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PAX: Never Gonna Give You Up

eveningangeleveningangel Registered User regular
edited September 2008 in PAX Archive
I don't hold much stock in G4 since they ate TechTV, but I was interested in Sessler's Soapbox especially the comment they had above the video:
Should more events follow the PAX model? How long can PAX hold out from Corporate interests?
I personally think they can hold out for as long as they damn well want.
They already won't advertise for games/companies they think are shit.
They are open to small companies trying to compete (PinkGodzilla's original store looks almost the same size as their entire booth at PAX, but they held their own and had a booth next to Fantasy Flight and Behemoth. The small table top game companies are another example. Yeah they had small booths around the edges, but they had good products and got spots.)
I don't see them caving in as long as Mike and Jerry are in control.
I'm kind of sick of everyone saying once something gets popular it sells out.
I think PA can hold the corporate wolves at bay with the shining ax of knowing who their people are.

eveningangel on

Posts

  • TransparentTransparent Registered User regular
    edited September 2008
    I got to sing happy birthday to Adam at The Taphouse. He was surprised that we called him over to our table just for that, he expected something more cynical. But we behaved in true classy PAX style and I'm glad I got to contribute a little to him enjoying himself.

    Transparent on
    PAXtrain '10, let's do this!
  • TimeCruiserMikeTimeCruiserMike Past Organizer of the West Coast Train Trip San Fernando ValleyRegistered User regular
    edited September 2008
    and i so have that on tape . . . . keep an eye out for that

    TimeCruiserMike on
    SkOelFN.png
    {Fondly remembers the PAXTrain}
  • Raiden333Raiden333 Registered User regular
    edited September 2008
    PAX won't give in or up

    It won't let us down, it won't run around and desert us?

    Raiden333 on
    There was a steam sig here. It's gone now.
  • eveningangeleveningangel Registered User regular
    edited September 2008
    Raiden333 wrote: »
    PAX won't give in or up

    It won't let us down, it won't run around and desert us?

    I want to hate you to death.

    eveningangel on
  • eveningangeleveningangel Registered User regular
    edited September 2008
    This was something brought up in another forum:
    celebnaur wrote:
    "ESA board of directors reportedly considering following PAX's footsteps and throwing open doors to formerly pivotal event for the first time."

    http://www.gamespot.com/news/show_blog_entry.php?topic_id=26577251&tag=;title;1

    this might be already on the other pax forums but I wasn't sure.

    my thoughts: sneaky bastards! >_< ;P E3 will never be like PAX and PAX will always be full of win!

    share your thoughts

    They may never overtake PAX in being great, but they could steal some thunder.
    I'm not to worried about copy cats actually.
    I mean, wouldn't it be great if everything was as awesome as PAX?

    eveningangel on
  • nemaihnenemaihne Registered User regular
    edited September 2008
    This was something brought up in another forum:
    celebnaur wrote:
    "ESA board of directors reportedly considering following PAX's footsteps and throwing open doors to formerly pivotal event for the first time."

    http://www.gamespot.com/news/show_blog_entry.php?topic_id=26577251&tag=;title;1

    this might be already on the other pax forums but I wasn't sure.

    my thoughts: sneaky bastards! >_< ;P E3 will never be like PAX and PAX will always be full of win!

    share your thoughts

    They may never overtake PAX in being great, but they could steal some thunder.
    I'm not to worried about copy cats actually.
    I mean, wouldn't it be great if everything was as awesome as PAX?

    Nothing will be as awesome as PAX, because it was built that way from the ground up. But it would be nice if the games and electronics industries would make the logical connection that the PAX is around where their cons weren't and wouldn't it be better to imitate the success of PAX than to try to make PAX the ultimate failure that those shows were?

    nemaihne on
    I *think* that's what I meant to say...
  • PsychoishPsychoish Registered User regular
    edited September 2008
    This was something brought up in another forum:
    celebnaur wrote:
    "ESA board of directors reportedly considering following PAX's footsteps and throwing open doors to formerly pivotal event for the first time."

    http://www.gamespot.com/news/show_blog_entry.php?topic_id=26577251&tag=;title;1

    this might be already on the other pax forums but I wasn't sure.

    my thoughts: sneaky bastards! >_< ;P E3 will never be like PAX and PAX will always be full of win!

    share your thoughts

    They may never overtake PAX in being great, but they could steal some thunder.
    I'm not to worried about copy cats actually.
    I mean, wouldn't it be great if everything was as awesome as PAX?

