[myrla]

delial, on 01 May 2012 - 03:50 PM, said:

THIS

Every day, actually. I go out in Lolita sometimes for fun. I wear my costumes to various parties. ACen is more a chance to combine a lot of things.

But for me, flying up from Texas to Chicago, there's tons of other cons. Otakon would actually be cheaper for me to attend. Hotels are cheaper, connected to con center, tickets are roughly the same price, and there's MORE people there. Plus i have friends out there too.

ACen is just another option for me in a myriad of them.

[Lina]

therobd, on 01 May 2012 - 04:16 PM, said:

I think there's something out there for everyone, personally. ACen's an evolving beast. It will never again be what it was the first year you went. No matter who you are, you've changed, and ACen has changed. At the moment, there are smaller anime conventions popping up even around the same area. If you can travel, there are more convention options for you as well.

I'm actually mostly fine with what ACen is, but I've only ever gone for the panels, the video/video game rooms, and the occasional costume from a series I recognize and enjoy. If there isn't a panel for what I want, I'll make one. ACen's gotten much bigger in the last few years, and the anime industry hasn't. There's a disconnect there. There's also less of a shared culture among anime viewers than ever thanks to the abundance of fansubs (not a bad thing in and of itself). If you want a hardcore fan experience for your interest and lots of camaraderie among fans, a big convention probably isn't the place to find it, ACen included.

That's why I enjoy KollisionCon and YoumaCon more. They are smaller and the atmosphere is a lot more fun. There aren't nearly as many party animals either.

[ATICE]

Lina, on 01 May 2012 - 04:25 PM, said:

That's why I enjoy KollisionCon and YoumaCon more. They are smaller and the atmosphere is a lot more fun. There aren't nearly as many party animals either.

Couldn't agree more, plus it's all in one place too... even the food court. You don't have to walk blocks to get to a good food place.

[Khaoticfolks]

I always thought of Anime Central as a convention that focused on Japanese popular culture--meaning animation, manga, horror films, video games, music and fashion. My issue is not that the convention should stick to purely Japanese popular culture inspired events. For those of you who know your history of Japanese Popular culture's infiltration into the US, I don't have to remind you that before there were cons dedicated to anime, fans got their fix by going to other popular culture cons--specifically sci-fi and comi-cons to underground / back room screenings. My point, Anime, Sci-fi and Comic-cons are forever destined to be intertwined since the bound between the three go way back. Cutting them out of would be a mockery of the whole popular culture movement.

The focus here should be the dramatic shift in focus to dances and concerts. There needs to be a balance in content. There clearly wasn't one this year.

This post has been edited by Khaoticfolks: 01 May 2012 - 05:07 PM

[TheMagicWithin]

I've been attending Acen since 2006 and it's never been a pure anime convention. Realistically, I don't think it's possible. Even if it was, I wouldn't want Acen to be exclusively anime. I started going to Acen because of my love for anime, but I have a lot of geeky interests. I love Harry Potter and Doctor Who and I think the convention would lose something if those other geeky elements were not there. This was my first year cosplaying from something that was not an anime, and I had a blast at the Dr. Who shoot. It's just fun to be around people who enjoy the same thing you enjoy. However, I don't really believe anyone is arguing that people should not be allowed to cosplay what they want. And besides, there were tons of anime cosplayers. They'll never fade away.

I do partially agree about the programming content. I've not been to the Masquerade in a couple years because it's hit/miss for me and the lines are long, but that's a central part of any anime con and shouldn't have been canceled, especially for the rave that goes all night. I did attend Soap Bubble and I did have fun, although I noticed a lot more creepy guys hitting on me than last year. I enjoy Soap Bubble because I can dance and be out all night since I usually leave early Sunday as opposed to say Friday night, when I want to be rested enough to enjoy Saturday. But from attending I can see why people may think Acen is for party people. The only time I felt uncomfortable all of Acen was when I was at the Soap Bubble.

