[redx1]

So after ACen 2012 I will say that overall I was happy that I went. I got to see a lot of friends that I don't get to see very often. I got to see a lot of awesome and creative cosplays, but this year sat with me quite different than all the others.

I showed up Friday and found quite a few people to hang out with and... drink. Which sounds fun, right? Well it is, but how is that different than any other weekend for a 25 year old? After wandering around and checking out the panels and checking out the other events happening, I just didn't really feel like going. So I ended up hanging out with friends and then finally going to bed.

Saturday I ended up walking around again and finding friends, taking pictures, checking out panels and then going to the dealers hall. Which was also a mildly fun time, but then all of the Saturday night stupidity started happening. The Saturday night crowd showed up in full force this year. I just generally felt out of place and ended up going to a friend's room to hang out. Then when it was really late, panels were packed, the hotels were just busting at the seems with people and the only thing I really could find to do was... drink? I just really didn't feel up to it, so I packed up and went home to sleep in my own bed. I never would have done this in the past. For the past 6? years I've been going to ACen, it was my favorite weekend of the year! Now I'm just finding it tolerable.

Now I don't say all of this to knock ACen in any way. While there are certain aspects of the convention itself I do not like, that's not what this post is about. I just feel like I've "grown out" of the convention scene. Not sleeping for 3 days straight just doesn't appeal to me anymore. ACen also just doesn't have that "con" feeling to me anymore. How I remembered ACen was spending way too much money on items in the dealers hall that were actually hard to find in the past. It was finding someone or a group of people with a very similar interest as you and talking about it for hours on end. It was finding truly intriguing panels like how to build a cosplay in 5 minutes or Q and As with people in the industry. It was playing apples to apples 'till 5AM. I just don't get that experience from ACen anymore.

Anywhos, I'm, again, not trying to direct any of this towards the con itself. I'm just wondering if people feel the same way, like they just don't find cons really all that fun anymore.

[Isamu]

Had a few issues myself. Didn't get the chance to meet up with you again.

[redx1]

Isamu, on 29 April 2012 - 07:41 PM, said:

Had a few issues myself. Didn't get the chance to meet up with you again.

I know dude! I was thinking that on Saturday night. I was pretty bummed.

[Nikku]

I'm inclined to agree. I felt something was off last year, and chocked it up to having to play babysitter to my friend. Had to do the same thing again this year but the con itself had this odd....energy to it. This iunno..call it a dull tone. There was no buzz if excitment or "yahhh animeandfunwoooo" to it. it was more like people were happy to be there but little else. I"m "for now" going to slide that blame to it being pushed up and messing with peoples shedules. Alot of people are going home RIGHT NOW, to have a final or some other event that'd have given them no cause of alarm. I'm 26 and i never drank at acen still had fun and such. Thinking of only having one roomie this year though. 3 for some reason was just bleh..i think it was just number 3, he had some attitude issues.

But i do ask, did anyone else feel that...dulled down power at the con like someone took it from 11 and left it at a low 6? still good but not ready to knock your sock's off? Iunno i had fun..still have that High coming down but...it wasn't so powerful even the people i spoke too seemed less happy to be there (weather maybe?)

[Isamu]

Also, I have most of you beat on the age thing.

[Visadin the insane]

i had more fun this year becuase i didn't drink and party, i went to panals and enjoyed them, yes i do feel like i am old for partying, but i don't feel old for cons, already planing youma with new friends.

don't mix party and drinking with just going to the con and looking at cosplays and going to panals.

but the weather i think didn't help.

This post has been edited by Visadin the insane: 29 April 2012 - 08:26 PM

[linlindesu]

Suigetsu and I were saying we felt so damn old being there this year due to the amount of teenagers without supervision.
Personally? I'd suggest going to more entertainment / comic cons. there's still anime there but the crowd is a little more mature, less obsessed with partying, and the cosplay is nearly always at an enviable level. Then hitting up acen for a day or so to get your anime fix.

