Anthony and I decided we're going to Dev again (and hopefully animation-related content will be plentiful this year) so... Prime badges are taken care of for now.
Hmmm... So I didn't realize this until today. Bumbershoot usually is Sat-Mon on the Labor Day weekend. Then I go to PAX usually just for Friday. This year Bumbershoot is Friday-Sunday. So instead of maybe going to PAX Friday I would need to go Monday. I'm less interested in going on a Monday so I'm considering just skipping PAX this year.
Although I guess the good news is Monday is usually the easiest single day badge to get.
Hmmm... So I didn't realize this until today. Bumbershoot usually is Sat-Mon on the Labor Day weekend. Then I go to PAX usually just for Friday. This year Bumbershoot is Friday-Sunday. So instead of maybe going to PAX Friday I would need to go Monday. I'm less interested in going on a Monday so I'm considering just skipping PAX this year.
Although I guess the good news is Monday is usually the easiest single day badge to get.
I just looked at the Bumbershoot flyer. I like a ridiculously wide variety of music genres, but that is one sad lineup. If it was in on Randall's Island (which I can walk to), and it was free, and it wasn't competing with anything else (let alone a PAX), and there was beautiful weather, I still probably wouldn't go.
Well considering that I have tickets for it already and I go with my girlfriend it seems like a higher priority to me
Also that's a pretty solid lineup for a local smaller music festival. Even if they're not bands that I listen to much or at all I usually find it funner to go see live music and look at art than go to panels and walk around the convention center. A lot of the gaming that I usually do at PAX is after the expo hall closes and it's usually at a place I can go without needing a badge.
More PAXes has not helped. West is far and away the best one, and everyone with money to travel wants to go that one.
East is the next most desired one, because it's within cheap and easy travel of more than 50MM people by being in the Northeast supercorridor.
South is mostly attended by locals: anyone who lives there who really really likes PAXes and has money is also trying to go to Prime. Few people who don't live there would ever consider traveling to South if it's basically the same cost/hassle to fly to East or West.
Aus is mostly attended by locals.
Another PAX would make West and East even MORE desirable, because the industry will never fully support more PAXes. South barely has indurstry representation as it is: you'd dilute it further.
Most people for West want to be there all four days. If there are more days, they will just buy them all. Also, the content gets diluted across those days: the industry can't keep booths up for a full week at one PAX, let alone four.
It would be interesting if PAX was long, though. The NY auto show is open for 10 straight days. Imagine if PAX day one was Friday and it the last day was the following Sunday. How quiet would those weekdays be during work hours???
But unless you have a big event, you don't go to the game store every day. The point of PAX is that you have a whole bunch of gamers all coming together for an event. Yes, there can be racing most of the year on the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, but the race everyone knows is the Indy 500 and that draws a bigger crowd than anything else that runs there.
If PAX were longer than a week, there wouldn't be concerts every night. There wouldn't be any panels worth seeing. There wouldn't be performances or guests or an expo hall or anything. It would just be a giant arcade with, most of the time, kids or rich people and no one else.
You could just have an all year giant arcade, that hosts more varied/ niche pop up events/ tournaments; separate to peak season events with all the concerts, panels and all that jazz.
I think a week-long PAX would go something like this. You open it up with a normal PAX 3-day weekend. BOOM. Everything is a typical PAX. You can even end the Omegathon on Sunday/Monday.
But then, instead of closing up, you keep the Expo rolling all week. You keep open gaming going all week. You keep main events and maybe one more theater open for at least part of every day. You can still have a concert every night if you dig deeper like MAGFest. You can also replace the concert with other entertainment like comedy or theater on some nights. You can also take existing musical acts and give them a full set each, if they can handle it.
Sure, people might not get into the opening weekend of PAX, but it pretty much guarantees that anyone who wants to get in to play games and see the Expo can do so. Those interested in doing so can go on the second weekend, or during the week. Their tickets will be less expensive and more easily available. The hardcore PAX who need to go to keynote/Q&A won't have to compete with them for tix either.
Also, it opens up the possibilities for doing some things at PAX that usually can't be done there. You can have some AGDQ-style marathon events at PAX, since it goes all week. You can end the Omegathon Sunday and start the PROMegathon on Monday.
Also, if exhibitors don't want to stay, you can resell their space to someone new who can move in for less money. Big companies that are staying all week can also spread their hype over the week. The Nintendo booth can run all Mario style and then switch to Pokemon mode mid-week. They probably won't, though, because money. But still, you could. I could see some indie booths changing daily.
You open up possibilities for longer-form events, and not just one-hour panels. It could be almost like a summer camp. Instead of going to archery every morning, someone is running a Street Fighter class every morning. You can't offer that kind of workshop when PAX is three days.
And, of course, the attendees at PAX. It's time to get your campaign on! No more Games on Demand two-hours games. We going all week baby! That Battletech campaign you never thought you would ever actually be able to play? It's happening. You got time to play Eclipse now! Hell, you got time for Eclipse tournament. One round per day.
It is extremely unlikely, but not a completely insane idea. There's a lot of potential there.
1. Few fans (of anything) can afford to take a week off of work and stay in a hotel for a week: this would be a locals-only event. Meaning, to make money or even break even, it would have to be in a highly populated area. Meaning, east coast megalopolis.
2. Can't rely on Enforcers for that much work most likely. Increased payroll.
3. Convention center spaces aren't available that long in one shot usually.
I think a week-long PAX would go something like this. You open it up with a normal PAX 3-day weekend. BOOM. Everything is a typical PAX. You can even end the Omegathon on Sunday/Monday.