Overall the panels did seem anime based. I'm not opposed to some panels being unrelated to anime/games, but I do think the overall content should cater more to things of Japanese origin. As for the suggestion of people attending other conventions, it's just not that simple. I will always attend Acen because I love it and it's the one time a year I can see a lot of my out of state friends. I can't afford to go to Comic Con, LeakyCon, Chicago TARDIS, etc. I'm a college student and don't have the funds. Besides, I don't think it's difficult to avoid the non-anime stuff if you really want. Personally, I still noticed a lot of anime content at Acen.

[Hoshigumo]

This was our first year at ACen. We found it have a fairly nice balance between Eastern and Western fandoms with a fair supply of anime and related merchandise for sale in the dealer room.

What struck my husband and I as off was:

The raves. Two? Why? And why, up on the tenth floor, could we still hear them? Why did a young girl vomit in the elevator we rode up to our room one night? Why did a couple of inebriated men with a supply of expended (and very classy!) plastic drink cups think it was fine to dump said cups all over our photoshoot from the upper dome? Why did I run across opened condoms (!!) decorating the handrails in the stairwell when evacuating? Why were we evacuating at all? Were the rumors we heard later about some not-insignificant property damage true?

We had fun seeing friends again and making new ones, but honestly, we were pretty shocked with the behavior as the nights wore on. This isn't a finger-pointing at everyone that attends the rave(s), but it felt like there was a pretty strong connection between what we experienced and the bizarre frat party atmosphere in parts of the Hyatt.

Based on what I saw, I wouldn't recommend this event as "family friendly" to anyone. And I doubt any of the hotel guests I heard complaining to IRT working the elevators would, either.

Ultimately, I think the fandom balance here is acceptable, but agree wholeheartedly that the major events offered don't reflect it.

This post has been edited by Hoshigumo: 01 May 2012 - 05:40 PM

[BakaBarbarian]

Hello My Name Is Bob, on 01 May 2012 - 07:50 AM, said:

And that is what I feel Acen has become: a less sanitary, haphazard version of the general geek cons.

^ This. A thousand times this. With emphasis on the less sanitary and haphazard.

[BakaBarbarian]

Washu Takahashi, on 01 May 2012 - 10:11 AM, said:

But if Acen cancels this rave altogether there will be a HUGE backlash. I honestly don't think they could do that without seriously hurting the con and its attendance.

^ This would be a GOOD thing. This con needs LESS people showing up just to act like drunken idiots, not MORE. More and more, it seems that people come to ACEN to drink, have sex, hurt and harass people, and act like jerks. I think the OP's point is valid: this con is less and less about anime and manga. I would argue some of that is yes, because of the non-Japan/Asian focus of the content/programming, but some of it is the culture that has been allowed to develop by the folks at the highest levels of ACEN for some time now.

[Xantar]

Quote

I'm not against the rave, but there was a time long, long ago when the Soap Bubble sufficed. There typically was only one headlining band and SWEK and people had a heck of a time. Now it seems like all that matters is having more music acts than any con. Maybe I'm just an old fart who doesn't find a teen rave appealing when I can just go to a club or even a bar where I can see real music being performed, but it seems a bit excessive.

I find this a bit insulting, and also contradictory to your original statement. You at first complained that ACEN isn't Anime Centric enough, yet the Friday rave contains music producers who not only make games for Music Games (DDR, Technika, Beatmania), but there were also music producers and DJs who not only remix anime music, but produce music FOR anime. Hardcore Synergy is as anime-centric an electronic music experience you can get, so how on one hand can you complain about the music from anime producers, yet state that the con isn't anime enough and that Soap Bubble would suffice (an event featuring local DJs).

[rondo]

Hoshigumo, on 01 May 2012 - 05:37 PM, said:

Why did I run across opened condoms (!!) decorating the handrails in the stairwell when evacuating?

Yeah, I caught glimpse of the purple one.

[linlindesu]

Hoshigumo, on 01 May 2012 - 05:37 PM, said:

The raves. Two? Why?