[The Fujoshi]

You're not getting old, the scene is getting younger and you are getting more mature.

What you would have done six years ago (you said you was 25 right?) at 19 isn't what you would do at 25. Years ago I myself used to stay up all 3 days, do almost anything for my second ex bf, and basically room up with peeps who smoke/drink weed. Now while some people still do such things at 26-35 or older, you on the other hand have matured and mellow out.

If you still enjoy going to anime conventions, especially Acen, keep on doing so and ignore what everyone else is doing. So what if the kids don't talk about Mario beyond Galaxy or Sunshine islands? So what if people only remember Zelda from the Wii remake? So what if you're the only person in your group who played the original Red/Gold/Silver and not the remakes.

As long as you're having fun and not causing chaos continue to do so.

I know the feeling because I get that way when I talk about video games, cosplaying and what may have you and people are more worried about ditching high school or college rather than paying bills or worried about their car note.

[KungPowKirby]

Yeah.... I felt that way this year. Part of it was everything i was expecting changed in one way or another. I was super sad when i left because it seemed like nothing ever took off in the first place. Now I'm not even saying its the conventions fault.. I didnt get to see everyone I wanted to, or hang out with everyone who I wanted to (including you!). I'm planning on Youma this year simply to try to make up for everything.

[rrtycoon2]

I want to first point out that I've been staring at this post for a good ten minutes* gathering my thoughts together, but I seem to be ending up with loops of logic and wild tangents at the same time, so forgive me if this comes out as somewhat incoherent.

This was my second full weekend at ACen, after a Saturday visit in 2010 and a "sitting at the convention center fountains, looking at cosplayers while waiting to go back to Muvico to see Star Trek" visit in 2009. I'm generally a loner, rarely converse with others, and have no cosplay or outward show of fandom; however, I still manage to find panels that are funny or entertaining, and enjoy passively looking at cosplayers and merchant displays. Additionally, I'm 28, so my attendance experience has been entirely outside of the classic 18-25 demographic that pretty much everything on Earth is aimed at.

So, that's the background for qualifying this response...which, I suppose, means I should just be blunt now.

ACen 2012 was, for me, a bit dull. Yeah, the cosplays were there; yes, the merchant and artist booths were there; and yes, there were funny and interesting panels...so what went wrong-ish? I have a few thoughts on that, and the topic title connects with one of them:

1. "I'm just getting old" - In the last 3-4 years, my views on life have changed drastically. Have I become more sophisticated in my tastes? No. Have my tastes changed? Kind of. I still enjoy Anime immensely, and will likely gawk at a few episodes in a series before I realize that my ice filled drink is now room temperature...and my hand is near frozen. Lately though, I see it (and the convention) as less of an escape from a mundane life, and more of a form of simple entertainment; and it's this change that I associate with my age and (for lack of a better word) experience. Still, I think that if one accepts that this convention probably won't be "the best 3 days of the year", that person will manage to have a fun time...which it sounds like you yourself did (and I did as well), despite the less than stellar moments.

2. "I'm out of touch with the fandom" - I think this one hurt me most, although I have a few more points after this. Am I a fan of anime? Absolutely. Have I watched a lot of anime? Last check, about 130 series and movies. Have I seen a lot of newer anime? No. I'm more a fan of what has essentially become "classic anime", and for whatever reason (probably the lack of content on TV these days...a lot of what I watched popped up on SciFi, CN, Fuse, Encore, AZN, or sometimes OnDemand) I haven't connected with the "new stuff". Thus, as the convention moves forward, my connection with genre or series specific panels dwindles rapidly...making this a more shallow experience for me. I'd wager that I would've been in heaven had I attended ACen back in 2002 - 2005, if only because I would've known most of the anime featured backwards and forwards, and could probably identify nearly every cosplay that would enter my field of view. But I wasn't even aware of ACen's existence until I went to see Star Trek, so that's that.

