the use of Twitter to disseminate information was a good idea.
the problem is that i don't have a smartphone. and a lot of people who did have them had connection issues due to the heavy load (PAX + Bumbershoot = infrastructure fail).
i went to a professional conference this year that had monitors showing the official conference Twitter feed, and certain hashtags. it allowed everyone to get the info and also created community and discussion in the area around the monitors.
it would be great to have some monitors in the convention center with the line info feed running. and say, the one for boardgame groups running in or near the boardgame library. (it also would have allowed those of us who couldn't participate in the line contests to at least enjoy other peoples' submissions.)
We actually had this exact thing (for that exact reason) running at the BYOC desk and a modified version in Tabletop. However, it was developed literally in the last few days prior to PAX, and was not requested by the powers that be, so you didn't see it anywhere else. Maybe next year?
Also, just so you know, the hashtag part of the feed scrolled way too fast to be useful (although it was cool to see!). PAX has a LOT of folks using twitter.
EDIT: Link if you want it. (Chrome/Safari/FF4 only)
jonxp on
Every time you write parallel fifths, Bach kills a kitten.
3DS Friend Code: 2707-1614-5576 PAX Prime 2014 Buttoneering!
As a parent I was bothered more by the booth girls. Especially the girls at the Trion booth. They were put on a pedestal LITERALLY. Worst of all were the Gamecrush girls who I don't even thik had a booth. I saw them actively pursuing some underage guys in the handheld lounges in a way that I was very uncomfortable with...and this is coming from a guy whose forum name is DrBalls. The Gamecrush girls were alarmingly prostitute-like.
Gamecrush were (afaik) wearing attendee badges, so they weren't subject to the same guidelines as the exhibitors. They were kinda sketch though, regardless. I didn't really spend a lot of time in the expo hall this year, but one thing I did notice was that the women at the Need for Speed: Pursuit booth were actually playing on empty game stations, etc.
I thought the result of the poll was more that we didn't want "booth babes" who didn't know anything at all about the product they were there to promote, etc? If they got women who actually wanted to play the games and/or talk about them, then I have no problem with them being dressed for the part.
Just my $0.02 though. Like I said, I didn't spend much time at all in the expo hall.
For what it's worth, I find costumes like the gnome warlock and her voidwalker to be FAR more interesting than someone dressed as Leeloo in the white bandage outfit, but to each their own. At least the woman dressed as Leeloo had her whole butt covered.
Also, Leeloo (goddessofkats) was wearing a bodysuit, not just bandages
I'm going to have to reiterate the "If you have a set lineup time, please adhere to that lineup time" suggestion. I'd also like to see hard and firm "line start times" posted in the program for all to see, and use in their plans.
This was my biggest pet peeve as well. E.g., if you say "Don't show up to get in line before 8 AM," don't let people go into the queue room at 7 AM. Or 6 AM. Or reward someone for showing up at 3 AM. Those of us that actually bother to (1) find and (2) follow instructions shouldn't be punished for doing so.
For what it's worth, I find costumes like the gnome warlock and her voidwalker to be FAR more interesting than someone dressed as Leeloo in the white bandage outfit, but to each their own. At least the woman dressed as Leeloo had her whole butt covered.
Also, Leeloo (goddessofkats) was wearing a bodysuit, not just bandages
I didn't look closely enough to see that. Good for her!
Please have a bit of guidelines when it comes to cosplay. I don't care that you're not a booth babe, I still don't want to see your TnA. Underwear is not appropriate to be wearing in a public venue.
(this wasn't a massive issue or anything, but it happend enough to make me uncomfortable.)
As a parent I was bothered more by the booth girls. Especially the girls at the Trion booth. They were put on a pedestal LITERALLY. Worst of all were the Gamecrush girls who I don't even thik had a booth. I saw them actively pursuing some underage guys in the handheld lounges in a way that I was very uncomfortable with...and this is coming from a guy whose forum name is DrBalls. The Gamecrush girls were alarmingly prostitute-like.
See this is where it becomes difficult. Those women at the Trion both (for Rift and End of nations) stayed at my hotel along with the Trion dev's and I spoke with them for several hours on Sat. They are not as defined "booth babes" they actually work for Trion and know the games very well. They were not hired just to be a pretty face with no brains at PAX. Even the girls wearing not much at all at the Warcraft trading card game were actually somewhat knowledgeable.
Just because some hot woman is advertising a game in a slinky outfit (Asha the girl from the Rift booth is the "cover girl" of Rift just like Firiona Vie was for Everquest) don't assume she is a bimbo that they hired to promote and not someone who knows the product.
See this is where it becomes difficult. Those women at the Trion both (for Rift and End of nations) stayed at my hotel along with the Trion dev's and I spoke with them for several hours on Sat. They are not as defined "booth babes" they actually work for Trion and know the games very well. They were not hired just to be a pretty face with no brains at PAX. Even the girls wearing not much at all at the Warcraft trading card game were actually somewhat knowledgeable.
Just because some hot woman is advertising a game in a slinky outfit (Asha the girl from the Rift booth is the "cover girl" of Rift just like Firiona Vie was for Everquest) don't assume she is a bimbo that they hired to promote and not someone who knows the product.
That's pretty much what I was saying. Going by the poll results, the things they were going to address in the policy seems to have been followed for the most part, from what I could tell. The reps I talked to/was approached by all seemed knowledgeable about what they were promoting, some more than others. I didn't see any blatant "look at my boobs/ass/etc" marketing except for the Gamecrush "play me" shirts, but they weren't exhibitors afaik.
I do not mind the slinky outfits one way or another.
I do sympathize with parents a *little* bit. But I don't think it is fair to tell cosplayers or booth babes to follow a dress code. They are emulating characters from video games. Video games we are celebrating through our collective PAX. There should be a requirement that booth babes be knowledgeable about their product, only because a cosplayer would likely be knowledgeable about the product their character is from.
I think the real issue we are dancing around here is, "at what age is it OK for a gamecrush girl to molest your children?" Luckily I am not a parent and do not have to answer these tough inquires. But if you bring children anywhere in PAX I think it is reasonable to place the burden of censorship on the parent, not the gaming community.
I do not mind the slinky outfits one way or another.
I do sympathize with parents a *little* bit. But I don't think it is fair to tell cosplayers or booth babes to follow a dress code. They are emulating characters from video games. Video games we are celebrating through our collective PAX. There should be a requirement that booth babes be knowledgeable about their product, only because a cosplayer would likely be knowledgeable about the product their character is from.
I think the real issue we are dancing around here is, "at what age is it OK for a gamecrush girl to molest your children?" Luckily I am not a parent and do not have to answer these tough inquires. But if you bring children anywhere in PAX I think it is reasonable to place the burden of censorship on the parent, not the gaming community.