Every year. Same damn thing.
The dances are very, VERY different. In fact up until this year I think the crowds looked very different.
Hardcore: hardcore techno, japanese DJs
Soapbubble : everything else.

Please don't lump them together :<

[JujuFox]

Hoshigumo, on 01 May 2012 - 05:37 PM, said:

What struck my husband and I as off was:

The raves. Two? Why? And why, up on the tenth floor, could we still hear them? Why did a young girl vomit in the elevator we rode up to our room one night? Why did a couple of inebriated men with a supply of expended (and very classy!) plastic drink cups think it was fine to dump said cups all over our photoshoot from the upper dome? Why did I run across opened condoms (!!) decorating the handrails in the stairwell when evacuating? Why were we evacuating at all? Were the rumors we heard later about some not-insignificant property damage true?

Just wondering if what you were hearing was a room party? I was on lobby level and I didn't hear any music.

Also, wow that is gross. Did you notify someone about that? No one is allowed to drop anything from balconies. That will get you ejected from the con.

If you were staying at the Hyatt you should have received a letter from the hotel Saturday night explaining the incident. Someone pulled a fire extinguisher off the wall. Hotel staff told us they weren't caught.

[sentinel28a]

I missed ACen this year for the first time in six years. I barely even noticed.

I see Bob's point here, but for different reasons. I don't mind that the fandom has expanded. That's a good thing, IMHO. A fandom that doesn't evolve dies. Sure, there's very little new anime I like--I stick with my classics, like Evangelion--but that's part of ACen, being introduced to new things. I never would've found Azumanga Daioh or HOTD without ACen. And if we have Ponies? That's okay too. Heck, I have pics of MythBusters cosplayers...

We certainly shouldn't be discouraging any cosplay, as long as it's not breaking the law or risking life and limb. There was a debate on the forums a few years ago over if wearing a Naruto headband constitutes cosplay, or if morbidly obese people should be trying to play Faye Valentine. The answer to both questions is "no," but start on this path, and it is a slippery one.

Bob is right about a few other things, though: ACen has lost something. Yes, anime cons--all cons--evolve. They change. I admit that the things that appealed to me so much about ACen in 2003 (when I was 30) are different than they are now (on the verge of turning 40). But when you've got two threads going on Chit-Chat about how people may not come back next year, and a lot of those posters have been on these boards for nearly a decade, something's gone wrong. I know--I'm one of them. I only lurk on the boards now for personal reasons, but one reason is that ACen has indeed lost something it once had.

The idea of the Masquerade, which I have not attended since 2004 because it was too full, being cancelled because of a pulled fire alarm and a dance? Unpossible. AMV Hell/Midnight Madness being shunted to a secondary room? Three years ago, AMV Hell was one of the biggest draws of the con. Panels being rerouted all over the place, a lack of new guests, no AMV contest...it may have nothing to do with anime, but it has something to do with the con. It sounds like there was a good reason why there was no AMV contest this year, but why did the entire staff quit in the first place? Panels get rerouted in the best of cons, but this has been a trend. And a lack of new guests is inexcusable IMHO--not when tiny-butt Montana cons can get Jim Butcher and George R.R. Martin.

ACen staff are going to have to make some hard choices in the next 370 days or so until the next con. One of those choices may be cancelling one of the raves. Yes, it's a big draw--for a crowd that is bent on destroying the hotel, getting drunk, and acting like idiots. I know all ravers aren't like that, but too many have been in the past. If ACen loses 5000 people because they can't get away from Mommy and Daddy to get hammered for one weekend and cause thousands of dollars in property damage...what a shame. I'm sure Rosemont PD will be absolutely devastated that they can't meet their arrest quota in one night, and local EMTs will be heartbroken that they can't be called out to ACen within 20 minutes of its opening.

ACen can and should embrace fandom, whether it is anime, American comics, Pony, or whatever. Like someone else said, there's a lot of overlap. But there are some things ACen should not welcome or want, and some things it should not discard for being "old." Otherwise it might lose the very core of what built it in the first place.