3. "Maybe I should ditch the AT field" - Yay, personal psychology. Seeing as this would probably turn into a lame cry for help and a "would you please like me" subject...not to mention that it doesn't seem to apply here...I'll just mention that my lack of socialization has probably caused my efforts to become a true con-goer to reach an impasse. Long story short, It's reallllllly damn hard for me to overcome my internal barriers and external appearance. But that's another psychiatric vis...er...thread topic.

4. "It really was just that bad" - Well, I've analyzed myself, so time to turn the tables and take a crack at the convention and the people there. Was the convention a disaster? No. Were there miscues and indications of a lack of communication? Yes, but nothing that wasn't resolved rapidly or at least addressed in some way (as far as I know). Did the changes in panel locations confuse the crap out of me? Oh yes. Did seeing items appear in several booths over and over and over bug me? Oh yes. Was the fact that nearly everything in video gaming was a fighting game annoy me? More than anything. I can tell that ACen tried something different this year, consolidating as much as possible into the Hyatt and putting the overflow into the Doubletree and occasionally the Hilton, and I can appreciate that...but it really made things feel awkward, not to mention the problems with lines in the basement of the Hyatt. I was fortunate enough to duck out of the convention Sat. night, so I suspect that I missed much of what really got to you...but there were changes and losses (AMVs) that, although justified, really put a damper on things (and dont get me started on the people who were kind enough to share their illnesses with me). Of course, if anything exists that truly has no flaws, then we live in a world of make believe and exaggerated hopes.

I know I wrote a lot, and most of it probably doesn't relate, but it's what's been rattling around in my head the past few hours...hell, days...so I guess I had to dump it somewhere. Hopefully this wont kill your thread, as I really want to see what other people think as well. As for any advice these "old bones" might have: if, in the end, you feel like it's not worth it, then just accept that and find something else to do...never feel obligated to do something just because it's supposed to be a part of fandom. That said, if you do still find enjoyment and friends in attending, then keep going...just focus more on that as opposed to the convention as a whole (might be fun to just have them drag you to whatever crazy panel they want to visit, and you might get lucky and have one of those memorable convention experiences again).

Hope that something in here was worth the read.

*Make that 70 minutes as of this being posted

This post has been edited by rrtycoon2: 29 April 2012 - 08:55 PM

[redx1]

rrtycoon2:

What a wonderful and well written post. I think you seriously nailed just about every topic that I couldn't quite put into words. You're absolutlely right, on so many levels.

I think for me personally you nailed something right on the head:

rrtycoon2, on 29 April 2012 - 08:54 PM, said:

Lately though, I see it (and the convention) as less of an escape from a mundane life, and more of a form of simple entertainment; and it's this change that I associate with my age and (for lack of a better word) experience.

You're absolutely right. ACen was always an "escape" for me. Previously when I was at con, I was never worried about school, work, student loan payments, car payments, other people's well being. It was just about having a great time and escaping life for a weekend. I've noticed as I've gotten older and as my responsibilities have progressed with my age, the tougher it is to escape from real life. The whole time at con I'm thinking "I've gotta remember to pay the bill this weekend, rent is due Tuesday, I really hope my car doesn't get towed." This wasn't how I was in the past. I never really thought about it, but I think you nailed that one on the head.

I pretty much can relate and agree with everything else you wrote on some level and it really does explain why my attitude is different towards the con. Could it be age? Yes, absolutely, but that's (edit)not(/edit) the sole reason. We've changed as people becoming more "adult." I don't know if that's a great way to explain it, but that's the best way I can figure out how to put it into words.

Well, I guess "growing up" has its ups and downs. To be honest though, I wouldn't trade what I have now for my past life. It's all about moving forward at this point.

</DrPhil>

This post has been edited by redx1: 29 April 2012 - 09:21 PM

[wolverine33]

I might have everyone beat here on the age thing (this is nonthing to bragging by
the way) so i might be able to relate a little here....

Reads post.... how many years have you gone to acen redx1? how many anime cons
have you been to all together?

