Kumori-Con and PAX the same weekend! D:

[Chevi]

I just found out from my friend that these two cons are the same weekend!  I'm so sad...I really want to attend both but it's obviously not an option.  I really don't know what to choose, I went for a day to PAX this year and it was a lot of fun, and I've already been to Kumori-Con twice now.  I'm just finding it very difficult to choose, being an artist I want to attend artist alley next year...but PAX was a blast and I want to have fun at that as well.  Augh, decisions! DX

[leashy]

What is PAX?  and why are they using our weekend? ^^

[SageBell]

i'll be at k-con! i'll only travel to seattle for anime con's

[superjaz]

leashy have you ever read the online comice penny arcade?
well its put on by the same people
PAX=penny arcade exbo

[vincent]

Wow, now I don't know what I'm doing...  Both interlap my 21st birthday, and both have amazing reasons to go to.  PAX for the amazing videogame tourneys and free crap, as well as previews of amazing games.  And Kumoricon for hanging out with my girlfriend and friends.  This is worst then the decision I had to make between IHOP and Denny's.

[TanisNikana]

And now I understand your trouble, the Vincent. But you must ask yourself, at which con will the cake be at?

[superjaz]

And now I understand your trouble, the Vincent. But you must ask yourself, at which con will the cake be at?

the answer? k-con will have cake and neko pan bakery and host club tea party!

does pax just not like us or somthing?

[Trumby]

To be honest I don't really see PAX being the same weekend doing a whole lot to our attendance. Yeah, there will be people who have to make the tough choice on which to go to..but they are two different beasts entirely. It seems to me that this is really only going to effect the more hardcore segment of gamers..as that is what PAX is, a gaming expo. Not an anime con. Also for those of you who didn't know about it, PDXLAN (500 man LAN held every 6 months) was held the same weekend as Kumoricon this year and again it only really drew the hardcore gamers (would have loved to have gone..but Kumoricon comes first to me, as it does before PAX as well), the people going to Kumoricon for the gaming room specifically.

[pieisexactlythree]

What is PAX?  and why are they using our weekend? ^^

PAX is a video game con up in Seattle

I think this may draw some people away from K-Con because they are more into video games and less into anime...

But I hope it doesn't ><

This is good!  Games are for kids.  (oh, my bad, I forgot you all are kids!)

[leashy]

leashy have you ever read the online comice penny arcade?
well its put on by the same people
PAX=penny arcade exbo

Ohh yeah, go to K-con ^^ our gaming room keeps getting bigger!

[gemineye42]

*ninja comment from Gaming room*

See, here's the fundamental differences between gaming at Kumoricon and gaming at PAX:

At PAX, you wait 2 hours in line to play a new game for 10 minutes.

At Kumoricon, you wait 10 minutes to play a new game for 2 hours.

PAX is a very industry-oriented gaming convention. They bring in industry bigwigs to show off their new games, let you maybe play them for one round, and that's it. There is very little free play or casual gaming. They do have tournaments, but they generally fill up fast and take many hours longer to run than ours. Pretty much once you've seen it all, there's nothing left to do.

At Kumoricon we have taken great measures to make sure we have TONS of stuff for everyone to do. In the gaming room alone this year we had 5 wiis, 2 Xbox 360s, 2 PS3s, and a plethora of older entertaining systems. The waits were not very long even at the busy times, and we had record turnouts for tournaments. Not to mention the fact that if you get tired of gaming - there's plenty more to do at the con! If you got bored at PAX you're pretty much stuck there, cuz it's all the way in Seattle. Wouldn't you rather spend the weekend with your friends?

That is all!

<3 Gaming

[PhantmK]

I feel that in this instance if someone wants to go to an anime convention, they will come to kumoricon. If they want to go to some industrialized Convention focused on video games and companies trying to sell there product. They can go to PAX. As much fun as the guys ar Penny arcade are, I still think I would rather hang out with people who came to enjoy each other's company and celebrate one of our favorite hobbies.

[vincent]

And now I understand your trouble, the Vincent. But you must ask yourself, at which con will the cake be at?

Probably K-con, but it has to be a Companion Cube cake.

[LittleCodfish]

Oh man, seriously?!
That is really sad!
D:
I have to choose!

[ThiefKingsHier]

  While PAX would be a LOT cheaper ( I walk to that location almost daily)

There is one reason that makes this decision a no-brainer; COSPLAY! From what I understand its almost non existant, and even looked down upon. No photoshoots so skits no IC shenanagins = no thanx.

