ADVENTURE Con - USA

[Play_Pretend]

I was totally excited when I saw that it was a con for people that grew up on those kinds of adventure games (just like me, just like most of us here I suspect), but yeesh!  $349 just to get in?  (Unless you buy early now and receive a whole $50 off.  :  What a way to sucker people in to something non-refundable now.)

And the two workshops they have listed are "Insider's Secrets to Winning Adventure Games" and "How to Beat Impossible Situations in Adventure Games"?  Is there an echo in here?  And you mean, like, other than reading a hint file?

To me this whole thing sounds like Howard Smarmin' trying to make a great deal of money for not actually giving people anything much.  And yeah, the whole site/plan/everything seems badly organized and nebulous.  "Even more honored guests are *sure* to join us!" and "Ms. Jensen schedule is not yet confirmed" alone would make me hella nervous.  And the continued "stepping into the pool at the Mirage is an adventure!" and "getting your streusel at breakfast is adventurous!" references over and over make me sick.  I wouldn't risk it.

[m0ds]

Randy Sluganski

$349 just to get in?Ã, 

:

Perhaps they need to pay for a new forum.

If I had the money, and even if the con was really on or not, I'd still have an amazing time in Las Vegas. With or without Al Lowe :p It'd be nice if these designers roamed around a bit more like Ron Gilbert

[Dave Gilbert]

I had emailed James (listed on the site as director of sales) but never heard back from him.  I instead emailed Randy and he was much more prolific and forthcoming about answering my questions.

I might be attending this con as a speaker or panelist, depending on what they decide.  Alot of the content is a bit up in the air, which is actually quite normal from what I've seen.  I was asked to speak at GDC in January, a whopping 3 months before the con itself.  This adventurecon thing won't happen for 6 months, so they have time to get their stuff organized.  One hopes.

Despite my feelings about Howard I do hope this succeeds.  I'm willing to help, within reason.

[big brother]

A weekend in Vegas is never a total loss.  If the convention sucks, you can always go see Cirque De Soleil or something.

Or something, yes.

[Dave Gilbert]

It seems that I am going to this con as a speaker/panelist. 

So, um, see you in Vegas?

[Adamski]

I like adventure games and all, but certainly not to the tune of $349... we're the nicheiest of the niche, and I don't think the vast majority of adventure gamers really care enough to be shelling out for this either. The 'offical website' reeks of those eScam pages you see when you click the wrong link in your junk mail folder too (Adventurer's Workshop - The Insider's Secrets to Winning Adventure Games! Increase the size of your Adventure Game by 3 inches! Sexy Adventure Game singles waiting for your call!).

I'm afraid I have visions of you and the 3 other panelists sitting alone in a very echoy hall, Dave.

[GarageGothic]

At least make sure that you get paid up front, Dave - and avoid any personal expenses to be refunded later.

[Candle]

good luck with it.

[m0ds]

Never trust anything with con in the name!

Looking at the website is quite funny really. They're celebrating a genre which nowadays has very little commercial value yet they're still expecting adventure creators to turn up and pay $500 for a table to showcase their game. Or $1000 if they want to stay a couple of nights, too.

Who exactly are the big developers that would go to that, or who are the small ones that would benefit spending all they've made on their games so far? They should be inviting and giving people like Dave Gilbert a table for free! Maybe charging the large adventure game companies $500, but there are still very few of those.

You get space for one table or booth and two show badges for just $ 750

Right. So for $250 extra dollars I get two more paper badges? What happened to doing a random task for someone to gain tack like that?

Since The Mirage is always at 99% occupancy, you get access to thousands of potential customers at every turn.

I love this line. I could walk out into the centre of Oxford which also has 99% occupancy and probably find more potential customers than Adventure Con. Do they really think the people occupying a hotel are going to give a shit about adventure games?! This is an absurd "reason".

Howard knows all about this. You'll find Malinche's resident Implementor in the Mirage exercise room wearing a Malinche t-shirt, poolside wearing a Malinche tank-top and at a blackjack table wearing, you guessed it, a Malinche shirt.

LOL, does the Janitor have one too?

The Big Deal Exhibitor Package - A double shot of exhibit space and four AdventureCon show tickets. A stunning deal at $1,250.

...if you're a big games company or a rich developer. Neither of which will be attending, so why not knock the $1000 bit off?

Don't wait on this.Ã,  If your company has even the slightest intention of being at AdventureCon we urge you to grab this hyper-generous offer on exhibit space while you can.Ã,  As the saying goes -- you snooze, you lose.

