POST - MITTENS

SSH · Mon 28/08/2006 09:23:34

I need to check the details out before I can be definitive with any offer to host, but if Brittens 07 is in Scotland at my house, then there will definately be some ground rules about late-night noise and drunkenness as my kids bedtime is at 8pm...

Nacho · Mon 28/08/2006 09:43:15

No offense, but I think (my opinion...) that this makes your option unviable. It's not only the drunkness, I KNOW we can have meetings without a drop of alcohol, but a house with two little children is light years far away from the ideal place for this kind of events.

Nikolas · Mon 28/08/2006 09:53:03

Oh I'm definately in for Britens 07 in SSH house! Along with MY Family!

Also there are at least another 3-4 family men around!

Lets have a famitens! Anywhere, Anytime, Anyhow...

SSH · Mon 28/08/2006 09:57:07

Well, I have a garage, summer house and garden that would be the main part of the venue, Nacho. My house isn't big enough for 20+ people anyway...

Nacho · Mon 28/08/2006 10:06:29

Then I predict 2 or 3 families in familymittens and another meeting in another side of the UK... Ã,Â $:-\$

AFTER READING SSH's POST: Whereas I consider that you are smart enoughÃ,Â

to provide the appropiate facilities, and to understand that this meetings are not 100% suitable for kids and you could be able to provide alternative fun for "adults", I must keep my opinion that the option (with 4 little kids now, if Nikolas' family joins) is not "ideal". I don't mean it's bad, actually... I can also admit that there's actually no "ideal" location, but still, this option is, IMO, too far away from "ideal".

Anyway, as Lorena and me can accept totally "light" meetings, as for alcohol and noise, it shouldn't be me who should deffend the idea of changing the location.

I'll shut up now for allowing the ones who should really claim for another location express their opinions.Ã,Â

I am in for familymittens, but just if everybody agrees. And I think that not everyone will. But maybe I am wrong.Ã,Â

Matt Goble · Mon 28/08/2006 10:49:14

Is everybody now fixated on the fact that some of us like to have a responsible drink?

Did anyone look at the photo's I posted?

What did we do which didn't include drinking? Well, we went to a theme park, with lots of scary rides and people got soaked on the log flume, and we fired some laser crossbows at Minotaurs. We laughed and pointed when the bus driver couldn't replace the ticket roll on the way back. Good, clean, fun, as a group.

We went to a water park, I got a little sunburnt, we went on different water rides. I watched M0Ds, Quinteros, and Layabout go on some VERY STEEP drops - more fool them!! Magintz, Sintrena, Radiant and I almost stole some people's inflatable tubes before floating around a lazy river. The four of us then went on the rapids, which was great fun and actually took longer than the queue which is unheard of. Good, clean, fun, as a group.

A large group of us went over to Benidorm Island for about half a day. The ferry ride was fun, bobbing over the waves. We had a soft drink & an ice cream (Radiant finally got his Paella), we then went for a walk up to the top of the island, saw a few birds, a few fake birds and helped Grundislav make his movie (I love Layabout's Mountain Climb). Good, clean, fun, as a group.

We all chilled by the pool for hours on end, talking, sleeping, reading magazines, designing games. Oh how we laughed as CJ attempted (and failed) to tread water! At one point, everyone was encircling him like prey! Good, clean, fun, as a group.

We all (I think it was all) went out for pizza one evening - the first place couldn't seat us, the next place could. It was like Brittens 2005 again at Pizza Hut. M0Ds attacked me with a lightsabre he bought from a street vendor - we'll find out in Canada if I still bear the scar

(Almost) Good, clean, fun as a group.

A group of us played pool, and we all lost to AGA. The only time he 'lost' was when he potted the black, twice. We managed to put him off his game for a while by talking about sheep. Ah, but hang on, that was at a bar, so maybe not good clean fun...

Like Chris, unless I missed something, no-one got inappropriately drunk. Someone left a used condom on the site at one point, but there was no real tense moments due to alcohol.