    Yeah, but then the standards would be higher and then nothing would be awesome. ;(

    Anyway, I've got mixed feelings about it. E3 would probably shrink PAX a tiny bit, but then I guess whoever stops going to PAX would just be the losers that come for the sole reason of playing unreleased games and getting 1337 r3c0nz. And then maybe people will stop complaining about the lack of booth babes. It'll probably just filter out the bad people, I guess is what I'm trying to say. Which makes PAX better.

    Psychoish on
  • ArcoArco Registered User regular
    edited September 2008
    I dunno. I never went to E3 when it was big, but I always wondered what people did when they weren't at the expo hall. It seemed to me like a big movie or something, and when it was over, you just... went... back... to the hotel room? The expo hall is a big part of PAX, but it's definitely not the whole expo. There's the tabletop areas, the console freeplay, and all of that lasts until the wee parts of the morning. The comradarie at PAX is something that I don't think you find many places, especially E3. It feels like a giant LAN party or something. It feels intimate. I don't think you can re-create that energy with a formula, or by trying to copy it. It comes from the people.

    Arco on
    Like this, not like the gas station.
    Organizer of the Post-PAX Party. You should come!
    Satellite Theater for life!
  • PsychoishPsychoish Registered User regular
    edited September 2008
    That is a sexy thread title change.

    Psychoish on
  • faitsfaits a panda eating cake seattleRegistered User regular
    edited September 2008
    Arco wrote: »
    I always wondered what people did when they weren't at the expo hall.


    1) Business

    2) drinking

    Seriously, E3 was never a thing that I felt was any good unless you were there to do business. Some of the panels were useful, but the panels at GDC are better for the money.

    As far as a good time is concerned, PAX >>>>>>> E3. GDC is a better conference for getting business done, and PAX is a better convention for having a good time with your friends. E3 was just a media circus in one of my least favorite cities I've ever been in, and I don't miss it at all.

    faits on
    faits.png
  • leafleaf Registered User regular
    edited September 2008
    Chat with people
    Make new friends
    Wander around, get drunk or whatever
    ?????

    leaf on
    newsig-notweed.jpg
  • sobjwsobjw Registered User regular
    edited September 2008
    I went to E3 in '05. I was expecting it to be the awesomest thing ever and I was sorely dissapointed. This PAX was my first and it was better than E3 in every way. Plus, Seattle > LA.

    sobjw on
    I live on a farm.
  • Raiden333Raiden333 Registered User regular
    edited September 2008
    sobjw wrote: »
    Plus, Seattle > LA.

    Also in every way.

    Raiden333 on
    There was a steam sig here. It's gone now.
  • AugustusAugustus Registered User regular
    edited September 2008
    that's not exactly hard

    Augustus on
    I belong to no organized party. I am a Democrat. - Will Rogers
  • MasterHeliosMasterHelios Registered User regular
    edited September 2008
    Augustus wrote: »
    that's not exactly hard

    Hey, this thread rhymes...um...bard!

    MasterHelios on
    Roses are red
    Violets are blue
    お前はもう
    死んでいる
  • faitsfaits a panda eating cake seattleRegistered User regular
    edited September 2008
    sobjw wrote: »
    I went to E3 in '05. I was expecting it to be the awesomest thing ever and I was sorely dissapointed. This PAX was my first and it was better than E3 in every way. Plus, Seattle > LA.

    That's a huge thing. I hate LA and the area around the convention center is terrible (I mean you have to walk like half a dang mile to get to a Denny's for lunch, and we always stayed down near LAX to get semi-reasonable deals on hotels, which meant terrible commutes in horrible hell traffic.)

    Aside from the community aspect and the gaming aspect, how much nicer the area is around the convention center in seattle really stands out to me. Multiple nice hotels in walking distance, a lot of good restaurants and bars in walking distance.

    I've never been to Boston, but I'm hoping it's the same way.

    faits on
    faits.png
  • sobjwsobjw Registered User regular
    edited September 2008
    I've never been to Boston either but everyone I know who has been there has great things to say about it. And yes, the area around the LA convention center is horrible! Seattle > LA in every way possible.

    sobjw on
    I live on a farm.
  • JustinSane07JustinSane07 Really, stupid? Brockton__BANNED USERS regular
    edited September 2008
    You guys are gonna have fun with Boston. In comparison to Seattle, it's a maze.