Sounds like you didn't have the friends to hang with as usual, you've done this
for a while now and it has lost some of the hurrah hasn't it?

It's not that you getting to old you're seeing the next wave of congoers,
In my case the people i'd see a lot at acen aren't around as much anymore..

They have their friends the see through the year to room with and go do stuff with,
or they staff then when their done working they go with thier staff friends
to do things. I didn't get to meet some of the people i wanted to and others
were brief, i only got to hang out 2 couple for a decent amount of time.....


This years acen did have a different vibe (to me anyway) even my wife (this was only
her 2nd year of acen) said this year wasn't the same as last year, as others mentioned
it didn't seem to have that boom that it usualy would...


The Fujoshi, has a good point for some here "You're not getting old, the scene is getting younger and you are getting more mature".

KungPowKirby... it would've been good to meet up with you....

Instead of being the teen running around being crazy you're watching them do the running around acting crazy and you feel a little left out...

rrtycoon2... you might have some "old bones" but your post is fine, it made som
good points (but i still have you beat in age i'm afraid)

I can relate with your points 1 and 2, it's to bad us... older con goers didn't
get to meet...


The weather DID NOT help..... it kept some more indoors it was a cold, windy
and light rain acen....


Me and my wife don't drink so we don't rely on that for our fun at acen...

And yes redx1 being a young teen young has advantages as you said, no bills to
worry about and such, it's part of being an adult...

But for me it's still a place to get away from things, to do stuff and meet a
few people ant not think about what's waiting at home because it will be there
when i return...

Hope rrtycoon and i helped a little on this...

Later

[KungPowKirby]

wolverine33, on 30 April 2012 - 04:17 PM, said:

KungPowKirby... it would've been good to meet up with you...

Yeah it would have! Next time for sure!

[rondo]

This year, I can't say for sure what I felt about it all for the very little times I did see of it. Maybe the colder, dreary weather pulled down on the convention some.

This post has been edited by rondo: 30 April 2012 - 08:08 PM

[redx1]

Yeah, thanks guys for the pointers. There has certainly been some enlightenment on the whole situation for me.

I think next year I will certainly return. I also like the suggestion of going to different conventions. I think I'd like to see what else is out there.

I think next year I'm also going to be a little more proactive about meeting up with people during the con. I kind of slipped out and lost touch with a lot of people. I also realized I missed Thursday's meetup. I won't miss it again

[KungPowKirby]

redx1, on 30 April 2012 - 09:53 PM, said:

Yeah, thanks guys for the pointers. There has certainly been some enlightenment on the whole situation for me.

I think next year I will certainly return. I also like the suggestion of going to different conventions. I think I'd like to see what else is out there.

I think next year I'm also going to be a little more proactive about meeting up with people during the con. I kind of slipped out and lost touch with a lot of people. I also realized I missed Thursday's meetup. I won't miss it again

A bunch of us are talking about doing Youma this year... you and songstress should go! It'd be amazing to have you two there as well!

[redx1]

KungPowKirby, on 30 April 2012 - 10:06 PM, said:

A bunch of us are talking about doing Youma this year... you and songstress should go! It'd be amazing to have you two there as well!

Tempting. Very tempting!

The only qualm I have is that it's not local :< but I have always wanted to go to at least ONE youma.

[KirbyFanOne]

I started attending ACen when I was about 18 or 19 and have gone for 5 straight years. In those 5 years, I've gone through a lot of personal triumph, intellectual growth, and severe disappointments. 18 year old me and 22 year old me are two different people. My views on the world changed accordingly. I know I'm only getting older and I'm trying to set myself up for a viable future right now. I'm currently not working and will head back out to Colorado in October/November to resume what has been the best thing in my life that has happened to me so far. It's all about how I've placed my priorities, and now Acen is further away from the top of that list than ever before.

