Binge Gamer Dot Net

I’m been kinda hard on VGXPO, and rightfully so. At times, it was painful. That’s a shame, because seeing things from a behind-the-scenes perspective, I really do think this conference has potential. I gave you ten reasons why VGXPO sucked this year…but now, I give you ten reasons this conference could be awesome someday:

1. The staff was awesome.

VGXPO isn’t staffed by employees who are working ’round the clock to prepare for the event. All of these people were 100% volunteer, doing it purely for the love of gaming. They ran around like nuts trying to get everything done, and even when things didn’t go as planned (which was pretty much all day on Saturday), they kept smiles on their faces.

Beyond that, the staff took care of the vendors. While there were definitely bumps on the road, staff members were always easy to find if you needed help. In fact, most vendors said that staff members actually anticipated their needs and brought them water, helped to fix problems, etc.

2. The layout was fantastic.

For this kind of event to work, there has to be a natural flow to traffic around events and vendor booths. The showroom at VGXPO was set up extremely well, making it easy to move from place to place. There was also plenty of seating, even on Saturday when it was pretty full.

3. Philly is a great location.

Listen, I’m not a huge fan of the city of brotherly love. In fact, in my opinion, the entire city smells like pee. However, I’m glad that, there’s a decent video game conference on the east coast. Philly is a better location than New York City, Boston, Baltimore, or other cities in this area. The Philadelphia Convention Center may not be the optimal location, but I’m glad east-coasters have something.

4. Many of this year’s problems were due to the union.

The Philly Convention Center is controlled by a union, and there are a ton of rules anyone using the center has to follow. These rules are set up for “safety reasons,” but they’re really a bunch of bullshit. One problem rippled out to another problem, which put everyone behind even more. If they move VGXPO, they’ll get to cut out many of the problems they had this year.

5. This conference is focused on the gamer, not on the media.

As a member of the media, I guess that should piss me off, but that’s not what a conference should be. VGXPO was all about the gamer, with every empty showroom space filled with TVs or arcade games or computers. They could stand to have more demos and speakers, but this focus on the consumer is why VGXPO can be better than E3.

6. The price was perfect.

I heard from people who went last year that they dropped the ticket price, but in any case, this year it was $15 to get in for the day or $30 for the weekend if you wanted a regular ticket, and even for a VIP ticket, the price was only $150 for three days. Kids’ prices were even cheaper, and you could also save money by buying online before the event. In my opinion, this is one of the main reasons why they had over 26,000 people attend. Hopefully, it will remain affordable!

7. The booths were interactive.

Sure, there were some boring vendors, but the vast majority of the booths had demos of their products or other interactive stuff. For example, one of the vendors had a TV set up, and you played Worms 3D against people for prizes. All of the vendors were awesome.

They also had “vendors” in costume, specifically to walk around the show and take pictures with people. That was a really neat touch. I didn’t personally see him, but I heard that Master Chief from Halo looked so real that when he was standing still he looked like a statue.

8. They gave us variety.

This show wasn’t just about video games. They also gave us other things that interest the same target audience, like comic books, graphic artists, Star Wars fan groups, bands, anime movies, and web show actors. Hell, even Suicide Girls had a booth. In other words, there was more to do than just play video games.

Hopefully, this will only expand. I mean, the variety was there, they just need more vendors in general. I like the idea that this isn’t just for gamers though. There’s a little something for every geek out there!

9. They had an after party on Saturday night.

There were actually TWO after parties – one for adults that I believe was by invite only and one for everyone who had a ticket to the convention. I saw a little bit of both, and they were pretty fun. I liked the idea of having something to do on Saturday night, especially for the people who drove a few hours to get to there.

10. They have a lot of good ideas that, hopefully, will happen next year.

Beyond the variety and smiles, this expo will be great someday because they’re really innovative. Their idea of what a video game conference should be is a vision we don’t see with E3 or even PAX. They had rooms set aside for panels run by the you, the attendees. They had Rock Band and Guitar Hero and DDR. They had prizes for people willing to get up on stage and play games. They made YOU part entertainment.