And that would be a shame.

Ben Da Mad Irishman
"I want to come to ACen 2013"

[Ohki]

therobd, on 01 May 2012 - 02:45 PM, said:

As one of the panelists, I'd like to say that we do try to keep Oregon Trail as anime-focused as we can. We do a playthrough of the game with various challenges determining what choices the contestants make at landmarks. We try to keep those challenges anime and East Asian culture-focused. Some years we have more, and some years we have fewer. "Guess the anime clip" and "Guess what anime this clip is a parody of" are mainstays in each of our playthroughs. This year, we added an anime/tokusatsu fanfiction-related challenge.

We like to ensure that Oregon Trail is as focused on the subject matter of the convention as possible. We realize the panel isn't directly related to anime, and if ACen ever determined that the panel wasn't in line with their core values, we'd have no complaints. I don't believe this is the case, though.

My apologies, then. I just took my program guide and listed off all of the things that I couldn't see a direct connection to anime or Japan with based on the descriptions. I've yet to make it to Oregon Trail, but it's an event that I've wanted to go to for a couple years now. It sounds like great fun, anime related or not.

[therobd]

Ohki, on 01 May 2012 - 11:30 PM, said:

My apologies, then. I just took my program guide and listed off all of the things that I couldn't see a direct connection to anime or Japan with based on the descriptions. I've yet to make it to Oregon Trail, but it's an event that I've wanted to go to for a couple years now. It sounds like great fun, anime related or not.

No worries. This has come up before, and I like to assure people that we do realize that we're panelists at an anime convention. Our panels are meant to fit into ACen, not subvert it. Our panels are meant to celebrate anime and its fans, not ourselves.

[chompzie]

I don't know how much weight what I'm about to say holds, but I attend the Soap Bubble every year I come and absolutely love it. It's one of the things I look forward to all year.

That said, I would much rather have it canceled completely, forever and ever, if that would mean restoring Anime Central's reputation. I don't know if it's Soap Bubble attracting the badly behaved attendees or if it's the badly behaved attendees that are attracted to the Soap Bubble, but something went completely and totally wrong this year with how the whole Soap Bubble-Masquerade fiasco was handled.

Unfortunately I don't have many solutions, because if the Soap Bubble is canceled those people will just try to go to Hardcore Synergy (not sure what happened with that this year, either. Very disappointed). Perhaps moving the Soap Bubble location away from the Hyatt?

Anyway, I mirror other sentiments here about Anime Central still being an anime convention and how geek-dom popculture is all intertwined. Earlier in the thread someone brought up Western influence on Eastern pop-culture. Bravo!

If you want to really get deep into the argument, you'll see that art breeds art and that anime and manga are so deeply intertwined with Western art and influence it's impossible to separate the two. I'd go into the history of Wood block prints and Dutch painters and American animation and occupation of Japan and all sorts of really fun history topics, but all of that information is readily available on the Googles.

If we are celebrating anime, manga, and Japanese pop culture, then we are by extension also celebrating our own animation, comics, and pop culture.

Personally, I found it refreshing out of the sea of Vocaloids and Narutos to see a Dalek here and a Scooby Doo cosplayer there. I won't get into Homestuck, every year there's one thing that's super mega popular and everybody cosplays. Just curious to see what next year's is (I do miss the days when it was InuYasha and Kagome everywhere, though!)

Anime Central is definitely still an anime convention, but does urgently need to address the issue the Soap Bubble and raves are causing/attracting, even if that means the unpopular decision of cutting them/charging for them/etc.

(Maybe a cover charge would deter some of the craziness or people getting a Saturday badge just to go to the rave. If you make them pay another $25-$30 on top of that it may not be worth it to go. I'd certainly pay the money.)

This post has been edited by chompzie: 02 May 2012 - 01:58 AM

[Niroz51]

I personally can understand what you mean. This was my first convention personally but I was quite thrown off by quite a few people. As I stood in line for LM.C many people many people asked to make sure line up for the rave hadn't started whatsoever and these people you could tell weren't really anime lovers. Even throughout the day I came across people who were just killing time until the dances. It's kind of hard to explain but as it got later in the day and the people who come just for the raves showed up I started to feel like the odd man out if I was anywhere near the grand ballroom.