To those who are posting to criticise the alcohol situation who did not go, as I said earlier, the posts here are taken out of context. A lot of CJ's photos are from the evening and include us socialising with Alcohol. All of mine are taken during the day, and I don't think a single one features an alcohol related incident.

SSH, Nikolas, you are of course welcome to host your own AGS-related events, but as far as I'm aware, both Brittens and Mittens have a minimum age limit of 18.

Nikolas · Mon 28/08/2006 10:54:05

If I'm not mistaken both me and SSH are above 18...

Anyways, some months ago I was chatting with nacho and talking about coming to mittnes, and also SSh was considering it. Now it seems that it would be rather...akward the least with 4 children running around...

But indeed I do have in my mind a meeting at least betwene SSH and me sometime. I would really like to visit Scotland and well... everything will work out...

SSH · Mon 28/08/2006 11:12:48

I wasn't expecting my kids to go to any Brittens stuff, but if its next to my house then obviously any noise is going to affect them. I don't see how an age limit of 18 is relevant. Also, the age limit is there for the sake of the host not getting legal liabailites as much as anything. Sinmce I already have legal liability for my own kids, that is also irrelevant.

Well, scotch was telling me that a few people said Scotland might be a good place for the next Brittens. I'm quite happy to organise it at somewhere other than my house, but scotch was saying that others might prefer a house nearby. I was just saying that if it my house then there would be those ground rules. I'm not trying to impose those in general, or sayign that I will host, or anything really.

jetxl · Mon 28/08/2006 11:29:44

Lets "brighten" up this topic... with some L3nsfl4r3!

Matt Goble · Mon 28/08/2006 11:42:51

Nikolas, SSH,

I has assumed that you were both 18 (Although, reading the papers that isn't obviously a forgone conclusion in this day and age

).

Yes, the 18 limit is in place as a legal issue as much as anything. But, I do remember at the first Mittens, the limit might have only been 16 (ie: same as the forums). This caused a few problems at the time, one of which was that those of us who were legally aloud to drink, had to consider those who couldn't. And to clarify, by drink I don't mean get legless over a couple of cans of SPAR XXX, but a nice pint in the beer garden of the local pub, like adults.

The fact of the matter is, that at these gatherings we all act like the 18+ adults that we are, which includes drinking (moderately), smoking (although I can't stand it), talking adult subjects, sometimes swearing (guilty as charged), and basically enjoying ourselves. I would say none of this is suitable for children, whether they are supervised by you or not.

One of the running jokes from the first ever Mittens was a bloke in a tent next to where the group was set up shouting at about 11:00pm "SHUT THE FUCK UP MY KIDS ARE TRYING TO SLEEP". Would that be you or Nikolas at one of these events?

I don't believe that children have any business being near or part of these events, and I think that should be a considering factor when organising future locations.

I also think that this topic has gone wildly off course, and would rather see this kind of discussion more to the Gen Gen forums so that Jet can post more L3nsfl4r3, and Haddas can make people's tents dissapear again.

I certainly have nothing else to say on 'this' matter.

Becky · Mon 28/08/2006 12:11:44

Woah woah woah! I don't think -anyone- who had some concerns about the drinking was concerned about absolutely all alcohol consumption ever at Mittens! I rarely drink myself, but even I drank a few times at Mittens

Any concerns were simply over the amount of drinking -> drunkeness, rather than an absolute horror at the thought of alcohol! Let's be sensible here, the people who weren't at Mittens do not know the true extent of any/all activities at Mittens, so please don't draw conclusions from some photos

As mattgoble keeps trying to point out - we -did- have lots of fun with minimal alcoholic frivolty. The waterpark, themepark, island exploration (and that paella was good, too!)...it wasn't one giant booze up

Anyone who wasn't at Mittens shouldn't be overly horrified by Adamski's initial concerns which started over three or four pages ago.