[Chevi]

I think the cosplay thing could change, hell I want to cosplay at PAX next year.  I think I've made the decision to go to PAX instead of Kumori-Con, despite wanting to participate in Artist Alley again.  I attend anime cons all over the NW, so missing wouldn't be a huge deal.  Most of my friends live in Seattle anyways, but since Kumori-Con has always been close, we always go.  I'm just upset that it had to be the same weekend because I do really love Kumori-Con. 

See, here's the fundamental differences between gaming at Kumoricon and gaming at PAX:

At PAX, you wait 2 hours in line to play a new game for 10 minutes.

At Kumoricon, you wait 10 minutes to play a new game for 2 hours.

PAX is a very industry-oriented gaming convention. They bring in industry bigwigs to show off their new games, let you maybe play them for one round, and that's it. There is very little free play or casual gaming. They do have tournaments, but they generally fill up fast and take many hours longer to run than ours. Pretty much once you've seen it all, there's nothing left to do.

While I'm not trying to make an argument, PAX is going to have newer games than Kumori-Con because it's an industry-oriented convention, but much nicer than bigger cons like E3 or Comic Con.  It does not take 2 hours to play a game, at most less than 20 mins, because they have games that aren't even out yet, and with E3 in the crapper, this is a prime place for gamers.  There is plenty of free play and casual gaming, and it gets bigger each year. 

Being an anime fan and a gamer is making this a severely tough decision.  I think most Oregon locals will of course choose Kumori-Con, but since I'm here in Seattle I want to choose PAX.  But as an artist, fans of my work want to see me at Kumori-Con.

[PhantmK]

All I know is that we should definitely try to get a small panel at PAX as much as it would pain us to send people there, at least those who get bored at PAX can come and join us down here.

[DancingTofu]

I consider myself a hardcore gamer, but in the sense that I go to the arcade and get high scores on Joust and Galaga and stuff.  New games have some pull for me, but not enough to cop out on Kumoricon.  Kumoricon draws out a lot of decent DDR players from the woodwork and allows me to have, if not competition, at least people who can keep up with me.  DDR isn't popular enough to show up at something like PAX, and I doubt I'd see much of anything else fun there.

So, for me, a person who literally comes only for the game room and only leaves to use the restroom, eat, and dance, while a gaming convention is hypothetically the priority, Kumoricon's more luring for me simply because I'm a gamer, not a comsumer, and gaming expos are really just consumer cons.

[Chevi]

I consider myself a hardcore gamer, but in the sense that I go to the arcade and get high scores on Joust and Galaga and stuff.  New games have some pull for me, but not enough to cop out on Kumoricon.  Kumoricon draws out a lot of decent DDR players from the woodwork and allows me to have, if not competition, at least people who can keep up with me.  DDR isn't popular enough to show up at something like PAX, and I doubt I'd see much of anything else fun there.

So, for me, a person who literally comes only for the game room and only leaves to use the restroom, eat, and dance, while a gaming convention is hypothetically the priority, Kumoricon's more luring for me simply because I'm a gamer, not a comsumer, and gaming expos are really just consumer cons.

That's the thing about PAX though, while it is getting bigger, it's not really a "consumer con", I think the guys at PA really make this more of a gaming event.  And I did see a few DDR machines there, that were being used practically the whole time I was there. 

I'm not trying to get people to choose either though, I'm just expressing my disappointment that both cons are the same weekend, and if anyone who is a staff member at Kumoricon can note this, maybe you guys can not have these conventions on the same weekend next time.  I look forward to all cons I can attend in the Northwest and this is the first time I've had to make my decision and choose between the two of them. D: 

I don't even consider myself a hardcore gamer, but I had a blast at PAX, going there for the gaming themed concerts alone made my trip worthwhile (not to mention all the free swag and games I got to play that weren't out yet).  And it's pretty big, I didn't realize the WA State Convention Center had so much unused space (as compared to Sakuracon...why the heck they don't bother using that space as well for Sakuracon is BEYOND me...)  Yet as an artist, while there are some things PAX has that I can enjoy as an artist, I cannot sell my work or promote myself there.  And at Kumoricon I can do just that at Artist Alley.  Decisions, decisions. D:

[MichaelEvans]

I could be wrong, but when I researched it, the impression I got was that Kumoricon pretty much always did it labor day weekend, where as PAX is all over the place.

