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William R Ward wrote:
>
> Frank Filz <ffilz@mindspring.com> writes:
> > It definitely does to me. It was one of the issues I had with
> > BricksWest. The "official" display space was all public display. There
> > were a few tables (and a stage (1)) in the session rooms which got
> > appropriated for unguarded display for attendees. The setup of
> > BricksWest almost felt to me like a big train show for the public, with
> > some stuff for the AFOLs on the side. I'm concerned that with the push
> > for the whole thing to be in LLC next year that it will be even more of
> > an event for the public (2).
>
> I just want to chime in and say I take a completely opposite view.
> The best part of BricksWest for me was the public display. I loved
> having the kids and parents milling about and saying nice things about
> my models. And it gave us a chance to recruit for our LUG/LTC, since
> there were a number of bay area folks who just happened to be at
> legoland that weekend.
>
> My favorite part of the LEGO hobby is when a kid sees one of my models
> and his eyes light up and he says "Wooahh" and you can just see the
> little gears turning in his mind as he figures out how to build
> something similar.
I get a lot out of the public aspect also. But my point is that I get
that several times a year without paying $150/night for a hotel room. In
fact, lately, I can get it almost as often as I want just by convincing
one other person to go over to the mall and open up.
On the flip side, it was a real bummer to me that I didn't really get
much chance to talk with SCLTC folks because they were so busy with the
train display (and several on Sunday commented that by the end of the
day, they were wiped out from that and just didn't feel that up to
participating in other parts of BricksWest).
> Our club meetings are open to the public for about half of the day (we
> have a members only time during which we set up our models and train
> layout, then we throw open the doors and all the kids who are going to
> the library to get books come flooding in...). So the format was very
> comfortable for me.
I've been to three meetings which were open to the public for part of
the time, and I like the format, but even then it does somewhat diminish
the opportunity to meet with the AFOLS.
> I understand that some clubs meet in private places like people's
> homes, and that they don't even allow kids to attend. I think that's
> a big shame. I'm glad that NWBrickCon and BricksWest aren't going to
> be like that.
I wish there was a format which would allow kids to be involved in LEGO
clubs, but I do see one very convincing argument against it, especially
if you meet in people's homes. In our current society, all it takes is
one kid to decide it would be fun to accuse someone of abuse, and that
person's life is instantly trashed, and likely the whole club would be
trashed.
> > To me, a LEGO con is an opportunity for fans to get together to share
> > ideas, and do things like play the Pirate Game which require a bunch of
> > people. A major part of the experience for me is being able to handle
> > things (of course even in an AFOL con, some things should only be
> > handled with direct permission of the owner - but I was perfectly cool
> > with AFOLS opening my seaport, and obviously the Pirate Game is all
> > about handling and playing with the LEGO.
>
> I couldn't care less about the Pirate Game, or "gaming" in general.
> It's all about the MOC's for me. Handling them is of little interest
> to me; I'm perfectly happy if the model's owner gives a brief demo of
> its capabilities.
And I don't expect everyone to care about the Pirate Game, but I'll tell
you, it was the reason I decided to go to the expense of going to
BricksWest. Oh, I might have decided to go anyway, but when Steve
Jackson appeared on the guest list, I was instantly sold. So were
several other people (who were real disappointed that there were only
relatively short sessions for the game).
It's also all about MOCs for me, and being able to closely examine them.
And have time to talk to the creators without them being driven to
distraction by kids reaching for pieces.
I want to have time for both things, and my point is that it doesn't
take a national event to be able to show off your stuff to some
strangers. Without a national event, I would never have met a large
number of AFOLS.
Frank
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