I don't sink much money or time into costuming, finding new anime, or breaching into other fandoms, so when I go to ACen I'm usually pretty much a face in the crowd. And to be honest I wasn't expecting this year to be as good as it used to be but I had some time to clear my mind and handle some emotions over the winter, and this manifested into me feeling better after the con was over. There will be a time in my life when I'll be unable to attend not only ACen but any con in general. Work, personal health, distance, and other factors will play into that. But I said to myself I can't let that ruin it this year. My time is only mine, and I'm going to get the best return on investment as I possibly can. Personally, I'm with you on the "Getting together with friends and just drinking" thing. I can't imagine anyone who goes to ACen with the sole purpose of getting wasted but they can go bugger off and spend 150 dollars a night on a room if that's the case. That's not the kind of people I want in my life and the further they are away from me the better I'll feel. I don't always load up on panels, but there's usually something to keep me entertained to fill my time there.

So as always, experiences vary. I'm not the kind of person who is known to be "outgoing", but cons have been one of the few ways for me to get out and have a fun time outside of my house. Regardless, I also want to find ways to get outdoors more and away from my keyboard and monitor. Be it swimming in the lake or making time for new cons or even going somewhere for the sake of going there. I'm trying to invest more in myself.

ACen '13 is already up in the air for me, pending work schedule with the new company, how I feel, and whether I want to travel 1100 miles to get back here again. Even if ACen '12 was my last Acen or (most likely not) my last con in general, I can look back knowing I laughed, cried, learned, and most importantly grew while I was there. And it will always be a great feeling, something I'd be hard pressed to trade for anything in the world.

[Kii]

Haha, yeah.I went to bed super early on Friday night and it felt weird because I felt like I should be out doing everything with everyone else but....I'm not 16 anymore.I need sleep.u_u

[KungPowKirby]

redx1, on 30 April 2012 - 10:09 PM, said:

Tempting. Very tempting!

The only qualm I have is that it's not local :< but I have always wanted to go to at least ONE youma.

It would be completely worth it though! Besides you'd be traveling half as far as me! lol So many people are going this year, its going to be amazing!

[Jguy]

When I first went to ACen in...2005 or 2006 (when I was 18 or 19) I couldn't sleep the entire weekend (we commuted back and forth at the time). I was too excited.

I don't know if staffing has anything to do with it (I walked almost 15 miles and lost 9 pounds over the weekend, and I didn't start until Friday night) but now I don't feel that excitement. I assume most of it is how quickly I've matured, as it sort of started before I started staffing in 2010...in 2009 it was exciting, and we stayed in a room at the hotel but I still found myself going to bed at 10ish and waking up at 8-9 every day of the weekend.

I mean...by the time I was 19, I was out of the house, living on my own, supporting myself and it was all by choice, and I did pretty well for myself.

Over this weekend had to have been the most uneventful or at least the most unexciting...I went to bed at like...9 o'clock on Saturday night and woke up at 7. >.<

[Dark Stranger]

No I feel the same way. That's why I was asking about a 18+ or 21+ con around in the conventions sections. FlyingElf mentined anime punch. So I might try to go to that.

[Trini]

I've been going to the con since I was 14. Back then it was like "HOMAHGAWDHEAVEN!" but then I'd hear about all the awesome parties and get upset that I was too young. Now, I just made 21. First thing I did when preparing for the con was go out and buy a bottle of vodka to take and find good drinking games. I had 1 glass the entire weekend. The random people my roomie brought in had more than I did. Usually, I can make it through with the bare minimum of sleep, but this year I just couldn't. I think I only visited the game room twice and maybe 1 panel. I'm just disappointed in myself. I waited so long to grow up and experience everything only to go to ACen and feel like "now what?". It doesn't even feel like I'm too old for this stuff though. It's just weird.

[Alkaren Hyralt]

redx1, on 30 April 2012 - 10:09 PM, said:

Tempting. Very tempting!

The only qualm I have is that it's not local :< but I have always wanted to go to at least ONE youma.

i don't want to hear it - I make it to ACen and Youma both.

