait was pretty long. In one particularly dick move, one of the guys in front of me had the controller in his hands and it was taken away from him so that the media could get shown the game.
This might be more of a problem created by the company showing the game, and not a PAX management issue, but why was the media there in the first place? I had been told that PAX wasn't the new E3 but I'm really worried that is the direction the convention could head.
Am I the only one who never had to wait for more than ten minutes to do ANYTHING? I was amazed by how quickly and easily I could play the dozens of unreleased games. Compare to the old E3, where you had to wait hours to get to anything. And it really wasn't that crowded, all things considered.
Not complaining about swags. But I do find it odd that Nintendo weren't giving away swags. I mean, they're Nintendo. Cryptic were giving away shirts like crazy by Sunday, so they certainly had the budget for it.
I do like EA's passport strategy... making you play all the games before you get a swag. I find that smart. If it weren't for that, I wouldn't have played Spore and loooved it. Sadly, that was the only game that I played from the EA booth... constantly returning to it whenever I possibly can.
degreesplatinum on
0
faitsa panda eating cakeseattleRegistered Userregular
Am I the only one who never had to wait for more than ten minutes to do ANYTHING? I was amazed by how quickly and easily I could play the dozens of unreleased games. Compare to the old E3, where you had to wait hours to get to anything. And it really wasn't that crowded, all things considered.
Was I at a different PAX?
What did you "wait for hours" to do at E3? The only "hours" long line I EVER stood in at E3 was to get in to play the Wii. (there was also a long line to get into the twilight princess display the previous year, but it sure wasn't hours long)
My complaint as far as waiting in lines and PAX is concerned has nothing to do with the show floor. What I didn't care for was how you had to queue up and wait for every single panel etc, where last year the doors would essentially just be open and you could walk in (I don't understand why they couldn't have just done it the same way this year and done head counts as people went in.) The only thing I had to queue up for last year was the keynote, and after that the doors were just open and people were free to come and go for the ensuing speakers.
This year, for example, the omegathon was scheduled to go on at 5pm, but by 5:40 or so the giant line in the adjoining room STILL hadn't finished snaking its way into the main theater. What a logistical nightmare.
Last year PAX was one of my favorite events I've ever been to, this year was just lines and not getting to see speakers/panels because of lines, and I felt like (aside from the concerts) I might as well have stayed home and played games with my friends here.
Not complaining about swags. But I do find it odd that Nintendo weren't giving away swags. I mean, they're Nintendo. Cryptic were giving away shirts like crazy by Sunday, so they certainly had the budget for it.
I do like EA's passport strategy... making you play all the games before you get a swag. I find that smart. If it weren't for that, I wouldn't have played Spore and loooved it. Sadly, that was the only game that I played from the EA booth... constantly returning to it whenever I possibly can.
Nintendo hasn't really given anything away since '05 that I've noticed.
Personally the whole thing was worth it...I have been following spore pretty seriously...and I knew from the beginning that they were shooting really high...and even now even after cutting quite a few features that it is still a very advanced and innovative game.
I was a little hesitant to try the demo...but luckily the guys there seemed cool...after one guy who played for like an hour, finished up his game I still had like 2 people in front of me...luckily they were cool guys. I told them I wanted to see something that wouldn't take but 5 minutes max.
So I got to see what an eyeless creature in spore plays and looks like...pretty cool really. I was going to ask the guy at the spore panel demo to take the creatures eyes off...but I didn't want to interrupt.
Btw, if you were at the spore panel when the audience asked for him to look up and use deep CROW...he thought you were saying deep THROAT at the end...it was kinda funny watching him squirm a little...that guy was cool.
Overall I had a great experience...especially for the low low price of around 100 bucks. Being local is nice...if it wasn't for having to move your car before midnight. Next year though I am probably getting a hotel room.
NOTE: Also, where else are you going to get to play Fallout 3, or Starcraft 2, or Mirrors Edge, PAX is THE venue for that.
you know what I think we should do to keep the numbers down? Let's only allow the press in and then we can stay home and watch the live coverage and not have to wait in line at all!
you know what I think we should do to keep the numbers down? Let's only allow the press in and then we can stay home and watch the live coverage and not have to wait in line at all!
What could possibly go wrong!
I think you have a good point here. Then we can get their 'Fair and Balanced' overview of how geeks are hackers and bloody vengeful people who are not socialized to the 'norm'.
