SecretAsianMan

Again, I'm going to respond by saying that PAX is not entirely composed of PA thralls who will do whatever is commanded of them by Mike. Some of those people are certainly there, but they're not the majority. I've been to several of those panels myself and they're usually full. No one in the audience is harassing the panelists or threatening them with bodily harm. It's quite the opposite with lots of support and questions that lead to discussion. I can't say for certain that the panels are necessarily effective in what they're trying to accomplish, but I wouldn't say there's no payoff. There are plenty of people who are more than willing to attend PAX to give a talk like that. But telling those people not to go at all because they'll be "supporting" PA doesn't seem like the right course of action to me. I feel like seeing those kinds of panels go away would cause more harm than not attending in the first place.

I'll take the blame for the poor execution of the PAX meetup since it was kinda sorta maybe my idea (although I think the fact that Jake tweeted about it might have had something to do with it as well...). Also replacement Nerds Rope will be forthcoming. And yes Sean, the reactor is still reacting.

I think you're skipping over what I'm actually saying. I never said it was bullshit to not engage someone in an environment they're not comfortable with. I'm not trying to force people who don't want to go to a place like PAX to go there just to host a panel. I don't want people to stop writing blog posts. I don't want people to stop telling their stories and speaking out about the things they believe in. I'm saying that you can do those things within the context of a panel as well as on the internet. I'm saying that they're both ways of conveying that information. I agree that a single panel isn't likely to change someone's view, but by that conceit a single blog post, or in some cases an entire blog, isn't likely to do it either. I also agree that a well written blog can be just as effective as a panel, which in the end means we need more of both. The difference I'm trying to highlight is that on the internet it's easy to miss what you're not looking for, while at a place like PAX the panels are right there for everyone to attend even if they didn't know about them. Maybe they're not the kind of thing someone would normally do, but if it was a topic they were unaware of how would they even know to look? I can't speak for everyone, but I can say that I've attended several panels on topics I didn't really think about until I saw that a panel covering it existed (sadly none of those were covering the same issues as this thread but that's a story for another day). Also, can I just say that I'm really pleased we can even have this discussion at all without it turning into a giant internet pissing contest about who's right? This is the reason I only post on these forums even though I think everything I say is dumb.

But the goal of many PAX panels isn't to try and educate the stubborn, but rather to inform the uninformed. A lot of people who attend PAX really are oblivious to the kinds of things we're talking about here. They're certainly not going to try and educate themselves in their free time, but having a panel at PAX at least might show them that these kinds of issues exist in the first place. Unfortunately, it's also very unlikely that anyone who isn't interested will attend a panel like that, but at least it's another possible avenue to make the issues known.

In what is likely to be my only contribution to this thread, here are some Pokemon balloons from PAX

Niyeaux does have a point though. Sometimes the best way to change the system is from within the system. I'm as happy as anyone that people on the internet are speaking their minds and writing important things, but a lot of that information is only going to reach an audience that's already looking for it, and they're not the ones you have to sway. On the other hand, if a lot of applications for panels about gender issues get submitted, it's probably more likely to get the people who actually run the show to take note.

Those are the kinds of things that baffle me. Not that I don't believe them or anything, but everything I've personally seen at a PAX has been great. Granted, I'm a large Asian guy with a naturally grumpy face, so I don't really have the same kind of worries those women do. But basically everyone I've met at PAX has been really nice and fun, and I'm not just talking about the enforcers, game devs, or other Thumbs community members. It seems so odd to me that a place I tend to think of as full of people like me can contain people like that as well.

I'm not accusing anyone of necessarily making that assumption, but it seems like it's implied by a few of the things I've read (not just here). I do understand why people want to boycott PAX and I respect their decision to do so. I guess I just think that PAX is more good than bad and don't like the idea that people are going to look down on me for believing that. I think I've said enough about this and suggest we get back to the actual topic.

Ugh, this is exactly what I was afraid of. I didn't want to derail this thread. Don't get me wrong, I like having this discussion but I regret it has to happen here. I think I should have done what I usually do and kept my mouth shut (or my hands still). You're absolutely right in that if he made those statements at another convention he would catch a lot more shit and that he gets special treatment at PAX. But again, he didn't say the things that made the Fullbright group withdraw from PAX at PAX, he said it on twitter and the PA site. And if he said such things at PAX, you can bet a lot of people would certainly be upset even if it was "his show". The idea that PAX is full of nothing but PA supporters and fans is a false one, so I wouldn't expect him to get off scot-free.

But he wasn't using PAX as the vehicle, he was using himself and Penny Arcade, which like I said I think of as a separate thing from PAX itself. A lot of the people attending PAX don't give a shit about PA itself, me included. I read the comic and occasionally find it amusing, but I that doesn't mean I'm a PA fanboy who will instantly take their side. I understand that I'm probably in the minority when I say that I don't associate the two things with each other. I just think that PAX has grown so much beyond PA.