[guspasho]

I could be wrong, but when I researched it, the impression I got was that Kumoricon pretty much always did it labor day weekend, where as PAX is all over the place.

PAX used to be the weekend before us, which caused some problems by itself. But Kumoricon 2003 was actually held on Thanksgiving weekend. We only started using Labor Day weekend in 2004, the same year PAX started.

[TomtheFanboy]

I could be wrong, but when I researched it, the impression I got was that Kumoricon pretty much always did it labor day weekend, where as PAX is all over the place.

PAX used to be the weekend before us, which caused some problems by itself. But Kumoricon 2003 was actually held on Thanksgiving weekend. We only started using Labor Day weekend in 2004, the same year PAX started.

If you wanted to quibble though there were the Wombicon and Necrowombicon run by the FANS of Penny Arcade up in Vancouver, Washington. I actually went to the last one of those. It was there that Mike and Jerry decided that they were going to do their own con, and do it BIG. Enter PAX.

Ahhh... weblore.

[DancingTofu]

That's the thing about PAX though, while it is getting bigger, it's not really a "consumer con", I think the guys at PA really make this more of a gaming event.  And I did see a few DDR machines there, that were being used practically the whole time I was there. 

I'm not trying to get people to choose either though, I'm just expressing my disappointment that both cons are the same weekend, and if anyone who is a staff member at Kumoricon can note this, maybe you guys can not have these conventions on the same weekend next time.  I look forward to all cons I can attend in the Northwest and this is the first time I've had to make my decision and choose between the two of them. D: 

I don't even consider myself a hardcore gamer, but I had a blast at PAX, going there for the gaming themed concerts alone made my trip worthwhile (not to mention all the free swag and games I got to play that weren't out yet).  And it's pretty big, I didn't realize the WA State Convention Center had so much unused space (as compared to Sakuracon...why the heck they don't bother using that space as well for Sakuracon is BEYOND me...)  Yet as an artist, while there are some things PAX has that I can enjoy as an artist, I cannot sell my work or promote myself there.  And at Kumoricon I can do just that at Artist Alley.  Decisions, decisions. D:

D:

Darn, and all this time I felt decent about my motives and now you come and shoot me down.
For me, Kumoricon's a must; if I'm not there, there are about 30 people who would have my head.

[Chevi]

For me, Kumoricon's a must; if I'm not there, there are about 30 people who would have my head.

I feel the same way about the fans of my artwork.  Augh, this is so hard.

[MichaelEvans]

YAY, my prior post made me Chibi ^.^

Anyway; I was recently told that PAX holds their convention 'the last weekend of August'... while ours is 'Labor Day weekend'.  This year they happen to coincide.  A little research says that labor day weekend is actually the 'first Monday in September'.  That means we ONLY get boned like this on years when the first day of September is a Sunday or Monday (Possibly only Monday depending on how PAX defines it, if it has to be a FULL weekend in August we're better on even more years.).

Years we're affected by PAX this way...
2008
2013 (Maybe - the first is Sunday...)
2014
2019 (Maybe - the first is Sunday...)
2024 (Maybe - the first is Sunday...)
2025
2030 (Maybe - the first is Sunday...)
2031

I could keep going on, but that's probably more then enough.

[DancingTofu]

Good to know.

[AnimeMatrix]

And it's pretty big, I didn't realize the WA State Convention Center had so much unused space (as compared to Sakuracon...why the heck they don't bother using that space as well for Sakuracon is BEYOND me...)

Actually, for SC 2008, we will be using (almost) the whole of the convention center. We haven't in the past because we just weren't big enough...yet. And now we are, so now we're expanding ^_^. Which means more Programming and crazy-crazy otakuness! *ahem*

I was disappointed when I found out that PAX and Kumori Con were on the same weekend. 2007 was my first year and I had SOOO much fun, even though I don't really consider myself a hard-core gamer. And I didn't get the feeling that cosplay was looked down upon. Heck- I was going to cosplay as Lara Croft (if she was Asian lol ^_^) if I was able to go this year. The biggest bummer is that while I was staffing, I had a chance to talk to Jerry and I suggested that next year, they invite Kevin Siembieda (founder of Palladium books and creator of the Rifts RPG... among other RPGs). He really liked the idea and if it turns out that they really do get Kevin Siembieda, I would be SOOOO mad >_<. I think what I might do is (even though I live in Salem...) drive up on Thursday night, go to PAX on Friday, then drive back LATE that night.