I can agree somewhat with some of the complaints, but it really wasn't that bad. Were the line long, yes, but not as long as '06 ('06 was a mess, this was just crowded). Did the swag suck, yes/no. There was some cool swag, but you had to work for it (last year we were spoiled). Were the lines to play games long, some were but not all. I managed to get a good 2 hours of play (in a 3 hour timeslot) of Wipeout HD (the only game I REALLY wanted to see at PAX). On Friday, I did a bit of complaining... I didn't get into the PA Q&A Panel (and no Enforcer told us in line that there was no way we were getting in while we stood there anyway), then the lack of swag, the lack of games in the expo hall that I cared about, then a panel on Piracy that really wasn't that good... but by the time the concerts were over, my faith returned. JoCo & Freezepop were awesome. Then Sat. all was good, we got into everything we wanted to see, the panels were better, there was more swag all of a sudden, and I was happy. Sun was great, virtually no crowds, and the only crappy lines were for food (cause half of them were closed).
PAX has gotten bigger and I don't think it will ever have that "intimate" feeling it had years ago again. 3 suggestions (as I know Khoo reads these threads).
1. Get lots more WSCC space next year and move the panels into bigger rooms (this should also cut down on the need for lines as some events can have more in/out access like they did in previous years). The PA Q&A, the concerts, and a few other panels were full to capacity... that means people left unhappy and the solution is larger capacity rooms.
2. If #1 can't be done and you till expect the big panels to fill to fire code, put up some big ass TV's in the "Line Room" so that the people who couldn't get in can at least watch from outside.
3. Something needs to be done about the food situation. The vendors in the building just aren't equipped to deal with this kind of convention. I know you guys can't sell food, but what about getting some space a block away and setting up hotdog/hamburger carts, or ordering pizza from around the city (so you don't have to make it and have an endless supply from various sources), you just re-sell it to us at a reasonable price and we get to spend WAY LESS time in lines for food.
Overall, loved PAX this year. Not the best year, but still great. See you next year.
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Just off Columbia Skytrain Station. http://www.gamedeals.ca
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PasserbyeI am much older than you.in Beach CityRegistered Userregular
edited September 2008
Reaction to the OP:
This is what you sound like to me: "Waah waah, the largest gaming convention on the West Coast was crowded.
Waah waah, I blame others when I suffer as a consequence of my own actions ("The one or 2 games I waited in line for 20-30 min to play when I got up there I felt so damn guilty for making the 300 people behind me wait that I just left after 30 seconds..." and, you know, not taking an aspirin for a headache).
Waah waah waah, pictochat was full of penises like it is every year (I swear, you would see SE++ and judge all of the PA Forums as bad if you're going by that logic).
Waah, I only went to one of the three concerts, so I feel justified in judging all of them, as well as in ignoring the halls filled with fans for each one.
Waah, I spoke to a single Enforcer who didn't know anything, so I feel justified in judging all of them.
Waah waah waah exhibitors promoting their stuff acted like the tired business people they are.
Waah, I can't walk two blocks away from the convention center to eat at a good, cheap local place, I'd rather put up with expensive vendors (see "I blame others when I suffer as a consequence of my own actions").
Waah, I didn't bother doing any research before posting this bitchfest, otherwise I'd know that the Washington State Convention Center was the biggest venue availabe, as well as the fact that they have room to expand next year.
Waah waah waah, I'm a cry baby who posted this as a thread for attention, rather than posting it in my emo blog where it belongs.
I think the swag was perfect this year. Out of all the years I've been to PAX, which is 4, this year's swag was the best I've ever gotten. 8 T-shirts, 20+ posters, signed art, and much much more. You just have to be in the right place at the right time and not be afraid to sign up for the companies forums, play their game, etc. Seriously, show interest in each booth, and they will give you something awesome. the swag this year was NOT cheap nor lame.
AlexTehArteest on
0
PasserbyeI am much older than you.in Beach CityRegistered Userregular
I think the swag was perfect this year. Out of all the years I've been to PAX, which is 4, this year's swag was the best I've ever gotten. 8 T-shirts, 20+ posters, signed art, and much much more. You just have to be in the right place at the right time and not be afraid to sign up for the companies forums, play their game, etc. Seriously, show interest in each booth, and they will give you something awesome. the swag this year was NOT cheap nor lame.
