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not surprising - Arisia
Oct. 14th, 2014 05:08 amI have not made the Arisia panelist cuts. Not surprising considering that I haven't gone since 2012. They sent a form letter saying that I would be welcome to sign up at an early rate, but I haven't paid to go to a convention for years (last one I paid to attend was Anthocon where no one was getting in free besides that Guests of Honor). I would not start paying for a convention with Arisia anyhow.
I don't know if Arisia has gotten better but it just felt pretty uninspiring the last time I went. I was also distracted by all the knitting. But mostly, I found the panels to be repetitive, most of the panelists to be really bad at being panelists (when the first question at the Game of Thrones television panel is "so that opening, isn't that awesome?" you know you are in for a tedious hour if you stay) and a lot of space just seemed to be wasted on nonsense. Hell, I actually ended up on a Werewolves vs. Vampires panel that wasn't the discussion of the different myths so much as a moronic exercise in actually fighting over which one is cooler. I'm still pissed that I left a mostly interesting party to go to that stupid panel.
Also most of the parties ended by 11pm. Actually they didn't end so much as got shut down by hotel/con security. Even Bar Fleet was shut down for excessive noise or something. And considering that I didn't see any non-con people in the hotel, it seemed pretty lame that people were shutting down parties. (At Anthocon the parties kept getting shut down for noise complaints but most of the parties were middle aged horror writer dudes talking about heavy metal concerts that they loved as teenagers)
Maybe I am spoiled by CONvergence, but I expect the parties to be going all night long and at only starting to wind down by 1 a.m. - with that one party by the pool that goes on indefinitely. And the movie room is always playing movies (good movies - and not that stupid Buffy sing-a-long experience with reenactments from a group of Rocky Horror Picture Show fans who haven't figured out that they are legal drinking age and could be doing anything but trying to impose Rocky standards on other movies) with panels that are actually interesting and fun.
Like I said, I actually agree with Arisia getting rid of panelists and I don't mind being cut from the roster (had I actually gone last year or the year before I might have a problem) but the reason they are doing it is because they cut down on panels and kept adding panelists. That doesn't sound like a plan so much as desperation.
I suppose I should find another Con in the area - maybe give Lunacon another chance, or even Boskone. I know that NYCC is popular but that's a daytime con instead of a all night party con. Definitely not going to Anthocon again (especially when they moved it to summer).
I don't know if Arisia has gotten better but it just felt pretty uninspiring the last time I went. I was also distracted by all the knitting. But mostly, I found the panels to be repetitive, most of the panelists to be really bad at being panelists (when the first question at the Game of Thrones television panel is "so that opening, isn't that awesome?" you know you are in for a tedious hour if you stay) and a lot of space just seemed to be wasted on nonsense. Hell, I actually ended up on a Werewolves vs. Vampires panel that wasn't the discussion of the different myths so much as a moronic exercise in actually fighting over which one is cooler. I'm still pissed that I left a mostly interesting party to go to that stupid panel.
Also most of the parties ended by 11pm. Actually they didn't end so much as got shut down by hotel/con security. Even Bar Fleet was shut down for excessive noise or something. And considering that I didn't see any non-con people in the hotel, it seemed pretty lame that people were shutting down parties. (At Anthocon the parties kept getting shut down for noise complaints but most of the parties were middle aged horror writer dudes talking about heavy metal concerts that they loved as teenagers)
Maybe I am spoiled by CONvergence, but I expect the parties to be going all night long and at only starting to wind down by 1 a.m. - with that one party by the pool that goes on indefinitely. And the movie room is always playing movies (good movies - and not that stupid Buffy sing-a-long experience with reenactments from a group of Rocky Horror Picture Show fans who haven't figured out that they are legal drinking age and could be doing anything but trying to impose Rocky standards on other movies) with panels that are actually interesting and fun.
Like I said, I actually agree with Arisia getting rid of panelists and I don't mind being cut from the roster (had I actually gone last year or the year before I might have a problem) but the reason they are doing it is because they cut down on panels and kept adding panelists. That doesn't sound like a plan so much as desperation.
I suppose I should find another Con in the area - maybe give Lunacon another chance, or even Boskone. I know that NYCC is popular but that's a daytime con instead of a all night party con. Definitely not going to Anthocon again (especially when they moved it to summer).
