Not true!! I have had offers on several of my games, but they are not for sale...

Phoebe

As one that brings games I will have to agree...leaving the free play room open all night for basically for 3 full days is really rough on the games especially the older games. I have mentioned it before, but I just got my Metallica set back up, and it is SOOOO freakin' dirty...I usually wipe down my games first thing every morning before the show opens but didn't get a chance because there was no time to do it. I feel the room should close at 2am or maybe 3am for those night owl folks, and then open back up at 7 or 8 in the morning. That gives owners a chance to clean or work on any issues that have popped up the previous day. For future reference, if the hall is kept open, I will shut all my games down lines or not so that I can clean them and repair any issues.

I'm still recovering from Expo and haven't had a chance to post some other suggestions yet...

Phoebe

I have never stated anywhere that the games were not made to be played, just the opposite, I take games to as many shows as I can and let people play them I don't consider it "beating on them" (your words not mine). That is fine, if you don't want to clean your games don't clean them. If your games are on route and you're used to them getting dirty and cleaning them whenever you get to them that is fine. I don't think that dirt affects how the game plays unless it is to the point of not being able to see inserts or features. I don't necessarily wipe my PFs down everyday at the show, it depends on how dirty they are. I try to wipe them down so the dirt doesn't get spread everywhere making it much more difficult to clean them once they get back home or wherever your games are going. Now I am going to have to pretty much strip Metallica down in order to get all the dirt cleaned off, which may not be a big deal for you, but mine are in my house and I don't get a chance to work on them everyday. I like to keep them up, playing and clean for the most part. I haven't even had a chance to get to Joust, Varkon or any of the others I brought, and Joust and Varkon had over 1000 plays each on them and they are by no means easy to clean. I appreciate you bringing games having other nice games there takes some of the heat off of the others that are there.

Andrew, the free play room doesn't need to be closed every night...leaving it open all night Sat. is fine, but it is nice to be able to get to games to fix them or clean them "if the owner chooses to". Probably a little down time after Expo brawl would be good I had to do a repair on Joust during Expo brawl, but they were using 3 of my games, so there was no chance of me getting to the others to work on or clean them. If the hall being open all the time can't be changed, that is fine too I won't stop bringing games but I will at some point go in and turn them all off so that repairs and some cleaning can be done.

The Women's tournament is apparently not part of the main tourney anymore. So Jen set this up on the fly thinking there would be games out there to use, that was not the case. It was going to take forever on the 1 GOT that was set up next to the tourney games. So when I went to get checked in for my first match, and learned this, I told them that we could use our games as they were the only ones still set up (there were a couple others still set up, but not knowing who they belonged to I didn't want to start using them not knowing when they were leaving). I think that if a section could be sectioned off to be used for this on Sat. (so more women would still be there and able to participate it would be a good thing. I also think that this section could be used for Expobrawl this section could be sectioned off and the rest of the hall could still be open to the rest of the attendees. That is a big complaint...that the free play hall closes for Expobrawl leaving no games available for play Fri. morning. There could also be other tourneys in this area, like maybe a tourney for folks that bring games, or a team tourney for groups that bring games with some cool prizes but you have to bring a game to qualify or maybe some fun tourneys, like an EM, Zen, or kids or any number of others...I'm not talking 4 day tourneys or anything, just single elim. quick fun things to bring in people. I'm sure some of the vendors might donate some little prizes for the winners. I would be willing to move my games to this area, re-level them and let them be used for this, then move them back , just some ideas to think about.

Phoebe

This year we worked on fixing problems on games while the room was open, it wasn't as crowded as in the past so it wasn't too bad. We were able to have our games separated more than in past years, because we knew that with the new room (bigger than old free play room) and the fact that since John Pederson's 50 EM's and Brian Bannon's games weren't there that there was going to be space to have them separated a bit more than normal. It was great that these folks brought their games for the 30th Expo, and I had about half the games I had last year as well. Mike went the extra mile to help get them there last year, and I don't expect that every year. I think it is more up to individual collectors to make the effort to bring games to the show. I have encouraged other folks from my area and they have all stepped up and bring games to support the show.
In the old free play room, in order to work on games we had to turn off the game on either side of it to be able to get to it and it was still tight. Even if we had a cart I don't think it would have been possible to get them out, and the only place to take them would've been out in the hall by the bathrooms. I don't think having a cart is a bad idea (we have had access to carts in the past just no place to go with the pin if we did use it) but I am the only one that is going to move my games, or work on my games which is how I believe most folks feel in this regard. As far as tools, we have been doing this long enough that we carry pretty much everything that we think we will need, although this year Congo actually blew a flipper bracket and was down for a bit while we tried to get a new one. We have a friend that usually has his Pinball van, and carries a pretty extensive stock in there. So I was able to track him down and he had one so we were able to get it back up and running. Alot of folks that know me, know that I usually have "stuff" and if I have something they can use it. or if it is a part they need if I have it I will give it. I do appreciate folks asking, and returning tools and supplies to where they got them though.
So yeah a cart, and an area to remove games to be fixed would be a good plan...but I still think that if the free play room was closed, even from 5am till 8am (with the lights up and on) that would give game owners time to fix issues and clean up games if they so desire. Not even every day. I will say that I will most likely not move my games unless it is down for the count and not gonna be back up. As an example, the other 2 shows that I go to we know what time the show opens to the public we get there anywhere from a half hour to an hour before opening so that we can do a quick cleaning and play test so we can fix any issues we find at this time. We don't necessarily like getting up that early (we are on vacation after all) and we tend to stay up having fun with friends the night before. But if that is the time we can tend to the games that is when we get there. I know that it is a big "selling" point as far as the Expo schedule that the game room is open 24 hours for 3 days straight, but I think it would be just as good if it said open for late night play, and closed for 2 or 3 hours in the morning and then open after that again. I have never been in the free play room from 4 to 7am, so I don't know how busy it is.
I also think it would be nice if the games in the vendor hall were available for play later in the evenings or at other times when the vendor hall is not open, but with the room set up as it is now this really isn't possible. It would be something to think about to find a way to make it happen.
As far as security, more would be nice...If I see someone moving any game that I don't know, and it is not the owner I will go ask what is up, and would hope that anyone else would do the same for my games.
Seminars are what they are...used to be that seminars were well attended and folks had some fun, informative talks. Now it seems that they are being less attended and it is hard to ask presenters to spend lots of time preparing when not many will be in the audience. it seems like most of the so called seminars anymore are pinball companies announcing info about upcoming games or announcing games which to me really isn't a seminar. Although there is nothing wrong with this it just isn't my thing, as I see it now I see the seminars being less and less attended. Maybe instead of calling them seminars, have an announcements time slot that is not as long as a seminar or something like that.

Holy shit this is long!! Sorry bout that!!

Phoebe