True, I got one of my Magic Cards signed by the artist who painted the picture (since I collect Magic Cards for the art, I've never learned how to play). I also got an online code for a pet Lupin in Maple Story after learning how to play the card game - the guy at the booth was really friendly and made learning how to play fun.
yay, just realized the stupid moron at the shirt stand gave me one of my shirts as a 2x... I bought 2 and saix 3x for both, the other one was a 3x. Well, considering how pathetic pax is I won't even bother seeing if they can make it right.
kenpachisan on
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PasserbyeI am much older than you.in Beach CityRegistered Userregular
yay, just realized the stupid moron at the shirt stand gave me one of my shirts as a 2x... I bought 2 and saix 3x for both, the other one was a 3x. Well, considering how pathetic pax is I won't even bother seeing if they can make it right.
.... aaaaand now you're just a troll. How disappointing, yet unsurprising.
We could always hijack your thread and use it for valid complaints about PAX. Then at least your waste of space would be somewhat useful.
Edit: And no, I'm done here. I won't bore everyone else with continuing to publicly bash you.
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All I did was wander the floor, and occasionally poke my nose into a booth. The enforcers were AWESOME. MASSIVE kudos to the enforcers that were constantly helping out myself and my friends. I hope to attend next year, and maybe I'll actually get to SEE the convention.
Actually, the one thing I didn't get to do was meet Wil Wheaton because he had to leave to attend a panel so they cut off the line 3 in front of me.
I did all this solo, without anyone to save spots for me, so it was all doable. I had a blast all 3 days. I'm sorry you didn't have a similar experience, but I guess you can't please everyone.
Me, I played what new games I wanted to (Left4Dead makes my year), I got to see PAA Episode 2 in action (which looks even better than the first), I met some really cool people to chat and game with for hours (Joe and Shannon, call me dammit!), and the concerts were unbelievable - especially JoCo!
Most importantly, my brother and I got Felicia Day to sign our chests.
Rock!
I still think it was overcrowded, and the only way to fix that is to increase the number of attractions or decrease the number of people, but by and large, I'm going again next year.
Maybe you had high expectations, but I honestly spend 1/4 my PAXes on Sumo beanbags. Yeah sure there are complaints and I have my own loves/hates/suggestions, but realize this is a product of your fellow gamers' sweat and blood, not some large corporation's greed. The fact that it exists at all is a blessing, and if you find fault, expend your own energy next year as an enforcer or volunteer to make it better. Tycho and Gabe put this on, just like everything else, in hopes that we enjoy it.
I fully appreciate PAX and find it well worth the vacation time and airfare even though I'd be hard pressed to explain exactly what makes it worth $500+. It just is to me. It's all we have, and it's OURS. Screw E3.
Some panels got packed to the point people had to wait in line and would end up having missed more than half of the panel because of it. I hope that would be fixed in future PAXis. The main theatre is an exception since it had room on one section in its prime attendance.
The LAN section needs to expand as the convention continues to grow. I don't remember having to encounter a line tenfold the length of last year occurring more often than before, especially occurring for the whole days, morning until late night.
And as for waiting an hour for registration, consider yourself lucky. I had to wait 2.5 hours for registering a weekend pass for my local anime convention.
Exhibition Hall was fine since everyone was able to get in without problems but there were times when certain booths got overcrowded, (ie the Rockstar booth when they had the dancing mascot and the other panel that was throwing out free stuff). Either way, I hanged out there more often than before and it was wonderful.
With over 40000 in attendance and growing, it's going to need to expand some more. I hope they can grab the entire convention including the 6th floor. And I kinda wish there is a way in getting to the Annex aside from walking across streets
Jeff: I see
jsn: and I was like "I wonder how he goes to the washroom, does he just like...brush his loincloth to the side or what?"
jsn: friend was like "DUDE he's BEHIND YOU"
Remember this:
:?:
Or how about this:
:?:
This year was not that bad.
Holy Heck that's a lot of people!
I didn't think it was all that crowded. The lines were long sometimes but I think the main problem were the lines were never well defined. They just sort of grew in whichever direction was convenient. Next year I think at the very least there needs to be more of those line rope thing-ies
Pictures of PAX about to come soon.
Jeff: I see
jsn: and I was like "I wonder how he goes to the washroom, does he just like...brush his loincloth to the side or what?"
jsn: friend was like "DUDE he's BEHIND YOU"
We came to mostly to see the exhibit hall, but the wait in lines were too long just to fiddle with a game for a few minutes, most of the swag was pretty lame, and there were hardly that many booth girls (though the ones that were there were really good, the girls at the Rockstar booth seemed to be really into the game).