<paraphrase>Just like TV and games, PAX is not a substitute baby-sitter</paraphrase>
I think the main problem i have is that it's hard to tell the difference between a booth babe who's paid to look pretty, and a game developer employee who happens to look pretty, and wants to help promote the game. Visually, the two are indistinguishable, and while there is definitely cause for the latter to realize that and make it more obvious, I definitely prefer what i've heard so far over morons being paid to wear an outfit.
That said, it definitely seemed (to me) to be less of a problem this year. Except the pedestal was clearly a bad move, I can see how it fit with the game (racing = pedestal for 1st). Perhaps we also need to recognise that the sports that these games emulate are completely unashamed in their (ab)use of women as sex symbols, and work on fixing the target industry, and cut the gaming industry some slack until it's fixed (note, not an endorsement for carte-blanche booth-babism, just a reality-check)
1. Benaroya was a nice concert hall for the keynote, Q&A and some of the bands. I agree JoCo was hard to understand. Being 5 minutes away and it actually being a concert hall felt as if it took some of the intimacy away. When the concerts are in the main hall, they are easy for all PAX attendees to stop in, check out what's happening.
Also, on Friday night, after the concerts had started, we were told that they weren't going to let anyone else in the theater except for maybe some people could enter in between sets. The enforcers were mostly trying to keep people out of the lobby. After tailgating some people who were leaving, some of us that got into the lobby and waited in case they would let us in. We were eventually let into the theater only to find that there were hundreds of open seats. However, people were turned away from the concerts when there were seats open. This is trouble.
2. Cell phone / DS charging stations would be rad.
3. Scalper are insane. I'm totally against scalping your PAX pass. Maybe there could be a way to sell back / give back a 3 day pass to the convention so there is a better incentive then to go to the scalpers. Given the opportunity, lots of people might try to sell it outside because if you don't sell it to scalpers an unused pass is worth nothing to anyone.
4. The map should have a $ symbol on ever place that sells items.
5. I suggest that the program booklet have tabs... so you can easily flip to the map, or schedules.
6. Free play rock band in the main theater?!?!?!
PAX is always the greatest weekend of the year. Hopefully it will keep improving and improving.
I do not mind the slinky outfits one way or another.
I do sympathize with parents a *little* bit. But I don't think it is fair to tell cosplayers or booth babes to follow a dress code.
PA could ask that if they are wearing a costume that reveals certain areas of the body that they wear a bodysuit. Obviously it worked great for Leeloo because few were aware of it.
It would allow cosplayers to express themselves while respecting other attendees as well.
I do not mind the slinky outfits one way or another.
I do sympathize with parents a *little* bit. But I don't think it is fair to tell cosplayers or booth babes to follow a dress code.
PA could ask that if they are wearing a costume that reveals certain areas of the body that they wear a bodysuit. Obviously it worked great for Leeloo because few were aware of it.
It would allow cosplayers to express themselves while respecting other attendees as well.
if you don't realize it's a bodysuit....does it even matter if you're wearing it? :P I'm pretty sure that was more for her comfort than the general populaces.
-Benaroya was totally fine. For those complaining about acoustics, it has to do with the speakers. Normally, it's the home of the Seattle Symphony, and they are not amplified. I saw Harry Connick Jr there a few years back, and my seat was in the highest balcony closest to the stage. I could hear the band fine, but could not hear a damn thing that was sung. It's inherent in the design.
-I would prefer Benaroya over the Paramount. The Paramount's seats are extremely cramped.
-Expo hall hours should be expanded ever so slightly, say til 8pm on Fri and Sat
-More tables for tabletop! My group walked around for nearly 20 minutes trying to find a space Saturday afternoon. And that leads me to...
-Why wasn't the Conference Center (where the hidden level was) fully booked? There has to be a few rooms we can take over in there that will help alleviate the TT pressure. At the very least, the lobby areas on the 1st and 2nd floors of the Conference Center were completely empty. All us TT'ers need is some tables and chairs and we are happy.
-More general signage would be helpful. I don't know how many times I got turned around in the Expo Hall trying to find the skybridge. What was there was sufficient, but you can never give your attendees too much information.
-I second the idea of specific feeds for each theatre. Even past the general # people in line, post what's coming up next, when to get in line, etc.
-Specific panel hashtags would be good, too. Include these in the panel listings and programs.
Overall I was extremely pleased with the experience. It did not seem at all crowded, and I'm sure it is because of the two biggest theatres being moved offsite.
This was my fourth PAX, counting East, and I've been a speaker at all of them. PAX is still absolutely the best convention of all the ones I've been to, and I've been going to multiple geek conventions every year since 2002. PAX is still probably the only one I would still go to even if I were not speaking.
That being said, I really only have two suggestions for PAX, which are both related to badges and programs.
The first is that PAX needs to make a pocket guide. Continue to print the program booklet. It should contain all the event descriptions, policies, etc., that it does now. However, it should not contain the actual schedule or the maps. Print a separate, brochure-sized, black and white booklet that contains only the schedule grids, maps, and other frequently referenced information such as the convention hours.
You can print this pocket guide very close to the actual date of the convention, so it should contain far less scheduling errors than would be in the full program. It also should be printed on non-glossy paper, making it very easy for attendees to write on it with corrections or notes. The small size of the book will make it very convenient to enjoy PAX without having to carry a gigantic booklet around. It will be quicker to reference than the big book. And most of all it will be extremely handy for attendees without smartphones, who I think are the majority.
Think of it like a baseball team. When you go to a game they usually have to separate publications, the yearbook and the program. The yearbook is a big fancy book with lots of color and flashy pictures. The program is a smaller magazine that is only for that game and contains your scorecard and such.
The PAX bag should contain one big fancy book to take home and enjoy, like the one we have now. Maybe even put articles, some words from Enforcers or PA staff in there. Then have a separate smaller pocket guide which is the workhorse that everyone will carry around the convention with them.
My second suggestion has to do with badges. I notice that a lot of people are modding their badges in various ways. There are badge holders, games with stickers, etc. There is also a problem of badge forgery.
What if every PAX badge had a unique QR code on it. The QR codes don't need to contain any personally identifying information in them, they just need to contain a unique number of some sort. This will allow PAX, attendees, and exhibitors to create apps that utilize these barcodes. PAX could create an app that detects whether a badge is legitimate or not. It's far from fool-proof, but it will mitigate scalping a little. Attendees could digitize the infection game, or any other game they can come up with.
Exhibitors above all can utilize these codes to great effect. Imagine if you want to play Duke Nukem 3D. Instead of waiting in line for hours, they scan your badge and tell you what time to come back. They don't even need your name, or to give you a piece of paper or anything. You come back at the appointed time, they scan your badge to verify you really are the person with the appointment, and then you walk right in. This is just one idea of what the exhibitors can do with this, the potential is much greater. Raffles would totally work as well. There are many possibilities.
Thanks for a great PAX, I'll see you in Boston.
TL;DR: Make a pocket guide and put a unique QR code on each badge.
1.