Also, haha, I love the jesus tattoo! XD

SSH · Mon 28/08/2006 12:12:25

Agreed about the OT nature. I'll continue further discussion in a new thread.

Radiant · Mon 28/08/2006 12:37:19

Quote from: mattgoble on Sun 27/08/2006 23:40:50
Radiant, I missed having a go at the Pizza Card game, so maybe next time.

I might code it as a minigame

It's called Mamma Mia by the way, in case anyone wants to buy it.

Quote from: Pumaman on Mon 28/08/2006 00:30:29
my only complaint would be that we should have organised things better. Saying "we'll go to the bar, you guys go to the beach, and we'll meet back at the campsite at 11:00" would have been far preferable to people randomly leaving or getting left behind,

I second that.

MrColossal · Mon 28/08/2006 15:52:35

Quote from: mattgoble on Mon 28/08/2006 10:49:14
Is everybody now fixated on the fact that some of us like to have a responsible drink?

Who is this everybody you speak of? This is why I posted before saying that the "defenders" are ramping up the situation by being overly defensive.

Erenan said he was worried but now he isn't.

Maybe I didn't read this thread correctly but as Becky said no one is saying BAN DRINKING ARG! and no one is saying MITTENS IS FOR DRUNKS AND EVERYONES A DRUNK THINKA BOUT YOUR LIVERS!@!!

Erenan · Mon 28/08/2006 16:03:10

MITTENS IS FOR DRUNKS AND EVERYONES A DRUNK THINKA BOUT YOUR LIVERS!@!! BAN DRINKING ARG! BAN PLUTO!!! LOLZ0125!

Quintaros · Mon 28/08/2006 18:52:49

It didn't bother me at all that our large group of 20 often splintered up into smaller cells.Ã,Â I think it's only natural because its very difficult to involve a large number of people in a single conversation or activity.Ã,Â I tried to make the rounds and spend some time with everyone.Ã,Â Some nights I went to the pubs others I stayed in playing cards or whatnot.Ã,Â I had fun either way.Ã,Â Almost every morning I'd hear stories of what I'd missed the night before that made me wish I could have been in 2 places at once.Ã,Â

I didn't think that alcohol played much of a role in the division of the group.Ã,Â My impression was it had more to do with meals as people's appetites came at different times.Ã,Â We'll need more powereful walkie talkies for next year so that its easier to re-convene after a split.

Anarcho · Mon 28/08/2006 20:02:30

You know where this is all headed, right? Soon there will be 50 people attending Mittens each year and all the fun & games will be over.

You're going to have to change the name to "The Annual Adventure Game Developers Conference"; rent out a proper conference center at, say, an office park in Springfield, Massachusetts (think Slough); and develop a detailed schedule of workshops that will include such absorbing topics as "How to Color in RGB" and "Falling Off Cliffs and You: The Sierra Guide to Success". You'll have to hand out name tags, charge a $250 registration fee, hire security guards, book hotels at group rates, and hire guest speakers like the third lead assistant designer for Space Quest II.

Personally, I can't wait. Just as long as there's a good bar around where I can get plastered.

Privateer Puddin' · Mon 28/08/2006 20:04:37

Would that by anychance be called AdventureX?

(I think that's what it would be called, m0ds will know

)

Andail · Mon 28/08/2006 20:15:08

I think the actual problem here is that Eric hates all drinkers and hopes they'll die.

Pumaman · Mon 28/08/2006 20:17:56

Ok, since nobody seemed to have any bright ideas about the new titles, I've kept them broadly similar as follows:

1: Mittens Initiate
2: Mittens Faithful
3: Mittens Regular
4: Mittens Addict
5: Mittoholic

Everyone's titles should now have been updated to reflect this, so if yours is wrong, please let me know.

Also, loved Derritir el Limite, Grund ... it should go on show at Cannes!

Finally, for reference I have uploaded the Mittens Attendees spreadsheet here:
http://www.adventuregamestudio.co.uk/Mittens%20attendees.xls
which now includes Lapaset and Becky after my omissions previously