So we hardly got to play any games really, even the freeplay was waay too long of a wait. And I really didnt have any intention to sit around and play my DS, I could do that at anywhere else.
Dont get me wrong, the whole experience was really cool, but given the cost and effort to get to Seattle it just wasnt as cool as I was expecting.
Yeah, it was crowded. As someone noted in a recent post, though, PAX 06 was way worse -- and he provided pictures to prove it. That's not to say that it's okay to be as crowded as we were this year, and a couple of "important" people (read: people who are running the show, not just "normal" Enforcers) said we were overcrowded. That's not necessarily a sign of poor planning, though. IIRC, PAX had a multi-year contract with WSCTC, and this is the unfortunate result. But who could've guessed that E3 would shut down and PAX would take over as the largest gaming con in the country?
As for Enforcer complaints -- wow. Eat a dick. Not that I'm an Enforcer, but I know a number of them, and you have to realize that they're working for free and they have specific duties. Most of the guys I know, for example, were Enforcing in the computer room only. That means that when you saw them outside of that room, they were either off-duty or were on some other business. If you asked them a question about another part of the con, there's a reason they weren't much help -- that's not their job. The "perks" they get? Free entry, and maybe some free pizza. To do a metric shit-ton of work.
Lines: They happen. It's a big con. Get the fuck over it and stop being so butthurt.
Swag: As others in the thread have noted, you have to TALK TO PEOPLE to get most of it. Yeah, that means lines sometimes, but other times it doesn't. The point is, they don't want to give away free shit to people with no interest in their games. Show some interest, get rewarded. I went and talked to a guy at the Turbine booth for a while, and walked away with a pair of t-shirts for my first MMO, Asheron's Call -- one for me, and one for my dad (whom I said would take my shirt if it didn't fit me).
Most of the other things I want to say have already been said. (Of course, so has much of this, but these points needed to be made again!)
Of course, I may be spoiled. I was in BYOC, so I had somewhere to go when I didn't want to wait in line. That's not to say there weren't issues. Even in BYOC, you can't get away from assholes -- so when a TF2 team keeps yelling, "One, two, three, <UNINTELLIGIBLE>," you end up with an awful headache. And I do agree, it's too crowded much of the day. Uncomfortably so. Worse for me, I was feeling sick Friday evening and most of Saturday, so waiting in lines was out of the question -- it's kinda tough to weave your way out of a line if you "get sick," as they say.
However, PAX is definitely about the community. My favorite part of PAX, every year, is in the wee hours of the morning -- 1am, 2am, when most everybody is gone, but the truly hardcore are left. It's calmer, it's quieter, and there's time to kick back and relax after what has undoubtedly become a stressful day at some point (that's the trouble with being there every hour PAX is open, aside from food breaks). And you can talk to some awesome people -- friends you've already made, or new friends, whatever. If you don't like PAX because of it being crowded, try staying late.
It'll probably be that much better next year as they've now learned good lessons on using this space effectively. *thumbs up*
The only issue I noticed is that there wasn't more people actively participating in BYOC. It seemed like nearly half of the spaces were being used for people to dump their stuff. It'd be a cool if there was two advertised BYOC events.. 1) something more like a lan party, intended for those who're here to spend the majority of their time gaming -- and 2) a place to stash stuff and play casually. With the room being so large and casual vs lan gamers spread out, it was hard to organize games over 20 people. (unless it was TF2 =P)
But seriously, I've heard about PAX here and there from the past, but it was way over what I expected. The ability to feel at ease about yourself in such a large crowd is something I've never fully felt before.
There are so many food options in and around the PAX, there is no need to be waiting too long. I believe these options were even spelled out in expo guide.
I think the convention center in Portland is larger, at least they don't have tiny little hallways to walk through. However, that'd require driving to portland, and the convention center is in a much less desirable location then the WSCTC in relation to the city.
I had a blast and can't wait for PAX'09!!!
Oh man I would so love to see PAX in Portland. It would be a 10 minute drive for me.
On the other hand, Kumoricon, the anime convention was also going on this weekend at Portland.
Oh man I would so love to see PAX in Portland. It would be a 10 minute drive for me. (I was so horribly lost in Seattle. Freeway exits on the left? WHAAAT?)
