Yahtzee is gonna need a police escort at this rate
I went to the Game On exhibition at ACMI in Melbourne the weekend before last and had a kick ass time. At least I did when I could get on any of the games - it was pretty busy. Tip from the wise - go mid week.
Then I noticed at the end of the last Zero Punctuation review that Yahtzee was going to be on a talk panel there. So I figured it could be kinda interesting to head along and see what he had to say.
I’m a Zero Punctuation fan, but even considering how popular Zero Punctuation is, I figured it was still kinda niche and it probably wouldn’t be that busy. WRONG. Seems most of the gamer geeks in Melbourne had the same idea. Now gamers are still a pretty small minority here, but Melbourne has a population of four million, so even if we only make up 0.01% of the citizenry, that is still a good few hundred people.
It was a free event, but they had a ticket system to stop overfilling. Apparently tickets sold-out about 4 hours before the talk started. By the time I turned up about 20 minutes the start, there were lines going the whole way around the entry foyer queueing for the stand-by tickets.
Basically the place was like waiting outside a major sold-out rock concert trying to somehow get some tickets to get in. It totally had that rock vibe. You could catch the excited chatter. Some young geeks waiting in line next to me were talking about how “I saw him! And he was wearing his hat!”. In fact, quite a large proportion of the attendees were actually wearing the trademark 1950s hat Yahtzee is so fond of. It’s entirely possible they actually just saw one of those guys (I don’t know which set of geeks are sadder…). The whole thing was really surreal. I’m glad I had my iPod, cause I was getting a little scared… And I’m supposedly one of those people. Imagine how the general public would have taken it!
I asked a staff member, who seemed quite overwhelmed and flustered by it all. She said to queue up at the ticket sales line to get tickets to get in. I got half way through there, and another staff member was directing people to a different line for stand by tickets. Kind of a wild goose chase.
Eventually a staff member came along and told everyone that they basically were not going to get in. About all we could do was to contact ACMI and request a repeat session at a bigger venue. *sigh*. This is after I made the effort to put shoes on and leave the house - that takes a big effort on a Sunday afternoon. So no talk session for me 
I’m hoping the Escapist magazine starts shelling out for a security detail and bullet proof car when Yahtzee goes out in public soon. At this rate he’s going to need it.
Stumble it!
RabbidRaven responded on 19 May 2008 at 4:08 pm #
Hah, Thats awesome! I was thinking of going myself but I ended up to busy with homework. Bad luck about missing Yahtzee though.
Gehn responded on 19 May 2008 at 11:22 pm #
Wow, that’s crazy.
But being a celebrity like that just because of a few (hilarious, granted) video reviews has to suck. I mean srsly, is it possible to do something cool on the internet without having a bunch of people want to be just like you? It’s kind of creepy…
Matt responded on 20 May 2008 at 3:13 am #
I knew he was popular, but not that popular! Unlucky you never saw him… I doubt he looked that interesting though.
n00bie51 responded on 20 May 2008 at 7:55 am #
Yahtzee is extremely popular, I would have expected more than a few hundred people to attend.
Pinko responded on 20 May 2008 at 10:52 am #
Imagine if you held one! Dear god, the lines would go around the world eighteen times! You’d have to hold it in space with a couple hundred miles across screen so everyone on one hemisphere could see it! :O
madlep responded on 20 May 2008 at 11:13 am #
@Pinko HA! Doubt it
I should have gone all scout rant on the staff at the door though.
“I don’t even know where to start with you. I mean, do you even know who you’re talking to? Do you have any idea. Any idea who I am? Basically, kind of a big deal.”
madlep responded on 21 May 2008 at 8:37 am #
See, this is what I mean:
http://www.escapistmagazine.com/articles/view/issues/issue_150/4915-Where-Things-are-Hollow
twotwothree responded on 22 May 2008 at 12:58 am #
I guess ‘fame’ is a relative term to what you are doing at the time though. Not everyone thinks the internet makes you famous.
http://www.cnn.com/2008/TECH/05/01/roflcon/index.html?eref=rss_latest
The other thing about the internet is, because the ‘item of fame’ is able to be reproduced at any time without too much issue, 15 seconds of video can lead to a lifetime of fame.
Leeroy Jenkins is a prime example of this. He hasn’t done anything noteworthy since. But he’s still ‘famous’.
Although, I have to say I really would like to see Madlep walk up to a convention ticket taker with a baseball bat over one shoulder, a pair of shorts knee high socks, and a headset. I can see it now …
Gentlemen
/cloak
madlep responded on 22 May 2008 at 5:23 pm #
@twotwothree - BOINK!