And my new saying is "if it's got Con in the name, hpyer-generous in any of its descriptions and phrases like 'you snooze u lose', its probably bullshit". If this was ECTS or E3 then yes, charging people these kind of prices would be reasonable. Becuase then you're hosting your stuff to a specific games-related audience. Not a bunch of wealthy Americans who've come to the city to gamble. Howard SHOULD know this ><

Because it's never been done in the United States before and adventure game fans are long overdue for an event all their own. Why should France, Germany and England have all the fun?

I'm pretty sure England's never had an adventure convention. Apart from AdventureX, but that never even happened - becuase I was in charge

Well, I wish them luck. All I can say is if I was in Las Vegas and in that hotel it would be "nice" to stumble across, but it would never be something I'd specifically set myself out for. Ronfest was free and to my mind would be far better than any convention. The only thing that would sway me would be some real names in the adventure game scene NOW and some real exhibitor company names. There are no company names of exhibitors listed at all.

Still, I hope you get something out of it, Dave

If anything else, maybe some ideas for your own convention in New York, for the underground scene. And for people who would rather pay $50 for a table rather than $500.

[Dave Gilbert]

I wouldn't get paid to do this.  From my limited experiences with cons, what happens is that you are comped a pass to the event itself, and sometimes hotels are partially covered.  This would be fine.  I have to admit my curiousity is piqued about this whole thing.  I'd be willing to foot the air and hotel fare if the con itself would be free.  Plus, I like speaking and there are worse places to be stuck for a few days than Vegas.

Depiste my initial feelings about this, I'm willing to give it the benefit of the doubt - for now.  I know that it takes awhile to generate a roster of speakers and panelists and events and such.  I'm speaking at I-Con next week, and I wasn't even officially asked to go until two months ago.  This adventurecon thing isn't for another six months, so my general feelings are to Wait and See. 

[Dave Gilbert]

So, er, nevermind. I'm not going to Adventurecon.

Apparently a free pass wasn't included in the deal, and I would be expected to pay the full $350 plus hotel for the priviledge of speaking.  To get a free pass I'd have to run 2-4 workshops and be on more panels.  I politely declined.

[big brother]

Plenty of fish in the sea, Dave. No reason to get tied down so quickly now that you're famous.

[m0ds]

Go to it the year you can afford to bring us along too

Shame about that, though. But like I said, you should blatently get a free deal - however, they're catering for a strange super-rich audience which I'm pretty sure doesn't exist.

[Dave Gilbert]

Cross-country travel always effects me in a very stupid way and I wouldn't be much use leading a workshop, let alone 2-4 of them.  Unless they were workshops on the values of taking naps.

I know of some people who are interested in going, but the high price puts them on the fence.  Most cons like this are usually $50, or $100 tops.  $350 is way too high.

[SSH]

Perhaps the price will come down closer to the date when they realise only Randy, Howard, Scott, Al and Jane are coming... or maybe they'll just cancel the whole thing.

[Captain Lexington]

So I was on their email list thing, yes?

And they sent me an email saying 'AdventureCon Welcomes: Chris Jones.'

Mein Gott!

Has CJ sold out?!?

I go straight to here, and search for this thread, to see if CJ has said anything.

Nope.

Of course, I think, he's embarrassed.

Then I think 'Read the email, genius.'

So I run back and read the email.

"If you know Tex Murphy, then you know Chris Jones."

I don't know Tex Murphy, and therefore, I decided, I don't know Chris Jones.

So, it was the 'Tex Murphy' Chris Jones, of Access Software, not our pal CJ, and also not Chris Jones of Obsidian Entertainment, who worked on the Star Trek Interplay games (which I love!), and went on to do Fallout and all those RPGs we so much about these days, like Neverwinter Nights 2. There are a good deal of Software Developers named Chris Jones.

Hopefully this little anecdote is counted as constructive and I will not be admonished for posting it.

I mean, this thread isn't that old, right?

[Snarky]

Do yourself a favor and play the Tex Murphy games. They're (or several of them are, at least) excellent.

[deadsuperhero]

Perhaps I'll host my own AdventureCon in my bathroom, and call it AwesomeCon.
Then people will give a crap about it. And it's free!

[Dave Gilbert]

The price has been lowered by about $60, although it's still too expensive for most.  My main wish for Adventurecon is that he'd get some guests who are working in the industry now.  Anything less would just enforce the stereotype that adventure games are old/dead.

Of course, most of the people working on modern adventure games are not in the U.S., and it would too expensive to schlep them over.  At least, that's the impression I get. 

[Disco]

Perhaps I'll host my own AdventureCon in my bathroom, and call it AwesomeCon.
Then people will give a crap about it. And it's free!

And I'll take pictures!