But then, instead of closing up, you keep the Expo rolling all week. You keep open gaming going all week. You keep main events and maybe one more theater open for at least part of every day. You can still have a concert every night if you dig deeper like MAGFest. You can also replace the concert with other entertainment like comedy or theater on some nights. You can also take existing musical acts and give them a full set each, if they can handle it.
Sure, people might not get into the opening weekend of PAX, but it pretty much guarantees that anyone who wants to get in to play games and see the Expo can do so. Those interested in doing so can go on the second weekend, or during the week. Their tickets will be less expensive and more easily available. The hardcore PAX who need to go to keynote/Q&A won't have to compete with them for tix either.
Also, it opens up the possibilities for doing some things at PAX that usually can't be done there. You can have some AGDQ-style marathon events at PAX, since it goes all week. You can end the Omegathon Sunday and start the PROMegathon on Monday.
Also, if exhibitors don't want to stay, you can resell their space to someone new who can move in for less money. Big companies that are staying all week can also spread their hype over the week. The Nintendo booth can run all Mario style and then switch to Pokemon mode mid-week. They probably won't, though, because money. But still, you could. I could see some indie booths changing daily.
You open up possibilities for longer-form events, and not just one-hour panels. It could be almost like a summer camp. Instead of going to archery every morning, someone is running a Street Fighter class every morning. You can't offer that kind of workshop when PAX is three days.
And, of course, the attendees at PAX. It's time to get your campaign on! No more Games on Demand two-hours games. We going all week baby! That Battletech campaign you never thought you would ever actually be able to play? It's happening. You got time to play Eclipse now! Hell, you got time for Eclipse tournament. One round per day.
It is extremely unlikely, but not a completely insane idea. There's a lot of potential there.
I think you'd have a lot of trouble getting Enforcers for a week long event. As much as we joke about doing PAX all the time, burnout would be even worse than it is now, plus getting the time off, it just isn't feasible. That would mean getting different kind of staff which I believe would have a very negative impact on PAX.
I think you'd have a lot of trouble getting Enforcers for a week long event. As much as we joke about doing PAX all the time, burnout would be even worse than it is now, plus getting the time off, it just isn't feasible. That would mean getting different kind of staff which I believe would have a very negative impact on PAX.
Just make Enforcer a full-time job, so we can quit our other jobs.
That would pay about as well as "stand around in a game store" does probably. The upper limit is "bottom-tier Disney character."
That's ok. If there's enough PAX to work all year, I don't have to pay for rent, food, transportation, or even clothes. Just go around PAXing all day, every day. With that much PAX, hopefully they can have some in more tropical locales.
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Although I guess the good news is Monday is usually the easiest single day badge to get.
Someone's priorities are way out of order.
Also that's a pretty solid lineup for a local smaller music festival. Even if they're not bands that I listen to much or at all I usually find it funner to go see live music and look at art than go to panels and walk around the convention center. A lot of the gaming that I usually do at PAX is after the expo hall closes and it's usually at a place I can go without needing a badge.
Solution, more PAXseseses.
East is the next most desired one, because it's within cheap and easy travel of more than 50MM people by being in the Northeast supercorridor.
South is mostly attended by locals: anyone who lives there who really really likes PAXes and has money is also trying to go to Prime. Few people who don't live there would ever consider traveling to South if it's basically the same cost/hassle to fly to East or West.
Aus is mostly attended by locals.
Another PAX would make West and East even MORE desirable, because the industry will never fully support more PAXes. South barely has indurstry representation as it is: you'd dilute it further.
So happy I'm at home next Wednesday.
All year round PAX. Come one, come all.
It would be (smelly) Disneyland, sans rides.
But then, instead of closing up, you keep the Expo rolling all week. You keep open gaming going all week. You keep main events and maybe one more theater open for at least part of every day. You can still have a concert every night if you dig deeper like MAGFest. You can also replace the concert with other entertainment like comedy or theater on some nights. You can also take existing musical acts and give them a full set each, if they can handle it.
Sure, people might not get into the opening weekend of PAX, but it pretty much guarantees that anyone who wants to get in to play games and see the Expo can do so. Those interested in doing so can go on the second weekend, or during the week. Their tickets will be less expensive and more easily available. The hardcore PAX who need to go to keynote/Q&A won't have to compete with them for tix either.
Also, it opens up the possibilities for doing some things at PAX that usually can't be done there. You can have some AGDQ-style marathon events at PAX, since it goes all week. You can end the Omegathon Sunday and start the PROMegathon on Monday.
Also, if exhibitors don't want to stay, you can resell their space to someone new who can move in for less money. Big companies that are staying all week can also spread their hype over the week. The Nintendo booth can run all Mario style and then switch to Pokemon mode mid-week. They probably won't, though, because money. But still, you could. I could see some indie booths changing daily.
You open up possibilities for longer-form events, and not just one-hour panels. It could be almost like a summer camp. Instead of going to archery every morning, someone is running a Street Fighter class every morning. You can't offer that kind of workshop when PAX is three days.
And, of course, the attendees at PAX. It's time to get your campaign on! No more Games on Demand two-hours games. We going all week baby! That Battletech campaign you never thought you would ever actually be able to play? It's happening. You got time to play Eclipse now! Hell, you got time for Eclipse tournament. One round per day.
It is extremely unlikely, but not a completely insane idea. There's a lot of potential there.
1. Few fans (of anything) can afford to take a week off of work and stay in a hotel for a week: this would be a locals-only event. Meaning, to make money or even break even, it would have to be in a highly populated area. Meaning, east coast megalopolis.
2. Can't rely on Enforcers for that much work most likely. Increased payroll.
3. Convention center spaces aren't available that long in one shot usually.
1. Work in Disney World
2. Live in Disney World
3. Die instead of retire