Was nice to see you again, if only for the brief moment...like with everyone lol.

[kitsune red]

I find it fascinating that you 19 & 21 year olds are feeling exhausted and worn out when attending ACEN. I an decades older than you, I arrived Thursday at 10:00 AM to staff the Convention, and worked most of that day not getting into the room until 6:00 PM Having to take time out of a work shift to unload the car and go back to work until 10:00 PM. I did not unpack until midnight and was glad to go to bed. The next day I got up early ate, went to the exhibit hall until my shift to work and ended up working until 10:00 PM again. I had an early shift of work Saturday managed to get to a panel I had an interest in. It was only 30 minutes late in starting and saw most before I had to get back to work. Got to attend to Fire Drill when I stopped by the Office Saturday Night. I can't say that I was bored or felt anytime missing , but then I was busy trying to attend to Con between work shifts and didn't find much time to drink or worry about being to old to enjoy to convention. Perhaps it is what you bring to the convention that is the problem.

[S1NN3R]

kitsune red, on 06 May 2012 - 06:52 PM, said:

I find it fascinating that you 19 & 21 year olds are feeling exhausted and worn out when attending ACEN. ... I can't say that I was bored or felt anytime missing , but then I was busy trying to attend to Con between work shifts and didn't find much time to drink or worry about being to old to enjoy to convention. Perhaps it is what you bring to the convention that is the problem.

Apples to Oranges; not everyone has the same stamina as others or the same as in their "younger" years. Now, in my opinion, what they brought to the convention was expectation. Either from self hype or years past, it was there and they've noted the changes they've seen. So I ask, when you see a movie/read a book/watch a show that you thought was great in the past, don't you have a change of view on the next time through? Of course, we all do. This situation is no different.

As for me, this was the first year I've left pissed. It was no one's fault but my own. I thought i could make this trip about business as well as enjoy the con... I was wrong. It doesn't change the fact, that the people I met up with were stellar, and that in hindsight, made the trip worth it. Next year its for me and not work.

[Isamu]

S1NN3R, on 07 May 2012 - 03:22 AM, said:

Apples to Oranges; not everyone has the same stamina as others or the same as in their "younger" years. Now, in my opinion, what they brought to the convention was expectation. Either from self hype or years past, it was there and they've noted the changes they've seen. So I ask, when you see a movie/read a book/watch a show that you thought was great in the past, don't you have a change of view on the next time through? Of course, we all do. This situation is no different.

As for me, this was the first year I've left pissed. It was no one's fault but my own. I thought i could make this trip about business as well as enjoy the con... I was wrong. It doesn't change the fact, that the people I met up with were stellar, and that in hindsight, made the trip worth it. Next year its for me and not work.

He has seen the light.

[The Fujoshi]

I agree with S1NN3R but back when I was younger I didn't have a lot of stamina. I mean who does after you stay up three nights in a row on pocky or on nothing at all? Not even kids! I still remember the year some young person was passed out in the hallway.

But I realized that when I got older that I have to focus more on my health than anime conventions. I think when you get older your perspective changes, not "showing your age," or a change in what's important to you. There are people who do work and go to anime conventions year around; I personally knew a guy who did so and he was a medical assistant/tech.

[RiddlerFotografia]

I think it has to do with stamina, and really if you're going to a convention with friends... That just makes it all the more fun.
Group cosplaying is where it's at, if you are cosplaying. I wouldn't suggest anything less, because then it could get boring just walking around a dealer's hall by yourself. I had the misfortune of that happening to me at a few conventions the year I started cosplaying at them.
I wouldn't say you're getting old either. I would say just try to figure out what you're interested in. If you're not interested in anime, then don't go. Also try to get 7-9 hours of sleep at night at conventions, otherwise you'll find yourself getting tired really quickly. I don't know how some people go without barely sleeping the entire weekend at a convention. They must get really tired during the day.

This post has been edited by RiddlerFotografia: 08 May 2012 - 05:50 PM