[Emberlynn]

Jeff, on 01 May 2012 - 03:21 AM, said:

I am of the opinion that there should be only a single rave. The crowd these things tend to draw in is not very wholesome for what you've always referred to as a family friendly convention.

^^ ^^ this.

and the ball ... should be JUST that. a Ball. not what I've seen others describe. I'd be ticked off too if I paid for what they got.

cancelling the masquerade, would definitely be the tipping point for me as well

Chompzie brings up a valid suggestion ... charge a COVER for the rave. yes ... an extra ticket. no - you can't buy a pass just to get into the rave. you must also be attending the con to attend.

or ... cut back to one rave. and only con attendees can attend. check all badges. how you can be checking badges and still people are wandering around with last years - boggles my mind.

underage drinking / nonsense and those who supply them should be banned from the con as well.

[Washu Takahashi]

BakaBarbarian, on 01 May 2012 - 08:55 PM, said:

^ This would be a GOOD thing. This con needs LESS people showing up just to act like drunken idiots, not MORE. More and more, it seems that people come to ACEN to drink, have sex, hurt and harass people, and act like jerks.

But taking away the rave isn't only going to send away those who only come to party, but actually attendees who love anime and the like and just want to dance the night away to wind down from shopping and photoshoots and hours of waiting in line. While I understand your point, it's not very well thought out. Acen would lose many more attendees than just the ones that come for the rave. I do agree that something needs to be done to curve this behavior though. Maybe have IRT walking up and down the line kicking out anyone visibly drunk? And if they're walking up and down the line people have more chances to report drunks/gropers/the like. Just saying we need an alternative to completely shutting down the rave. (And again, I don't even attend the raqves, pretty un-biased party here)

[gavv]

sentinel28a, on 01 May 2012 - 11:09 PM, said:

I missed ACen this year for the first time in six years. I barely even noticed.


The idea of the Masquerade, which I have not attended since 2004 because it was too full, being cancelled because of a pulled fire alarm and a dance? Unpossible. AMV Hell/Midnight Madness being shunted to a secondary room? Three years ago, AMV Hell was one of the biggest draws of the con. Panels being rerouted all over the place, a lack of new guests, no AMV contest...it may have nothing to do with anime, but it has something to do with the con. It sounds like there was a good reason why there was no AMV contest this year, but why did the entire staff quit in the first place? Panels get rerouted in the best of cons, but this has been a trend. And a lack of new guests is inexcusable IMHO--not when tiny-butt Montana cons can get Jim Butcher and George R.R. Martin.

That's Anime Hell, not AMV Hell , is quite a big difference . looking at some online footage it definitely seems like Hell 11 had larger crowd than HS 12....

gavv

[MH121]

I can see how having rave/dance each night seem logical on paper. "Keep all the party in one place, thus not causing trouble elsewhere in the convention center or in the hotel rooms/hallways." But, obviously, based on many people's observation from the rooms, parties still happened in many rooms and hallways, way into the wee hours of the night. So, does NOT having rave each night will increase that disturbance? Who knows. It may be interesting to see how many people buy the day pass just to show up for the rave.

As for quality vs. quantity.

I was with a company for almost a decade and we did trade shows in Vegas and Orlando. The problem is that there is only one freaking metric for the measure of a show/convention's success, and that is the body count. It's not the quality (despite what everyone says and wants) but the quantity. What number can you brag to the press after the show. What number can you point to to say that you're the "largest". And too often, people running the show fall into that trap, that we will try anything possible to increase the attendance, even if something is against our core mission. I have seen it happen with the trade shows I worked on and with the trade shows we competed with. It's a endless, vicious cycle. What event draws in the most body? What event helps the overall badge count? And when the decision makers in a trade show and convention fall into that trap, then it is very easy to lose sight on the core mission.