I don't have a smart phone either. Twitter feeds projected on major parts of the con would be great. A small gaming con I volunteer for back in Houston (OwlCon for those curious) just moved towards this system...and it's great! We put our game grids on there, as well as miscallaneous twitter feeds.
2.
An action point to do: blah. I really like the "be able to skip a line" idea--- maybe if you "charge" yyour action point by attending three panels, then you can use it. However, you know everyone will spend their action point on say, Duke Nukem Forever, so it will never really work. There were indeed, so many games I couldn't check out because of terror-lines and awesome panels going on that needed an hour of advanced waiting.
3.
Indie board games? Did I miss it or were they not really there? Did everyone buy them Friday-- thus why I didn't see them on Saturday? Kudos on all the indie video games in the expo. Definitely one of my favorite parts of the con!
It was heartbreaking knowing there was no possible way, short of time travel, to actually attend Acquisitions Inc, Wil's panel, Scott & Kris After Hours AND the concert (wristband or no).
Oh I agree...
I only saw Acquisitions Inc, and that was very 'effin worth it. Also watched Of Dice and Men instead of concert; best decision ever.
I honestly don't mind the bit-of-skin poster girls. As I woman, I don't think this is "abuse" of any kind. A provokative fact of gaming in general: Video games and Tabletop games take root from comic books, which are fantasy worlds to complement our physical world. Too much sexy would be detrimental, but I think the con had enough to have every type of game "aesthetic" out on the table.
This is my first PAX; I think it will now be my gaming mecca. Unless things like GenCon or ComicCon become significantly afforable on my side of the table. Thank you!
Two things:
1. The Paramount can take out the seats on the first floor, so if you think they're cramped or uncomfortable, that wouldn't be a problem.
2. If we're going to stand by the statement "PAX is not a dating service," why can't we add an additional "so cover your ass up"? You can wear as little as you want, but if you approach someone and ask for his/her number you're a creeper? Seems like a weird standard to me.
Believe me, I wore the nylon for everyone else's benefit! It made the bandages a bit more slippery, but I wanted to guarantee you would have good pictures with Leeloo!
Also, I didn't want my costume to come across as desperate- it's anything but that. I have been doing Harley Quinn the last two years, and I actually felt "sexier" in that. Maybe it's the tightness of the pvc, or that it was shiney on my curvy edges, but I felt way more scandalous with Harley than I did with Leeloo.
That being said, if you found it offensive, I apologize. I also apologize that my character wasn't as current for kids to pick up on- yet they FLOCKED to pedobear...which made me uncomfortable for entirely different reasons! XD
I'd like to think that for every person that was offended- there seemed to be significantly more than that who loved Leeloo as a character or the movie in general, and that's why I cosplay. It's for you, it's for PAX, and it's for the geniuses that created my character.
Next year, you won't recognize me, I will be fully covered- but not because I think there should or should not be guidelines... As wil wheaton was saying, PAX is unique because it is a gathering of creative people. It's true- cosplayers are a colorful facet of that creativity.
I do not mind the slinky outfits one way or another.
I do sympathize with parents a *little* bit. But I don't think it is fair to tell cosplayers or booth babes to follow a dress code.
PA could ask that if they are wearing a costume that reveals certain areas of the body that they wear a bodysuit. Obviously it worked great for Leeloo because few were aware of it.
It would allow cosplayers to express themselves while respecting other attendees as well.
if you don't realize it's a bodysuit....does it even matter if you're wearing it? :P I'm pretty sure that was more for her comfort than the general populaces.
Two things:
1. The Paramount can take out the seats on the first floor, so if you think they're cramped or uncomfortable, that wouldn't be a problem.
2. If we're going to stand by the statement "PAX is not a dating service," why can't we add an additional "so cover your ass up"? You can wear as little as you want, but if you approach someone and ask for his/her number you're a creeper? Seems like a weird standard to me.
As someone who's met their girlfriend through pax, the statement 'PAX is not a dating service' is a little disingenuous.
What is probably better said is "Don't come here trolling for members of your preferred gender. If something happens, then something happens, but it won't happen when you're trying too hard". also "don't stalk people", and "don't be a jerk if you get turned down"
Surprise! Life is tricky. Some people are uncomfortable with being approached in some scenarios. Some people are okay with it. Don't treat PAX like a supermarket, and you might stumble across something, but don't assume you will.
the use of Twitter to disseminate information was a good idea.
the problem is that i don't have a smartphone. and a lot of people who did have them had connection issues due to the heavy load (PAX + Bumbershoot = infrastructure fail).
i went to a professional conference this year that had monitors showing the official conference Twitter feed, and certain hashtags. it allowed everyone to get the info and also created community and discussion in the area around the monitors.
it would be great to have some monitors in the convention center with the line info feed running. and say, the one for boardgame groups running in or near the boardgame library. (it also would have allowed those of us who couldn't participate in the line contests to at least enjoy other peoples' submissions.)
It sounds like this is a common request. We setup two monitors at the center displaying a live stream of tweets from @Official_PAX and @PAX_Lines to try and help people before they made the journey to main theatre. We will find a more visible location next year.
Please look at banning 'Booth walls' - We got rid of booth babes; please look at banning booth walls too. Nothing is more frustrating than going into the Exhibition hall and instead of even getting a passing glance at games you really want to see, having to pick between wasting four hours for a small preview or seeing other things.
It doesn't make any sense except to screw over people who might want to see two or three of the big name games but can't because of the wait times. I can understand wanting to have an 'presentation style' environment, but in return it's creating large and inconvenient lines, especially including the people who'd have been happy with just watching a gameplay video on a screen or something.
This was my 4th year at PAX. As a couple people previously have said, it is starting to feel more and more like every other expo. There was a LOT of media this year and it just seemed too big. That being said, I will see you all next year. :winky:
I just have a couple of suggestions:
1. I agree with the outcry over the tabletop gaming. There really needs to be more of it, and I think it needs to be a little better organized and certainly in a larger area.
2. My opinion on the booth babe thing is that it was really very good this year. Aside from a few (already mentioned) groups, I thought all of the "babes" that were at the booths actually knew what they were talking about. They were not just pretty faces. It's funny but I found several instances of the exact opposite where I would go into a booth and talk to some random guy who knew NOTHING about the games. One guy didn't even know the name of the game he was showing off.
3. Whoever thought the idea of putting an exhibitor who regularly drew a huge crowd and encouraged them to yell and scream as loud as possible for tee shirts right in the middle of the D&D floor needs to have their decision making skills re-evaluated. It seemed like at the beginning of EVERY round of D&D, the first 15 minutes were totally wasted because nobody could hear a thing over the yelling and screaming. Bad move.
4. It would be really nice to have some wandering vendors selling water/soda/snacks, especially around the tabletop areas. Picking up a quick drink or something to munch on seems a little more difficult than it should be at something this large. With the crowds, getting refreshments isn't something you can do in passing anymore. It is something you almost have to plan into your day. Seems like a wasted opportunity for the attendees and vendors alike.