On the off chance you're not joking

That's fair. What I was really trying to get at is the idea that by liking and attending PAX, I'm also endorsing PA and the things that made people upset with Mike, which is not the case. In my mind, PA and PAX are two separate things that share some common elements. I'm not saying that PAX should be immune to criticism (nothing should be), but that some of the criticism is being leveled at PAX isn't justified because it's really about something else.

Was that me in the Broken Age thread? If not, I find the timing of this thread suspicious. I won't compete for title of biggest nerd, but here are some of my credentials 3 of the shows on my Netflix instant queue are Star Trek I bought a 3DS to take to PAX I bought a backpack with a built in battery to take to PAX I went to PAX I went to Carnegie Mellon University I am an electrical engineer who works at a nuclear power plant I once had an argument about the breaking strength of Gundanium that led to a broken Gundam figure I know a song about prepositions I know another song about adverbs My record for solving a Rubik's cube is 57 seconds At one point in my life, I owned a calculator watch and a watch with a temperature sensor in it and would alternate wearing them each day of the week I used to drive one of these I'm making this list

I had the same reaction, except I saw it in person, which makes me a bigger nerd.

You can also awkwardly click on them with the mouse to punch.

I want the dual tie fad to catch on

I hate myself for doing this because it has almost nothing to do with the central topic of this thread, but I have to step in here and defend PAX a bit. I'm not defending PA itself or the things that Mike and/or Jerry say or do. And obviously PAX is related to PA in a big way. But at the same time, PAX is sort of being it's own entity. I know several enforcers and they are the nicest people. I plan to be one myself at the next PAX. A lot of people who attend PAX know nothing about PA, they're just excited to see games. If PA ceased to exist today, if Mike and Jerry fell of the face of the earth, PAX would find a way to continue. Any of the negative experiences that women have (such as Argobot's and Dualhammer's wife) are more a result of the overall culture that is present in games/geek society than of PAX itself. And I think most of us realize that, PAX just presents a convenient target. Sorry for derailing like that, I just get kind of upset because there are way worse offenders out there than PAX.

BTTF 1 is my favorite overall, but I agree that the end of 2 is the best thing. "There's only one man who can help me". So good. I asked this question in the PvZ2 thread, but recieved no response so I'll ask again here. Isn't there a way in iOS to turn off in-app purchases? Would that remove the F2P stuff all together or just hide it beind a PIN? I'd test it myself but I lack an iDevice.

There is another food source located within Atlantis. Or more specifically, wandering around the halls of Atlantis.

My PAX highlights (before I forget) Completely screwing up a meetup that I suggested. Apologies to the Lord Remo. Streetpassing. A lot. Went from 0 to 800+. Hearing Marc Laidlaw (writer at Valve) praise Gone Home during a panel on storytelling in video games. Hearing the sniper from TF2 get eaten by a giant space arachnid. Being part of a 5 minute standing ovation for Ryan Davis at the Giant Bomb panel. Seeing Brad Shoemaker almost fall off the stage while a complete stranger is grinding his butt against him at the Giant Bomb panel. Hearing Patrick Klepek recommend Idle Thumbs to someone who asks for podcast recommendations (and thanking him after for doing so) Talking to Greg Kasavin for 10 minutes at the Supergiant booth Seeing Argobot's name pop up in Papers Please while standing next to Lucas Pope and saying "Hey, I know her! Deny her!" The Double Fine party Getting on the top 10 leaderboard for Pikmin 3 (at least on Saturday) Seeing an Omni in real life Watching Spy Party at the final round of the Omegathon.

It's a little from column A, a little from column B. Also, for future reference, assuming I'm remembering correctly, the part where you arrive at Atlantis and Sophia gets kidnapped (again) is the point of convergence for the 3 paths. So if you decide to play through the other 2 in the future, you only need to get that far and then they're all the same again. And kudos to you for remembering to carry that ladder around. I spent way too long trying to figure out how to do things before remembering there's a ladder and then running all the way back to get it.

I'm dumb and change the catchphrases to animal noises (although no baboos yet). I was at the Chicago O'Hare airport on my way home from PAX and I pulled out my 3DS to clean up the last of the Streetpasses. Apparently that airport is also a Nintendo Zone, so I got the afternoon tea set while waiting for a plane.

Sorry to go back to Star Trek but I was at PAX. I just want to point out that in addition to seeing Alice Eve in her underwear for no good reason, a scene where Benedict Cumberbatch takes a shower was cut.

In addition to being deep fried, my bag also contains a battery. A delicious, delicious battery. But seriously, I still owe you a drink. Hopefully next year.

Just gonna bump this up to say that the GIant Bomb PAX panel opened with a 5 minute standing ovation to Ryan Davis. It was pretty heartwarming.