This post has been edited by MH121: 02 May 2012 - 07:17 AM

[Kikai]

Guys. They aren't going to cut the rave. Why? It brings in a lot of money from con goers going SPECIFICALLY for the rave. Should they have cut the Masq short for it? Of *course* not. But a lot of staff have already shown remorse for the bad call.

This thread is so whiny to me, it's ridiculous. Not enough people cosplaying anime? Go do your own cosplay! Not enough anime related panels? Go do your own panel! Not enough anime dealers/artists? Go sell your own stuff! Seriously, you can whine and whine till the cows come home but unless you are also willing to put some effort in then I feel no remorse for you. I understand your frustration and complaints, but you want too much from people who are not even paid to put on a good show for you, and you're not willing to do anything yourself (and that includes not coming back next year if it makes you so angry).

What would happen if they shut down the rave? And this is coming from someone who went to it *once* and was so disgusted I left in fifteen minutes. What would happen? People would get angry over it, the same way people here are getting angry over Acen not being ~anime~ enough. What about the lolita panels? There are a lot of lolitas that would be pretty angry if someone took their programming away too. Do you understand the chaos that would cause or do you just not care? What makes you more important than the other 50% of the attendees who come for the fashion shows, or the rave, or the lolita panels, etc.? What makes what you want more important than the person who paid the same ticket price as you? Because you want a "pure" anime con? Acen is still at least 75% anime in terms of dealers, artists, panels, and shows.

If you want change, volunteer for staff and actually make the change. Or not go next year. Or make good constructive (and plausible) suggestions.

[rondo]

Kikai, on 02 May 2012 - 07:59 AM, said:

Guys. They aren't going to cut the rave. Why? It brings in a lot of money from con goers going SPECIFICALLY for the rave. Should they have cut the Masq short for it? Of *course* not. But a lot of staff have already shown remorse for the bad call.

This thread is so whiny to me, it's ridiculous. Not enough people cosplaying anime? Go do your own cosplay! Not enough anime related panels? Go do your own panel! Not enough anime dealers/artists? Go sell your own stuff! Seriously, you can whine and whine till the cows come home but unless you are also willing to put some effort in then I feel no remorse for you. I understand your frustration and complaints, but you want too much from people who are not even paid to put on a good show for you, and you're not willing to do anything yourself (and that includes not coming back next year if it makes you so angry).

What would happen if they shut down the rave? And this is coming from someone who went to it *once* and was so disgusted I left in fifteen minutes. What would happen? People would get angry over it, the same way people here are getting angry over Acen not being ~anime~ enough. What about the lolita panels? There are a lot of lolitas that would be pretty angry if someone took their programming away too. Do you understand the chaos that would cause or do you just not care? What makes you more important than the other 50% of the attendees who come for the fashion shows, or the rave, or the lolita panels, etc.? What makes what you want more important than the person who paid the same ticket price as you? Because you want a "pure" anime con? Acen is still at least 75% anime in terms of dealers, artists, panels, and shows.

If you want change, volunteer for staff and actually make the change. Or not go next year. Or make good constructive (and plausible) suggestions.

Raves. Is more than one necessary?

Personally, I believe the Masque should be the "end all, be all" anchor of Saturday night. Everything else should work around it.

This post has been edited by rondo: 02 May 2012 - 08:17 AM

[Kikai]

rondo, on 02 May 2012 - 08:14 AM, said:

Raves. Is more than one necessary?

Personally, I believe the Masque should be the "end all, be all" anchor of Saturday night. Everything else should work around it.

Of course, I think so too. I think that the people who put months and months of hard work in to their skits and costumes were severely short-changed, but I think Acen gets the point now and they know they messed up very, very badly.

And no, I think one Rave is plenty. More than plenty. I don't know how someone can go to one of those things and then go to another one soon after. Geh.