5. I also like the idea of broadcasting some of the larger panels. Maybe even re-broadcast some of the events in one of the smaller rooms so if you miss something you have an opportunity to see it later.
Believe me, I wore the nylon for everyone else's benefit! It made the bandages a bit more slippery, but I wanted to guarantee you would have good pictures with Leeloo!
Also, I didn't want my costume to come across as desperate- it's anything but that. I have been doing Harley Quinn the last two years, and I actually felt "sexier" in that. Maybe it's the tightness of the pvc, or that it was shiney on my curvy edges, but I felt way more scandalous with Harley than I did with Leeloo.
I stand corrected Either way, it was cool to run into you at PAXtra Life. Looking forward to what you come up with next year, your cosplay is always fantastic.
1. Expohall is a huge strange shaped room now... I think we should break out the north & south sides into named zones (skybridge being an already existing 'zone'). This would help with navigation.
So someone could be like "To get to the Hidden level from the South Lobby, go straight through the ButtTech Zone, across the SkyBridge, then when you get to Testicorp Zone, take a right and find the escalators to the Hidden Level." I would recommend not using those zone names though... those are just from one of my favorite comics.
2. Road Signs to also help with navigation
Ya know... just banners or posts or something with arrows. So that if I'm in an area of the expo hall, and I want to know how to get to the handheld lounge, or hidden level, I can look for some arrows pointing me in the right direction. If they're on posts... jokesters could rotate them... so maybe hanging banners would be best?
3. Costume Contest
I wasn't a huge fan of cosplay at first, but now I must admit I do look forward to seeing what creative things people have made. Some of these costumes are insane (like the Big Daddy at the X-Play panel on Sunday... and every time I saw Barf I couldn't help but smile) and its clear some people spend months and months working on them. They're a part of PAX culture at this point... and I think it'd be cool to recognize the people who go above and beyond on their costumes.
That being said, if you found it offensive, I apologize. I also apologize that my character wasn't as current for kids to pick up on- yet they FLOCKED to pedobear...which made me uncomfortable for entirely different reasons! XD<3
See, cosplayers dressing in a more risque manner is fine with me (not that I'm saying I thought Kat was risque, she was being loyal to the character and I thought her costume was pretty mild) because they aren't selling something. They are cosplaying and showing their love of a character, that's awesome. They are also family, they get a pass.
It's the whole "nerds are stupid for sexy girls, let's put some sexy girls in the booth so they will buy our stuff" vibe that creeps me out and I find insulting. The Gamecrush girls just made me furious because that was 100% the vibe they were putting off and they were targeting younger guys who may not have had that much experience with half-naked pretty girls. Many of us guys may remember what that was like. No I will not do your homework for you!
I felt bad for the girl at the Bangai-O HD booth giving away candy though. She looked to be freezing to death.
It seems that a lot of people wanted standing area at the concert, so why not try for the Paramount next year? Expansive standing room and loads of balcony seats
-Why wasn't the Conference Center (where the hidden level was) fully booked? There has to be a few rooms we can take over in there that will help alleviate the TT pressure. At the very least, the lobby areas on the 1st and 2nd floors of the Conference Center were completely empty. All us TT'ers need is some tables and chairs and we are happy.
Considering the Conference Center is a very new addition to the Convention Center (the construction fence surrounding it was taken down just before PAX), I'd hazard a guess that perhaps Floors 1 and 2 weren't far enough along in the construction process at the time PAX signed their contract with WSCTC to work this space into the contract. I'm hoping to see the addition of this space at next year's PAX...those rooms would be awesome for tabletop events.
It seems that a lot of people wanted standing area at the concert, so why not try for the Paramount next year? Expansive standing room and loads of balcony seats
I believe that they attempted to work with the Paramount, but the Paramount didn't grasp the concept that it was a 3 day all access event... apparently they expect to be paid by door proceeds per panel or something. I think it just boils down to them not having a billing model for it.
Hopefully it's not a lost cause, and they can figure it out over the course of the next year. Paramount can seat just about as many I think... it can be used to rock out better for concerts, and its closer.
To everyone talking about moving to the Paramount because it has more space, apparently they're only marginally larger than Benaroya. According to their website, the seating capacity is 2807. That's just slightly more than the 2,500 that Benaroya seats.
I do not mind the slinky outfits one way or another.
I do sympathize with parents a *little* bit. But I don't think it is fair to tell cosplayers or booth babes to follow a dress code.
PA could ask that if they are wearing a costume that reveals certain areas of the body that they wear a bodysuit. Obviously it worked great for Leeloo because few were aware of it.
It would allow cosplayers to express themselves while respecting other attendees as well.
I understand the philosophy here, but I've had cosplay friends tell me before that it's much harder to get a high-quality matching bodysuit if you are non-white. For me the "if it's legal on the street it's legal at PAX" idea is the best one, then again living in Japan pretty much destroyed all my problems with public nudity... heh.
Cultural Geek Girl on
Buttoneer, Brigadeer, and Keeper of the Book of Wil Wheaton.
Triwizard Drinking Tournament - '09 !Hufflepuff unofficial conscript, '10 !Gryffindor
Nerd blog at culturalgeekgirl.com
I found it a bit odd that schools had booths scattered throughout the Expo hall rather than collected together some place. I felt bad when reps from ITT tech or Art Institute wanted to talk to future students while the rock band 3 booth was next door. I think it would be good to keep schools together and away from noisy booths.
Panels are so hard to get into that I didn't bother again this year. I've never really even gone to the panels. So maybe some kind of different way of doing panels or do something else instead?
This is kind of exclusionist, but I would like a 21+ PAX so that there's a place for adults and a place for kids.
It would be nice to supply more seating/resting places in the expo hall. Or give small booths some furniture for showing their games. It's annoying to stand and play a game in a noisy hall with an indie game. Hard to hear and hard to concentrate on the game.
Otherwise, I had a great time! I always like checking out the board games freeplay area and playing a game or 2 with some people.
I liked the PAX XP mini-game. We had an extra hour to kill before meeting some friends for dinner so we decided to do it, and it ended up taking us into areas of the convention center that we hadn't seen and didn't intend to go to, but ended up being really cool and fun, AND we were able to do most of it in the hour that we had. It was a great way to get exposed to the rest of PAX.
It's a great game but I was disappointing with the prize. Could it be just more then a zipper handeld like a t-shirt, a hardcover art book, the P.A.X. dvd, a ps3/xbox 360 game, etc?
I know some people have talked about wanting to outlaw booths with walls. Most gaming related cons have enclosed booths... you sort of need it under some circumstances, but I think it would be neat if all the "closed in/line only" booths were in their own little neighborhood. That's how it is at GDC.
Cultural Geek Girl on
Buttoneer, Brigadeer, and Keeper of the Book of Wil Wheaton.