On the other hand, Kumoricon, the anime convention was also going on this weekend at Portland. It would have been quite the cluster-foodge.
it seems that the main complaint is that not enough free stuff is given away. the items that are available are in low quantity, high demand, and require some amount of effort to gain. while this may be true, it's still better than nothing. Penny-Arcade puts no 'swag' requirement on the exhibitors. they give things away of their own volition. as stated there is the monetary issue of mass producing items to then be gifted for free. Penny-Arcade themselves offer a goodies bag that contains small items (cards, magazines, adverts, etc) for free. i don't consider this as part of the admission, as anyone can acquire multiple of these goodie bags. you can't really expect the exhibitors to produce 50k (t-shirts, ipods, nintendo ds, etc) for every convention goer. somewhat related was the prize redemption center. i'm not entirely sure how you win the prizes, but when i walked past, the booth was loaded with games, posters, plushies, etc.
in any case, swag is not included in the price of admission, it is the cherry on top.
I went to PAX '06 (all three days, and took the family for one). I had to go on a deployment for '07 and thusly gave away the three passes (three-days each) to people that could use them. I couldn't go this year either due to the fact of moving to the entire opposite side of the Earth.
I always felt PAX was a place to go and see/play you favorite upcoming game. A chance to maybe meet developers of a game or product. An opportunity to meet with like minded people because you are one of a few set of people that enjoy a particular subject. Like when I got to chitchat with the NWN 2 guys about whether they were putting beards on the female dwarves or not.
All this talk about not getting swag seems shallow. I can, however, understand the complaints about not getting to play a game. So would you rather a developer spend all their money to give 50,000 people a free t-shirt, or have them buy more computers/consoles so you can have more playtime with the game. Would you like this to turn into a multimillion dollar blowout like E3, causing companies to stop coming because they can't afford it?
If I hadn't moved to Japan, I would have gone to PAX. Guess I will just have to settle for the Tokyo Game Show instead.
Being in the BYOC area so much, I missed out on a lot of the lines and crowds. But I'm sure the event will rent out more space next year to compensate. (By the way, it was much easier to get from one set of escalators to the other if you did it on floor 3 instead of floor 4 -- the crowds in those tiny floor 4 hallways were kind of maddening at times.)
I do think the swag was worse this year than any prior PAX (I've been to them all). And no Nvidia/BFG expo booth giving out cards this year?
As for the DS Wi-Fi, I think the main problem is that it's spread vertically on several floors. The DS range really isn't that good, so it causes problems to have them so spread out. And if you have someone on floor 3 hosting Mario Kart, people on floors 2 and 4 can join it, but then floor 2 is talking to floor 4 and the lag gets pretty bad. The sheer number of DS's probably doesn't help either.
If I had one suggestion for change, I would prefer if the event ran later on Sunday. I'm not very good at getting up early on a weekend, especially after staying up past 3am on Friday and Saturday nights. When I roll in at around 12:15 and have to pack/transport my PC for the last 45 minutes or so, that's only 5 hours of PAX on Sunday. I need more! :P
And no, keep PAX in Seattle please!!
The one problem I had (aside from the massive crowd at times), and someone else touched on this, was waiting in line forever only to have the media come in and cut in front of everyone. I had waited at the Dead Space booth for about 2 hours and saw 3 different media groups come in, get shown a demo (about a 25 minute showing) and then chat a bit and ask questions. The booth only had 2 demo stations also so the wait was pretty long. In one particularly dick move, one of the guys in front of me had the controller in his hands and it was taken away from him so that the media could get shown the game.
This might be more of a problem created by the company showing the game, and not a PAX management issue, but why was the media there in the first place? I had been told that PAX wasn't the new E3 but I'm really worried that is the direction the convention could head.
Was I at a different PAX?
I do like EA's passport strategy... making you play all the games before you get a swag. I find that smart. If it weren't for that, I wouldn't have played Spore and loooved it. Sadly, that was the only game that I played from the EA booth... constantly returning to it whenever I possibly can.
What did you "wait for hours" to do at E3? The only "hours" long line I EVER stood in at E3 was to get in to play the Wii. (there was also a long line to get into the twilight princess display the previous year, but it sure wasn't hours long)
My complaint as far as waiting in lines and PAX is concerned has nothing to do with the show floor. What I didn't care for was how you had to queue up and wait for every single panel etc, where last year the doors would essentially just be open and you could walk in (I don't understand why they couldn't have just done it the same way this year and done head counts as people went in.) The only thing I had to queue up for last year was the keynote, and after that the doors were just open and people were free to come and go for the ensuing speakers.
This year, for example, the omegathon was scheduled to go on at 5pm, but by 5:40 or so the giant line in the adjoining room STILL hadn't finished snaking its way into the main theater. What a logistical nightmare.