    JustinSane07 on
  • PolagoPolago Registered User regular
    edited September 2008
    A few notes to drop:

    -E3's primary focus is as a business trade show. PAX's primary focus is as a social convention. Unless one or the other changes their focus there won't be any issue with one impacting the other. If PAX's crowd is what everyone here swears by, then there's even less reason for them to intersect. To further illustrate this point, selling items on the show floor at E3 was prohibited and at PAX it's openly encouraged. Different crowds to cater.

    -The area immediately surrounding the LA convention center is pretty terrible, which is why I stayed with friends/colleagues at E3 hotels in westwood (doubletree/hotel on wilshire). It had free shuttles for travel to and from the CC, a reduced rate for all attendees, and the area had great food and spots to chill. If you chose to stay in the hotels immediately surrounding the CC you only have yourself to blame.

    For reference:

    E3's attended - 2005, 2006, 2007 (santa monica), omitted 2008 due to budget.

    PAX's attended - 2006 (bellevue), 2007, 2008.

    Every one of those shows i've enjoyed immensely. Both shows had tons of great people, both shows I had great times outside of the event, both shows the games on hand were great to try and the money spent was well worth it. E3 still holds my fancy since there was always more depth to be found if you were there for industry or business and PAX lacks that same depth simply because it's not the show's focus.

    To each their own.

    Polago on
  • faitsfaits a panda eating cake seattleRegistered User regular
    edited September 2008
    You could buy stuff on the show floor down in Kentia hall. I mean if you want to call that a show floor.

    I don't know if it was prohibited or what, but there were always people trying to sell shit. You could usually find a booth with a lonely old asian man who would give you a cookie, too.

    faits on
    faits.png
  • PolagoPolago Registered User regular
    edited September 2008
    faits wrote: »
    You could buy stuff on the show floor down in Kentia hall. I mean if you want to call that a show floor.

    I don't know if it was prohibited or what, but there were always people trying to sell shit. You could usually find a booth with a lonely old asian man who would give you a cookie, too.

    According to their sales directors, selling direct product out of your booth on the show floor was prohibited. The gift shop and concessions obviously sold a lot of stuff (often at crazy huge prices).

    The best was getting a cup of "authentic" lemonade from a dude in kentia for $3.50. Guy pours a glass of ice water, tosses in half of a full lemon, "$3.50 please". Pure quality with that one. Other notables were the bacon wrapped hotdogs outside which were delicious russian roulette with your health and the grilled cheese/bean/whatever sandwiches which caused an uprising in 2006 for not being on sale the first day. Apparently the bacon dogs were missing this year (2008) much to some attendee's displeasure.

    Good times.

    Polago on
  • faitsfaits a panda eating cake seattleRegistered User regular
    edited September 2008
    Polago wrote: »
    faits wrote: »
    You could buy stuff on the show floor down in Kentia hall. I mean if you want to call that a show floor.

    I don't know if it was prohibited or what, but there were always people trying to sell shit. You could usually find a booth with a lonely old asian man who would give you a cookie, too.

    According to their sales directors, selling direct product out of your booth on the show floor was prohibited. The gift shop and concessions obviously sold a lot of stuff (often at crazy huge prices).

    The best was getting a cup of "authentic" lemonade from a dude in kentia for $3.50. Guy pours a glass of ice water, tosses in half of a full lemon, "$3.50 please". Pure quality with that one. Other notables were the bacon wrapped hotdogs outside which were delicious russian roulette with your health and the grilled cheese/bean/whatever sandwiches which caused an uprising in 2006 for not being on sale the first day. Apparently the bacon dogs were missing this year (2008) much to some attendee's displeasure.

    Good times.
    One of the guys we brought one year bought some kind of action figure... thing in kentia. I don't know why and I don't remember what the hell it was even supposed to be, and I'm drawing a blank on other examples.

    However, those bacon wrapped hot dog things. I would not eat them, but one of our guys would buy at least one every day. Including the mayo that had been sitting out in the sun all day long.

    Dude clogged up the toilet once (I wonder why) and I had to go ask the front desk for a new room.

    faits on
    faits.png
This discussion has been closed.