Triwizard Drinking Tournament - '09 !Hufflepuff unofficial conscript, '10 !Gryffindor
Nerd blog at culturalgeekgirl.com
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faitsa panda eating cakeseattleRegistered Userregular
This is kind of exclusionist, but I would like a 21+ PAX so that there's a place for adults and a place for kids.
A friend of mine mentioned that he'd love to have PAX tabletop but in a booze-friendly, 21+ situation. I told him that seattle already has a bar where you can both do your laundry and play board games, but I still agree it's a pretty great suggestion.
This is kind of exclusionist, but I would like a 21+ PAX so that there's a place for adults and a place for kids.
I doubt this would happen because I ran into some really delightful kids (the two who worked on a BYOC PWNY come to mind).
But I feel your sentiment because I ran into some very inconsiderate parents too. I went to two panels the entire weekend, both were about non-programmer jobs in the industry. One of them had a mom sitting right in the front row with a crying baby and a fussy toddler that kept running up to the panelist table and handing things to the person speaking. She wouldn't leave because she took up a bunch of the Q&A time with detailed questions on how to get her husband a job. I was really surprised the room (Game Dev's Lounge) didn't have any Enforcers to nudge the mom along with the distracting kids.
Unfortunately, that's just how things are these days, can't go shopping without getting rammed into by kids playing tag, and I just try to be patient. After all, I might have kids some day that will have to go with me in public. And I kind of like the idea of seeing families geek out together PAX.
trickycoolj on
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faitsa panda eating cakeseattleRegistered Userregular
This is kind of exclusionist, but I would like a 21+ PAX so that there's a place for adults and a place for kids.
I doubt this would happen because I ran into some really delightful kids (the two who worked on a BYOC PWNY come to mind).
But I feel your sentiment because I ran into some very inconsiderate parents too. I went to two panels the entire weekend, both were about non-programmer jobs in the industry. One of them had a mom sitting right in the front row with a crying baby and a fussy toddler that kept running up to the panelist table and handing things to the person speaking. She wouldn't leave because she took up a bunch of the Q&A time with detailed questions on how to get her husband a job. I was really surprised the room (Game Dev's Lounge) didn't have any Enforcers to nudge the mom along with the distracting kids.
Unfortunately, that's just how things are these days, can't go shopping without getting rammed into by kids playing tag, and I just try to be patient. After all, I might have kids some day that will have to go with me in public. And I kind of like the idea of seeing families geek out together PAX.
On saturday I was in an INCREDIBLY loud tabletop room for a good part of the evening, compounded by the fact that there was a woman in one corner with two or three kids and another guy with a screaming infant one table over from us.
Stuff like that doesn't ruin the experience for me, but you've got to wonder how the parents are even enjoying themselves if their kids are carrying on like that.
My suggestion is to have an easel with a pinboard and index cards, or a whiteboard with an attached pen near the Tabletop Freeplay area, for people looking for groups. Or an identified area for people to hang out while LFG, with paper and pens to say what game(s) they have/checked out/want to try out.
MarySue on
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I had a long post, but my browser ated it. Short version: Benaroya sucks, would not go again.
- The hallway was 100+ degrees, and the wait was over an hour.
- Did not bring a beverage due to the "no food or drink" policy, but Starbucks was selling food and drink to the line (naturally out of drink before hitting the hot hallway)
- Accoustics blew, many of the acts could not be understood.
I pine for the days when one could simply walk up to the concerts freely, at any time, and be shown in. This was not the days of yore, people; it was like this in '09! While I recognize the need for more expo hall space, Benaroya was not the solution.
Special Note for Khoo: I will pay you at least $20 per person for a guaranteed concert access pass. Trying to get a wristband was an exercise in frustration, blood, sweat, and tears, and still ended with me standing in a hot, humid hallway close to dehydration for over an hour. I am offering you my money to avoid this situation.
Second, I thought the Media got access to the Expo Hall prior to open on Fridays in years past. Is this no longer the case? Because seriously, if the Expo Hall is open to the public, then the Media can stand in line with the public. If they want unlimited access, then do it outside public hours. "Bumping" was happening far too often this year; maybe the number of media passes needs to be limited so every grandma with a gaming blog doesn't have one.
Overall, PAX was awesome as always, but these two things really stuck out as needing improvement.
Second, I thought the Media got access to the Expo Hall prior to open on Fridays in years past. Is this no longer the case? Because seriously, if the Expo Hall is open to the public, then the Media can stand in line with the public. If they want unlimited access, then do it outside public hours. "Bumping" was happening far too often this year; maybe the number of media passes needs to be limited so every grandma with a gaming blog doesn't have one.
I think they got access early Saturday, at least from what I saw on @SeattleGeekly's twitter feed. It did seem like there were a lot of media badges. I heard a guy on the escalator tell his buddy that it was no big deal to get a media badge, you just prove your name is on a website and have anyone sign a letter saying you write for them. That kind of bummed me out. I know there's a lot of start up sites out there, maybe a lottery of some sort or having more than an hour set aside would help ease the line bumping.
More antibacterial hand gel dispensers, in bright colours for easy locating. A couple by the descent to the hidden level, a couple by each of the food dispenseries, a couple by the freeplay stage, etc etc. I think this would contribute immensely to reducing the PAXpox.
Make sure that the booth babe ban is enforced. There was a racing game (don't remember which) that definitely had some booth babes at it. The other places at least justified them by having it be a cosplay; the racing game was just straight-up skimpy clothes. Not what we want.
Mandate that any walled booth (e.g. the duke nukem booth) has to also have some sort of previews/demos on the outside too. I would have loved to have seen some of DNF, but there was no way in heck I was waiting in line.
A stack of large LFG signs on sticks for the freeplay areas. There should be a stack of them that people can borrow, use to find groups (e.g. carry around the freeplay area), then return to the stack for others to use. This would be a quick and efficient way of solo players finding groups (something which a number of people have echoed as a problem). I saw some people reduced to shouting, which drew glares from those who were playing games.
Make the priority wristbands a single-use item for any single panel (or concert) that day. The Enforcer removes it from the PAXer when they use it. This would enable people who don't want to see concerts to go to see a panel without having to spend two hours queuing up. I know that many many wristbands went to waste this year (including all three of mine).
Better updating of the pax_lines twitter account. It was a brilliant idea, and we all really appreciated the effort, but it just wasn't updated consistently enough with respect to panels (or, for example, Dice and Men).
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We actually had this exact thing (for that exact reason) running at the BYOC desk and a modified version in Tabletop. However, it was developed literally in the last few days prior to PAX, and was not requested by the powers that be, so you didn't see it anywhere else. Maybe next year?
Also, just so you know, the hashtag part of the feed scrolled way too fast to be useful (although it was cool to see!). PAX has a LOT of folks using twitter.
EDIT: Link if you want it. (Chrome/Safari/FF4 only)
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Gamecrush were (afaik) wearing attendee badges, so they weren't subject to the same guidelines as the exhibitors. They were kinda sketch though, regardless. I didn't really spend a lot of time in the expo hall this year, but one thing I did notice was that the women at the Need for Speed: Pursuit booth were actually playing on empty game stations, etc.