But I guess that depends on what guests they get and what events are going on ^_^.

[TomtheFanboy]

OK, now as much as PAX has always sounded fun, I WOULD travel to seattle to meet Kevin Siembieda! I love Rift, Palladium is my home system! I'd love to sit in on a panel about the failed Rifts game for the NGage.
Curses!

Ah well, I'm going to be having plenty of fun running Pocky Club without RPG luminaries.

[AnimeMatrix]

OK, now as much as PAX has always sounded fun, I WOULD travel to seattle to meet Kevin Siembieda! I love Rift, Palladium is my home system! I'd love to sit in on a panel about the failed Rifts game for the NGage.
Curses!

Ah well, I'm going to be having plenty of fun running Pocky Club without RPG luminaries.

Lol- if they do get Kevin, wanna road trip it together? ^_^

[TomtheFanboy]

noooo no no no no, I have enough problems getting Pocky Club together when I'm AT the convention. I can't just bail out on such responsiblity.

Though I may send my Rifter Swimsuit edition up with someone for an autograph.

[modab]

I remember when PAX announced their first convention, and it was going to be a week before ours... I was so pissed! Ya see, I'm a really big fan of Penny Arcade, and I had even entertained a notion we could get them to come down as a guest at our con one year.

For the record, we announced our date first in 2004, so they totally stole our thunder...

This year, when I heard that they were on the same exact date, I screamed bloody murder. See, I was planning to go to PAX this year, a ha ha ha ha ha... crud...

As much as I love Kumoricon, man, if I lived in Seattle, I don't think there would be much choice (actually if I lived in Seattle, I would have already gone to Pax the past 3 years, gotten bored with it, and then come down to Kumoricon this year :-P)

But, if you live in Portland or Oregon, just stick with Kumoricon! Go to PAX next year when they don't overlap.

I've heard a lot of different stories about PAX. It's very very large. People can get bored there easily, unless you have something specific to do there. The people who run it actively are trying to not make it E3, just a consumer event. It is by fans, for fans. It is not about having displays of the latest technologies (though some companies do bring new software there anyway), it's about playing games with other people who like to play games.

Okay, I'm totally rambling, but whatever. I hope everyone comes to Kumoricon, but I understand if you are a gamer at heart, you may find the gaming mecca in Seattle :-(

[JeffT]

I live in Seattle, but will still be going to Kumoricon!

[DancingTofu]

You're Director of Publicity.  If you copped out, you'd be eaten. ;P

[gothicadam]

What is PAX?  and why are they using our weekend? ^^

PAX is a video game con up in Seattle

I think this may draw some people away from K-Con because they are more into video games and less into anime...

But I hope it doesn't ><

ahhhh that wont happen i'd rather go to k-con by a mile because i love anime more then video games!

[Syd-chan]

What is PAX?  and why are they using our weekend? ^^

PAX is a video game con up in Seattle

I think this may draw some people away from K-Con because they are more into video games and less into anime...

But I hope it doesn't ><

ahhhh that wont happen i'd rather go to k-con by a mile because i love anime more then video games!

Yeah, I agree with you completely. Well, actually because I live an hour closer to Portland. But I think anime beats the crap outta video games. On the same level...Eh, maaaybe....But I suppose it's really a matter of what you like.

[TomtheFanboy]

You're Director of Publicity.  If you copped out, you'd be eaten. ;P

*considers the palatability of directors who have been accused of copping out*
Nah, I'm not that hungry!

[DancingTofu]

I like video games far more than anime (as in, I play video games an average of about 4 hours a day [10 or 11 when I don't have school], and work directly in video games, and have spend hundreds if not thousands of dollars playing video games), and I'm picking Kumoricon over PAX, and will continue to do so if this conflict occurs in the future.  The reason is social pull.

[vincent]

I like video games far more than anime (as in, I play video games an average of about 4 hours a day [10 or 11 when I don't have school], and work directly in video games, and have spend hundreds if not thousands of dollars playing video games), and I'm picking Kumoricon over PAX, and will continue to do so if this conflict occurs in the future.  The reason is social pull.

Quoted for Truth.  I have the exact same thing going for me.  If I didn't go to Kumoricon, I'd have many people string me up and take turns beating me like a piñata.  All I know though, is that my 21st birthday is going to be a blast, seeing how it's the first day of Kumoricon.