Almost 4 and a half years ago, I wrote a piece called, Ten-Year Anniversary Half-Life Convention starting a tongue-in-cheek petition for a Valve convention (Which only got 84 signatures!).
For some reason, I started thinking about it earlier this week again.
I really can’t see why it hasn’t happened before. I am sure most readers will say yes to the poll question, but I wonder if the majority of players would go. Saying “yes” to a poll is very different from actually paying money to get somewhere and staying there etc.
Of course, this time it would cover ALL of Valve’s games so the attraction would be wider. Perhaps cost is an issue but they might even cover their costs.
Ideally, they would have 3 or 4 regional ones; North America, Europe, and Australasia (Sorry South America, don’t know if it would happen there!).
Given enough notice, I might even travel to the States and have my own booth (assuming they let fans have them).
What do you think?
Let’s list all the activities they could organize.
Maybe. It will also depend on which day is scheduled and so on. For example, I would not take a day off just to visit such a conference.
Not to say that I’m not interested, it’s just that there are other things to be considered.
I would definitely be interested, but I don’t think I could travel six hours just for that. Maybe during summer holidays I might consider it..? Or if I had some other reasons to travel where ever it was held. But during a normal week, I don’t think I could travel six hours just for that…
Yeah, no question. I drove 12 1/2 hours just to see The Mars Volta play live for 45 minutes…
I had to say no!
As much as I love playing the HL series of games and the Mods/Maps that are associated with them I really can’t see a convention being much of a success. Sure there are a few die hard fans (no, not the series of Bruce Willis’ movies) who might attend but I’m not confident that after all these years the HL series, L4D 1 & 2 or Portal 1 & 2 could draw a credible attendance.
OK that said, the rest comes down to time and cost. Living in London puts New York and Moscow in the 6 Hour time limit by air and depending on traffic (by car) Edinburgh. Other modes of transport (within reason) could take longer to go a shorter distance. As for cost I’d have to justify more than a few days at the target destination (New York, Been there, Seen it, Hated it)!
On top of all that, conventions have some weird people who dress up as their favourite character, I really don’t want to meet a fat, ugly woman who thinks she looks like Alyx Vance (shudder, I need to take a lie down just thinking of it)!!!!!!!!
Sir, I think you are gravely mistaken in your assumption that not that many people would show up.
6hrs isn’t that far. but in reality it is quite a ways. $3.45 a gallon at 24 mpg/hwy would incur a over $100 dollar gas bill one way. now if Alex was going to be in attendance that would change everything. hehe.
Valve/Sierra actually held annual Mod Expos for a few years, and there was some good stuff on display. Am I just showing my age bringing that up?
I voted no. I would only consider going to a ValveCon if it was somewhere in the North-West region of England but I can’t see them ever doing that. Also, as Bolx pointed out, the attendance would probably be poor but if there was a good amount of people going then I would be pretty interested in going.
Either way 6 hours is too long, inconvenient and expensive for me.
Maybe! I less then three the Valve games alot! But Phil I have to say you talk about the games too much! Give other games a chance! 😉 Don’t get me wrong the Valve games are amazing, but Valve games ain’t the only games I play. But that’s beside the point, ValveCon sounds pretty instresting! Maybe I can dress up as a Combine Elite, and act like Chad Vader. Maybe they’ll even bring news on what’s going on in Episode Three! Maybe there would even be a City Scanner RC thing. Well, if there will be a ValveCon, it would be pretty damn instresting!
I would want to go, just depends on time, travel costs ect.
Valve/Sierra actually held annual Mod Expos and they stopped thus I created the mod of the year for moddb.com I would go and help set up!
Depends on if I have money and free time.
Then we have a ageline and probably some other rules to match up with.
Like having a car.
I’m not really a “people person” so I probably wouldn’t. 🙂
Well as I live in Mexico, I must have to get on plane to the US, and that’s more than 6 hours!!, but if I would live there in the states, definitely i’d go.
Maybe. I would most likely go if it was in the NE corner of the United States. This is because right now I am currently a student (but will very soon be in college) so my freedom to go to conventions is limited. I would love to meet up with a lot of the people in the industry from fans (such as Phillip and William’s facial hair) to developers (such as Gabe and Robin)
Maybe. If it was 3 hours then yes I would go, otherwise I would just watch videos for it?
I’m not much of a con man (ha!), but both my girlfriend and I are Valve fans, she likes cons, and I like spending time with her enough that I can have fun with her doing things I usually don’t care for.
If it’s only 6 hours of travel? Of course I would go, I live in f*&king South America!
If this was in held in Sydney, I would definitely go mainly because it’s conveniently close. Travelling a couple of hours to get into the city is not too bad since I do that every day anyway.
I probably wouldn’t if it was held elsewhere in Australia, though. The hassle and cost of organising travelling and accommodation for something I would only spend a day at, is just too much for me to bother with.
Needless to say, international trips are out, unless, of course, I happen to be close to an event while overseas.
If, in the scenario, it was going to be a not to expensive travel, then I wouldn’t doubt!
I said maybe, because it was not mentioned how much ValveCon cost. If it was free, I would definitely go and not mind travel expenses etc at all.