I thought the result of the poll was more that we didn't want "booth babes" who didn't know anything at all about the product they were there to promote, etc? If they got women who actually wanted to play the games and/or talk about them, then I have no problem with them being dressed for the part.
Just my $0.02 though. Like I said, I didn't spend much time at all in the expo hall.
edit:
Also, Leeloo (goddessofkats) was wearing a bodysuit, not just bandages
This was my biggest pet peeve as well. E.g., if you say "Don't show up to get in line before 8 AM," don't let people go into the queue room at 7 AM. Or 6 AM. Or reward someone for showing up at 3 AM. Those of us that actually bother to (1) find and (2) follow instructions shouldn't be punished for doing so.
I didn't look closely enough to see that.
PAX Prime Attendee since 2006, BYOC Attendee 2008-2012, Buttoneer 2010-2014
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See this is where it becomes difficult. Those women at the Trion both (for Rift and End of nations) stayed at my hotel along with the Trion dev's and I spoke with them for several hours on Sat. They are not as defined "booth babes" they actually work for Trion and know the games very well. They were not hired just to be a pretty face with no brains at PAX. Even the girls wearing not much at all at the Warcraft trading card game were actually somewhat knowledgeable.
Just because some hot woman is advertising a game in a slinky outfit (Asha the girl from the Rift booth is the "cover girl" of Rift just like Firiona Vie was for Everquest) don't assume she is a bimbo that they hired to promote and not someone who knows the product.
That's pretty much what I was saying. Going by the poll results, the things they were going to address in the policy seems to have been followed for the most part, from what I could tell. The reps I talked to/was approached by all seemed knowledgeable about what they were promoting, some more than others. I didn't see any blatant "look at my boobs/ass/etc" marketing except for the Gamecrush "play me" shirts, but they weren't exhibitors afaik.
I do sympathize with parents a *little* bit. But I don't think it is fair to tell cosplayers or booth babes to follow a dress code. They are emulating characters from video games. Video games we are celebrating through our collective PAX. There should be a requirement that booth babes be knowledgeable about their product, only because a cosplayer would likely be knowledgeable about the product their character is from.
I think the real issue we are dancing around here is, "at what age is it OK for a gamecrush girl to molest your children?" Luckily I am not a parent and do not have to answer these tough inquires. But if you bring children anywhere in PAX I think it is reasonable to place the burden of censorship on the parent, not the gaming community.
<paraphrase>Just like TV and games, PAX is not a substitute baby-sitter</paraphrase>
I think the main problem i have is that it's hard to tell the difference between a booth babe who's paid to look pretty, and a game developer employee who happens to look pretty, and wants to help promote the game. Visually, the two are indistinguishable, and while there is definitely cause for the latter to realize that and make it more obvious, I definitely prefer what i've heard so far over morons being paid to wear an outfit.
That said, it definitely seemed (to me) to be less of a problem this year. Except the pedestal was clearly a bad move, I can see how it fit with the game (racing = pedestal for 1st). Perhaps we also need to recognise that the sports that these games emulate are completely unashamed in their (ab)use of women as sex symbols, and work on fixing the target industry, and cut the gaming industry some slack until it's fixed (note, not an endorsement for carte-blanche booth-babism, just a reality-check)
Also, on Friday night, after the concerts had started, we were told that they weren't going to let anyone else in the theater except for maybe some people could enter in between sets. The enforcers were mostly trying to keep people out of the lobby. After tailgating some people who were leaving, some of us that got into the lobby and waited in case they would let us in. We were eventually let into the theater only to find that there were hundreds of open seats. However, people were turned away from the concerts when there were seats open. This is trouble.
2. Cell phone / DS charging stations would be rad.
3. Scalper are insane. I'm totally against scalping your PAX pass. Maybe there could be a way to sell back / give back a 3 day pass to the convention so there is a better incentive then to go to the scalpers. Given the opportunity, lots of people might try to sell it outside because if you don't sell it to scalpers an unused pass is worth nothing to anyone.
4. The map should have a $ symbol on ever place that sells items.
5. I suggest that the program booklet have tabs... so you can easily flip to the map, or schedules.
6. Free play rock band in the main theater?!?!?!
PAX is always the greatest weekend of the year. Hopefully it will keep improving and improving.
-DTP
PA could ask that if they are wearing a costume that reveals certain areas of the body that they wear a bodysuit. Obviously it worked great for Leeloo because few were aware of it.
It would allow cosplayers to express themselves while respecting other attendees as well.
if you don't realize it's a bodysuit....does it even matter if you're wearing it? :P I'm pretty sure that was more for her comfort than the general populaces.
-Benaroya was totally fine. For those complaining about acoustics, it has to do with the speakers. Normally, it's the home of the Seattle Symphony, and they are not amplified. I saw Harry Connick Jr there a few years back, and my seat was in the highest balcony closest to the stage. I could hear the band fine, but could not hear a damn thing that was sung. It's inherent in the design.
-I would prefer Benaroya over the Paramount. The Paramount's seats are extremely cramped.
-Expo hall hours should be expanded ever so slightly, say til 8pm on Fri and Sat
-More tables for tabletop! My group walked around for nearly 20 minutes trying to find a space Saturday afternoon. And that leads me to...
-Why wasn't the Conference Center (where the hidden level was) fully booked? There has to be a few rooms we can take over in there that will help alleviate the TT pressure. At the very least, the lobby areas on the 1st and 2nd floors of the Conference Center were completely empty. All us TT'ers need is some tables and chairs and we are happy.
-More general signage would be helpful. I don't know how many times I got turned around in the Expo Hall trying to find the skybridge. What was there was sufficient, but you can never give your attendees too much information.
-I second the idea of specific feeds for each theatre. Even past the general # people in line, post what's coming up next, when to get in line, etc.
-Specific panel hashtags would be good, too. Include these in the panel listings and programs.
Overall I was extremely pleased with the experience. It did not seem at all crowded, and I'm sure it is because of the two biggest theatres being moved offsite.
That being said, I really only have two suggestions for PAX, which are both related to badges and programs.
The first is that PAX needs to make a pocket guide. Continue to print the program booklet. It should contain all the event descriptions, policies, etc., that it does now. However, it should not contain the actual schedule or the maps. Print a separate, brochure-sized, black and white booklet that contains only the schedule grids, maps, and other frequently referenced information such as the convention hours.
You can print this pocket guide very close to the actual date of the convention, so it should contain far less scheduling errors than would be in the full program. It also should be printed on non-glossy paper, making it very easy for attendees to write on it with corrections or notes. The small size of the book will make it very convenient to enjoy PAX without having to carry a gigantic booklet around. It will be quicker to reference than the big book. And most of all it will be extremely handy for attendees without smartphones, who I think are the majority.