[arina_shirakawa]

Raves, Soap Bubbles, Anime/Manga related etc are NOT the problem. The real problem is somehow ACen has gained a reputation of becoming a huge geek drunk sex orgy party, and it's been turning off a lot of people like me, who had been attending since 2001 and stopped coming in the past years. Somehow, it attracted the wrong crowd and no one knows why. (Though I hope it has nothing to do years ago when people ask for pocky in return for sex)

I'm not saying that all people who go to ACen are like that. But comparing to other cons, ACen has lost its family friendly reputation. If I have kids, and if you ask me if I'm willing to bring my kids or allow my teenage kids to stay overnight at the con, my answer would be no.

All cons will envolve one way or another and there's nothing wrong if you see other american style cosplayers here. It's hard to get over 20,000 to follow the same theme. That's one thing everyone has to accept.

I missed ACen for the past few years and did not regret at all. As a matter of fact, I missed how good ACen was before when there were fewer of these instances.

[rondo]

arina_shirakawa, on 02 May 2012 - 08:58 AM, said:

Raves, Soap Bubbles, Anime/Manga related etc are NOT the problem. The real problem is somehow ACen has gained a reputation of becoming a huge geek drunk sex orgy party, and it's been turning off a lot of people like me, who had been attending since 2001 and stopped coming in the past years. Somehow, it attracted the wrong crowd and no one knows why. (Though I hope it has nothing to do years ago when people ask for pocky in return for sex)

Cons provide entertainment, more or less. People come, largely, for that entertainment. If some of said entertainment revolves around a party attitude and nature, well, you're gonna get party people. People rave over the raves/dances/orgies, they bring more people....con caters and brings more of teh party to bring more of teh people..cycle ad nauseum.

But not all, there are still quite a few folks who have grown up over the years with ACEN and prefer more intimate hotel room parties to the mass dances and such.

This post has been edited by rondo: 02 May 2012 - 09:12 AM

[XenoBlade]

Im with one rave only. (tho i know itll never happen) too much money is had from hardcore and "soap"bubble

[arina_shirakawa]

rondo, on 02 May 2012 - 09:07 AM, said:

Cons provide entertainment, more or less. People come, largely, for that entertainment. If some of said entertainment revolves around a party attitude and nature, well, you're gonna get party people. People rave over the raves/dances/orgies, they bring more people....con caters and brings more of teh party to bring more of teh people..cycle ad nauseum.

That I wholeheartly agree. If that is the direction ACen wants to take, then that's fine. Obviously it will attract a different crowd and lose another crowd. You can't please both. But at least don't label the con to be family friendly anymore, because it's certainly going towards a different direction.

[rondo]

arina_shirakawa, on 02 May 2012 - 09:13 AM, said:

That I wholeheartly agree. If that is the direction ACen wants to take, then that's fine. Obviously it will attract a different crowd and lose another crowd. You can't please both. But at least don't label the con to be family friendly anymore, because it's certainly going towards a different direction.

ACEN seems fairly tame when the light is bright during earlier hours, but it does change quite a bit once the night settles in. ACEN After Dark.

Though I agree, I feel the family-friendly moniker is a bit tired and doesn't fit anymore. They may have some family-friendly panels and events, but the overall con cannot claim such a title with a straight face.

[STVO]

Yeah the family friendly nonsense needs to go, I can agree there. We see cosplays with blood and guts, half naked women, this year a Human Centipede cosplay (IRT might have broken it up), and call me crazy, but I don't think multiple PedoBears (which if I were a parent, I would never let my kid get In a picture with one!) roaming the con are considered family friendly. I'm an adult and don't have children and also not easily offended, so I'm fine with the cosplays. Also, if it were up to me I would make the raves 18+, but it would be a challenge.

I think ACen should probably try to indicate to families something like "We have many panels catered to children and families, but there are plenty of panels and possibly cosplays which may not be certain age appropriate." Also let's forget about cosplays and 18+ panels, they always have one place selling Yaoi with the vendor shouting "Yaoi!!!! Get your Yaoi!!!!" I'm sure kids are curious as to what that is.

Family friendly? Ninja, please!