Finally have enough time and energy to post here. My sleep schedule got all jacked up thanks to (fites) you guys and I'm at the point where I'm not dropping dead the instant I walk back into my apartment after either/both of my martial arts classes and then working for 8 hours.
First, I have to agree with Decepticon.
To be honest, I highly doubt that is the reason why more women do not come to lans. I think it's because the ratio of hardcore male to women gamers is somewhere around 50:1. If you have a problem with someone saying they got raped in a game when the connotation is them getting 'rolled'...that's your hangup. It's been used in the gamer world for many a year now by men and women.
As far as censoring attendees...that's not gonna happen unless under extreme circumstances. Such as: direct threats and sincere insults that are racial or threatening in manner.
You know what? Both my sister and my girlfriend wanted to come to this year's event. They couldn't, because one has a child under 2 y/o to watch and the other was crazy sick. Both have had rather Crapty times in their lives, but if one (who didn't know their personal pasts) were to start making dead baby or rape jokes, they would take it in stride. They wouldn't let petty words stop them from having a good time because they'd know that the jokes were not personally aimed at them with the intent to make them feel bad. They know it's a gaming event and that trash-talking is part of the game, especially when it's competitive. Crap, they'd throw the insult right back if they managed to get so much as a single killshot. It's not the words or the "insults" or the tasteless jokes that keep people away from yearly events like this, it's that either a) those types of women that have a competitive gamer streak just aren't very plentiful around here and/or willing to make the trip, or b) those types of women just haven't heard of fites yet.
And the censoring bit. Again, gamer trash-talk. Anything pertaining to that type of "language" is pervasive throughout all sports and/or competitive activities. It's the
intent that matters. Also, the RICFLAIRWOOOOOOOO guy? Unexpected and annoying at first, but by the end of the first 1/4 of the whole event.... sure, rock on with your bad self. It's a once-a-year event where everyone is sitting down like good little boys and girls that're staring at their monitors like so many korean starcraft kids, so outbursts like that are fine. Go on, have fun, just keep mind that if someone asks you to tone it down, be polite and do so. Otherwise, I dig it.
Now to feedback (good and bad):
1. Keep giveaways until sunday morning. I had about a 3-4 hour nap and when I woke up between 4-5am sunday morning, people we gone. WTF. "Force" people to stay and play pick up games. That's what we're here for. If they want to leave, it's on their head, but they'll miss out on something cool.
2. Vendor outside the door. YUM FOOD! She sold it to me for cheap saturday night because she was getting ready to trash it. 3 plates of food for about $6. Goddamn right. Might want to consider a disclaimer of sorts on the main page next year to remind people to carry about $20 in cash on them for the vendor so they can buy stuff whenever they want and not have to worry about getting hit with atm fees from the machine upstairs.
3. No Street Fighter 4 tournament. Are tourneys decided by fites or by gamestop or are they a collaboration? I was looking forward to another fites SF4 battle (one of the few things that I really look forward to), especially with people using Arcade Edition characters. I sincerely hope that Street Fighter X Tekken, which comes out march 6th this year, is going to be on the list for tourney action next year.
4. DC++ server. Keep it going. It doesn't interfere with all the gaming and is something neat to peruse through when you need/want a break and just want to wind down with a video and a drink.
5. Prizes, PRIZES, PRUH-ZIZES! Goddamn, son. That's all I have to say about that.
6. Since fites is selling shirts, I can totally get my sister (and those of you who shared her pics on dc++ know exactly what I mean) to model some shirts or something at a future event. Bonus would be that she could share those on SG and who knows, might even be able to get MORE attendees for future events!
....but that's just this little bear's opinion.