Think of it like a baseball team. When you go to a game they usually have to separate publications, the yearbook and the program. The yearbook is a big fancy book with lots of color and flashy pictures. The program is a smaller magazine that is only for that game and contains your scorecard and such.
The PAX bag should contain one big fancy book to take home and enjoy, like the one we have now. Maybe even put articles, some words from Enforcers or PA staff in there. Then have a separate smaller pocket guide which is the workhorse that everyone will carry around the convention with them.
My second suggestion has to do with badges. I notice that a lot of people are modding their badges in various ways. There are badge holders, games with stickers, etc. There is also a problem of badge forgery.
What if every PAX badge had a unique QR code on it. The QR codes don't need to contain any personally identifying information in them, they just need to contain a unique number of some sort. This will allow PAX, attendees, and exhibitors to create apps that utilize these barcodes. PAX could create an app that detects whether a badge is legitimate or not. It's far from fool-proof, but it will mitigate scalping a little. Attendees could digitize the infection game, or any other game they can come up with.
Exhibitors above all can utilize these codes to great effect. Imagine if you want to play Duke Nukem 3D. Instead of waiting in line for hours, they scan your badge and tell you what time to come back. They don't even need your name, or to give you a piece of paper or anything. You come back at the appointed time, they scan your badge to verify you really are the person with the appointment, and then you walk right in. This is just one idea of what the exhibitors can do with this, the potential is much greater. Raffles would totally work as well. There are many possibilities.
Thanks for a great PAX, I'll see you in Boston.
TL;DR: Make a pocket guide and put a unique QR code on each badge.
I don't have a smart phone either. Twitter feeds projected on major parts of the con would be great. A small gaming con I volunteer for back in Houston (OwlCon for those curious) just moved towards this system...and it's great! We put our game grids on there, as well as miscallaneous twitter feeds.
2.
An action point to do: blah. I really like the "be able to skip a line" idea--- maybe if you "charge" yyour action point by attending three panels, then you can use it. However, you know everyone will spend their action point on say, Duke Nukem Forever, so it will never really work. There were indeed, so many games I couldn't check out because of terror-lines and awesome panels going on that needed an hour of advanced waiting.
3.
Indie board games? Did I miss it or were they not really there? Did everyone buy them Friday-- thus why I didn't see them on Saturday? Kudos on all the indie video games in the expo. Definitely one of my favorite parts of the con!
Oh I agree...
I only saw Acquisitions Inc, and that was very 'effin worth it. Also watched Of Dice and Men instead of concert; best decision ever.
I honestly don't mind the bit-of-skin poster girls. As I woman, I don't think this is "abuse" of any kind. A provokative fact of gaming in general: Video games and Tabletop games take root from comic books, which are fantasy worlds to complement our physical world. Too much sexy would be detrimental, but I think the con had enough to have every type of game "aesthetic" out on the table.
This is my first PAX; I think it will now be my gaming mecca. Unless things like GenCon or ComicCon become significantly afforable on my side of the table. Thank you!
1. The Paramount can take out the seats on the first floor, so if you think they're cramped or uncomfortable, that wouldn't be a problem.
2. If we're going to stand by the statement "PAX is not a dating service," why can't we add an additional "so cover your ass up"? You can wear as little as you want, but if you approach someone and ask for his/her number you're a creeper? Seems like a weird standard to me.
Also, I didn't want my costume to come across as desperate- it's anything but that. I have been doing Harley Quinn the last two years, and I actually felt "sexier" in that. Maybe it's the tightness of the pvc, or that it was shiney on my curvy edges, but I felt way more scandalous with Harley than I did with Leeloo.
That being said, if you found it offensive, I apologize. I also apologize that my character wasn't as current for kids to pick up on- yet they FLOCKED to pedobear...which made me uncomfortable for entirely different reasons! XD
I'd like to think that for every person that was offended- there seemed to be significantly more than that who loved Leeloo as a character or the movie in general, and that's why I cosplay. It's for you, it's for PAX, and it's for the geniuses that created my character.
Next year, you won't recognize me, I will be fully covered- but not because I think there should or should not be guidelines... As wil wheaton was saying, PAX is unique because it is a gathering of creative people. It's true- cosplayers are a colorful facet of that creativity.
Love you all- in a very pax-y squishy way!
As someone who's met their girlfriend through pax, the statement 'PAX is not a dating service' is a little disingenuous.
What is probably better said is "Don't come here trolling for members of your preferred gender. If something happens, then something happens, but it won't happen when you're trying too hard". also "don't stalk people", and "don't be a jerk if you get turned down"
Surprise! Life is tricky. Some people are uncomfortable with being approached in some scenarios. Some people are okay with it. Don't treat PAX like a supermarket, and you might stumble across something, but don't assume you will.
Meeting new people does help, though.
It doesn't make any sense except to screw over people who might want to see two or three of the big name games but can't because of the wait times. I can understand wanting to have an 'presentation style' environment, but in return it's creating large and inconvenient lines, especially including the people who'd have been happy with just watching a gameplay video on a screen or something.
I just have a couple of suggestions:
1. I agree with the outcry over the tabletop gaming. There really needs to be more of it, and I think it needs to be a little better organized and certainly in a larger area.
2. My opinion on the booth babe thing is that it was really very good this year. Aside from a few (already mentioned) groups, I thought all of the "babes" that were at the booths actually knew what they were talking about. They were not just pretty faces. It's funny but I found several instances of the exact opposite where I would go into a booth and talk to some random guy who knew NOTHING about the games. One guy didn't even know the name of the game he was showing off.
3. Whoever thought the idea of putting an exhibitor who regularly drew a huge crowd and encouraged them to yell and scream as loud as possible for tee shirts right in the middle of the D&D floor needs to have their decision making skills re-evaluated. It seemed like at the beginning of EVERY round of D&D, the first 15 minutes were totally wasted because nobody could hear a thing over the yelling and screaming. Bad move.
4. It would be really nice to have some wandering vendors selling water/soda/snacks, especially around the tabletop areas. Picking up a quick drink or something to munch on seems a little more difficult than it should be at something this large. With the crowds, getting refreshments isn't something you can do in passing anymore. It is something you almost have to plan into your day. Seems like a wasted opportunity for the attendees and vendors alike.
5. I also like the idea of broadcasting some of the larger panels. Maybe even re-broadcast some of the events in one of the smaller rooms so if you miss something you have an opportunity to see it later.
I stand corrected
So someone could be like "To get to the Hidden level from the South Lobby, go straight through the ButtTech Zone, across the SkyBridge, then when you get to Testicorp Zone, take a right and find the escalators to the Hidden Level." I would recommend not using those zone names though... those are just from one of my favorite comics.
2. Road Signs to also help with navigation
Ya know... just banners or posts or something with arrows. So that if I'm in an area of the expo hall, and I want to know how to get to the handheld lounge, or hidden level, I can look for some arrows pointing me in the right direction. If they're on posts... jokesters could rotate them... so maybe hanging banners would be best?