Last year PAX was one of my favorite events I've ever been to, this year was just lines and not getting to see speakers/panels because of lines, and I felt like (aside from the concerts) I might as well have stayed home and played games with my friends here.
Nintendo hasn't really given anything away since '05 that I've noticed.
I was a little hesitant to try the demo...but luckily the guys there seemed cool...after one guy who played for like an hour, finished up his game I still had like 2 people in front of me...luckily they were cool guys. I told them I wanted to see something that wouldn't take but 5 minutes max.
So I got to see what an eyeless creature in spore plays and looks like...pretty cool really. I was going to ask the guy at the spore panel demo to take the creatures eyes off...but I didn't want to interrupt.
Btw, if you were at the spore panel when the audience asked for him to look up and use deep CROW...he thought you were saying deep THROAT at the end...it was kinda funny watching him squirm a little...that guy was cool.
Overall I had a great experience...especially for the low low price of around 100 bucks. Being local is nice...if it wasn't for having to move your car before midnight. Next year though I am probably getting a hotel room.
NOTE: Also, where else are you going to get to play Fallout 3, or Starcraft 2, or Mirrors Edge, PAX is THE venue for that.
What could possibly go wrong!
I think you have a good point here. Then we can get their 'Fair and Balanced' overview of how geeks are hackers and bloody vengeful people who are not socialized to the 'norm'.
ahh the media, objectivity it has none of.
PAX has gotten bigger and I don't think it will ever have that "intimate" feeling it had years ago again. 3 suggestions (as I know Khoo reads these threads).
1. Get lots more WSCC space next year and move the panels into bigger rooms (this should also cut down on the need for lines as some events can have more in/out access like they did in previous years). The PA Q&A, the concerts, and a few other panels were full to capacity... that means people left unhappy and the solution is larger capacity rooms.
2. If #1 can't be done and you till expect the big panels to fill to fire code, put up some big ass TV's in the "Line Room" so that the people who couldn't get in can at least watch from outside.
3. Something needs to be done about the food situation. The vendors in the building just aren't equipped to deal with this kind of convention. I know you guys can't sell food, but what about getting some space a block away and setting up hotdog/hamburger carts, or ordering pizza from around the city (so you don't have to make it and have an endless supply from various sources), you just re-sell it to us at a reasonable price and we get to spend WAY LESS time in lines for food.
Overall, loved PAX this year. Not the best year, but still great. See you next year.
407 Columbia St. New Westminster (GVA)
Just off Columbia Skytrain Station.
http://www.gamedeals.ca
This is what you sound like to me: "Waah waah, the largest gaming convention on the West Coast was crowded.
Waah waah, I blame others when I suffer as a consequence of my own actions ("The one or 2 games I waited in line for 20-30 min to play when I got up there I felt so damn guilty for making the 300 people behind me wait that I just left after 30 seconds..." and, you know, not taking an aspirin for a headache).
Waah waah waah, pictochat was full of penises like it is every year (I swear, you would see SE++ and judge all of the PA Forums as bad if you're going by that logic).
Waah, I only went to one of the three concerts, so I feel justified in judging all of them, as well as in ignoring the halls filled with fans for each one.
Waah, I spoke to a single Enforcer who didn't know anything, so I feel justified in judging all of them.
Waah waah waah exhibitors promoting their stuff acted like the tired business people they are.
Waah, I can't walk two blocks away from the convention center to eat at a good, cheap local place, I'd rather put up with expensive vendors (see "I blame others when I suffer as a consequence of my own actions").
Waah, I didn't bother doing any research before posting this bitchfest, otherwise I'd know that the Washington State Convention Center was the biggest venue availabe, as well as the fact that they have room to expand next year.
Waah waah waah, I'm a cry baby who posted this as a thread for attention, rather than posting it in my emo blog where it belongs.
Seriously.
Face Twit Rav Gram
True, I got one of my Magic Cards signed by the artist who painted the picture (since I collect Magic Cards for the art, I've never learned how to play). I also got an online code for a pet Lupin in Maple Story after learning how to play the card game - the guy at the booth was really friendly and made learning how to play fun.
Face Twit Rav Gram
.... aaaaand now you're just a troll. How disappointing, yet unsurprising.
We could always hijack your thread and use it for valid complaints about PAX. Then at least your waste of space would be somewhat useful.
Edit: And no, I'm done here. I won't bore everyone else with continuing to publicly bash you.
Face Twit Rav Gram