3. Costume Contest
I wasn't a huge fan of cosplay at first, but now I must admit I do look forward to seeing what creative things people have made. Some of these costumes are insane (like the Big Daddy at the X-Play panel on Sunday... and every time I saw Barf I couldn't help but smile) and its clear some people spend months and months working on them. They're a part of PAX culture at this point... and I think it'd be cool to recognize the people who go above and beyond on their costumes.
See, cosplayers dressing in a more risque manner is fine with me (not that I'm saying I thought Kat was risque, she was being loyal to the character and I thought her costume was pretty mild) because they aren't selling something. They are cosplaying and showing their love of a character, that's awesome. They are also family, they get a pass.
It's the whole "nerds are stupid for sexy girls, let's put some sexy girls in the booth so they will buy our stuff" vibe that creeps me out and I find insulting. The Gamecrush girls just made me furious because that was 100% the vibe they were putting off and they were targeting younger guys who may not have had that much experience with half-naked pretty girls. Many of us guys may remember what that was like. No I will not do your homework for you!
I felt bad for the girl at the Bangai-O HD booth giving away candy though. She looked to be freezing to death.
Considering the Conference Center is a very new addition to the Convention Center (the construction fence surrounding it was taken down just before PAX), I'd hazard a guess that perhaps Floors 1 and 2 weren't far enough along in the construction process at the time PAX signed their contract with WSCTC to work this space into the contract. I'm hoping to see the addition of this space at next year's PAX...those rooms would be awesome for tabletop events.
Hopefully it's not a lost cause, and they can figure it out over the course of the next year. Paramount can seat just about as many I think... it can be used to rock out better for concerts, and its closer.
I understand the philosophy here, but I've had cosplay friends tell me before that it's much harder to get a high-quality matching bodysuit if you are non-white. For me the "if it's legal on the street it's legal at PAX" idea is the best one, then again living in Japan pretty much destroyed all my problems with public nudity... heh.
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Panels are so hard to get into that I didn't bother again this year. I've never really even gone to the panels. So maybe some kind of different way of doing panels or do something else instead?
This is kind of exclusionist, but I would like a 21+ PAX so that there's a place for adults and a place for kids.
It would be nice to supply more seating/resting places in the expo hall. Or give small booths some furniture for showing their games. It's annoying to stand and play a game in a noisy hall with an indie game. Hard to hear and hard to concentrate on the game.
Otherwise, I had a great time! I always like checking out the board games freeplay area and playing a game or 2 with some people.
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It's a great game but I was disappointing with the prize. Could it be just more then a zipper handeld like a t-shirt, a hardcover art book, the P.A.X. dvd, a ps3/xbox 360 game, etc?
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A friend of mine mentioned that he'd love to have PAX tabletop but in a booze-friendly, 21+ situation. I told him that seattle already has a bar where you can both do your laundry and play board games, but I still agree it's a pretty great suggestion.
I doubt this would happen because I ran into some really delightful kids (the two who worked on a BYOC PWNY come to mind).
But I feel your sentiment because I ran into some very inconsiderate parents too. I went to two panels the entire weekend, both were about non-programmer jobs in the industry. One of them had a mom sitting right in the front row with a crying baby and a fussy toddler that kept running up to the panelist table and handing things to the person speaking. She wouldn't leave because she took up a bunch of the Q&A time with detailed questions on how to get her husband a job. I was really surprised the room (Game Dev's Lounge) didn't have any Enforcers to nudge the mom along with the distracting kids.
Unfortunately, that's just how things are these days, can't go shopping without getting rammed into by kids playing tag, and I just try to be patient. After all, I might have kids some day that will have to go with me in public. And I kind of like the idea of seeing families geek out together PAX.
On saturday I was in an INCREDIBLY loud tabletop room for a good part of the evening, compounded by the fact that there was a woman in one corner with two or three kids and another guy with a screaming infant one table over from us.
Stuff like that doesn't ruin the experience for me, but you've got to wonder how the parents are even enjoying themselves if their kids are carrying on like that.
+++BRONYS BEFORE BROS!+++
- The hallway was 100+ degrees, and the wait was over an hour.
- Did not bring a beverage due to the "no food or drink" policy, but Starbucks was selling food and drink to the line (naturally out of drink before hitting the hot hallway)
- Accoustics blew, many of the acts could not be understood.
I pine for the days when one could simply walk up to the concerts freely, at any time, and be shown in. This was not the days of yore, people; it was like this in '09! While I recognize the need for more expo hall space, Benaroya was not the solution.
Special Note for Khoo: I will pay you at least $20 per person for a guaranteed concert access pass. Trying to get a wristband was an exercise in frustration, blood, sweat, and tears, and still ended with me standing in a hot, humid hallway close to dehydration for over an hour. I am offering you my money to avoid this situation.
Second, I thought the Media got access to the Expo Hall prior to open on Fridays in years past. Is this no longer the case? Because seriously, if the Expo Hall is open to the public, then the Media can stand in line with the public. If they want unlimited access, then do it outside public hours. "Bumping" was happening far too often this year; maybe the number of media passes needs to be limited so every grandma with a gaming blog doesn't have one.
Overall, PAX was awesome as always, but these two things really stuck out as needing improvement.
I also would totally pay an extra $20 for a guaranteed concert slot. Even before knowing who's playing.
I think they got access early Saturday, at least from what I saw on @SeattleGeekly's twitter feed. It did seem like there were a lot of media badges. I heard a guy on the escalator tell his buddy that it was no big deal to get a media badge, you just prove your name is on a website and have anyone sign a letter saying you write for them. That kind of bummed me out. I know there's a lot of start up sites out there, maybe a lottery of some sort or having more than an hour set aside would help ease the line bumping.
Make sure that the booth babe ban is enforced. There was a racing game (don't remember which) that definitely had some booth babes at it. The other places at least justified them by having it be a cosplay; the racing game was just straight-up skimpy clothes. Not what we want.
Mandate that any walled booth (e.g. the duke nukem booth) has to also have some sort of previews/demos on the outside too. I would have loved to have seen some of DNF, but there was no way in heck I was waiting in line.
A stack of large LFG signs on sticks for the freeplay areas. There should be a stack of them that people can borrow, use to find groups (e.g. carry around the freeplay area), then return to the stack for others to use. This would be a quick and efficient way of solo players finding groups (something which a number of people have echoed as a problem). I saw some people reduced to shouting, which drew glares from those who were playing games.
Make the priority wristbands a single-use item for any single panel (or concert) that day. The Enforcer removes it from the PAXer when they use it. This would enable people who don't want to see concerts to go to see a panel without having to spend two hours queuing up. I know that many many wristbands went to waste this year (including all three of mine).
Better updating of the pax_lines twitter account. It was a brilliant idea, and we all really appreciated the effort, but it just wasn't updated consistently enough with respect to panels (or, for example, Dice and Men).
Free cake.