55 thoughts on “Wil Wheaton’s 2008 PAX Schedule”

1. Jerky Boys reference! Nice!

2. I’ll see you there, and may be on the same flight as Paul again. You have another FFG present coming your way.
   – Jeremy

3. I wish I were going to PAX, but work is pesky that way. Hey, do you still have copies of Sunken Treasure? I was so excited to talk about art, that I totally forgot to get one from you at San Diego.

4. Don’t think Paul’s going this year, Jeremy. He just bought a house.

5. Wil: So, I’d really like to avoid a “By Grepthar’s Hammer! By the Sons of Morvan!” sort of moment, utterly failing my save vs geeking out at meeting you – I have a sneaking suspicion you understand this desire.
   I’d like to request some sort of rehearsable go-to on behalf of myself and others, a succinct and practicable greeting to use in case fanboy disaster strikes and threatens to EMP all coherent thought circuits in my brain.
   You know, a step back in awkwardness from “Bah-weep-Graaaaagnah weep ni ni bong”, or “we’re not worthy! we’re not worthy!”, but something that says “Hello, Wil, I am a great and long-time fan of your work in various forms, and am completely overjoyed to meet you. I would love to say exactly this in a calm and even tone right now, but HOLY FUCKING SHIT YOU’RE WIL WHEATON.”
   You could then translate the frothing, delusional delivery of this go-to into that calm and heartfelt greeting in your head, and everybody wins. Being that you’d be hearing it a lot this weekend, your input on what would not annoy you would be very helpful. There’s something calming and futurama-y to me about “I favor unreasonably large subsidies to the Wheaton planet.” I have no doubt the WWDN faithful can come up with better.
   Also, it’s entirely possible I might say “Holy shit, it’s my bookshelf’s Wil Wheaton!” if I were to encounter you randomly on the show floor. I apologize in advance.
   See ya this weekend!

6. I hope I have time to wait in line – I have a Wesley Crusher action figure I want you to sign.

7. Yay Wil for your support of casual games! I’m going to bring you Big Fish Games swag for that! (So don’t be creeped out!)

8. Just when I finally got that clown out of my head, you go and put it back. Gee thanks, Wheaton!
   On a less sarcastic note. Have fun this weekend. Kinda of sad I’m missing it this year.

9. Family Feud is responsible for the death of my grandmother… so, well, you know where I’ll be.
   Anyhow, the wife and I are pretty excited to be meeting you this weekend, just hope we can find where your booth is!

10. Wil,
    I wish you the best of fun at PAX. However, due to that pesky thing called money (or the lack thereof), I am unable to attend.
    It’s been quite a few years since I last attended a sci-fi-anything convention, and it was when I met Jonathan Frakes and Tom Baker (1991 O’Hare airport area). Hopefully the next one I attend will be to meet you! Seriously – that’s wasn’t a “brownie point” *grins*

11. While I would love to be able to attend PAX (my sister just had her first baby only 10s of miles away from there!) I won’t be able to be there…
    Course, i’ve got a better excuse, in that I’m getting married, and inheriting a step-daughter while I’m at it.
    Wil — thanks for all your stories about the boys. You don’t know how much they’ve helped me overcome my fears of step- parenting. A few years ago, I never would have looked twice at this woman and her daughter except as friends. But with your easy-to-relate-to demeanor, I wizened up and made the plunge.
    Thanks for everything!

12. I would love to go. I’m a lot closer to it now than I ever was before. I wonder if I could get the husband to drive us three hours in the wrong direction towards home….

13. So excited to be going to PAX this year. I marked the casual gaming panel on my schedule as something I wanted to go to before I even noticed you were on the panel. Very cool.
    See you there!
    Cheers!

14. Been following your twitter and reading your blog for a couple of months now. Finally today I figure out that PAX is here…in Seattle (duh). $50.00 to come meet you is pretty steep, but it’s good to know you’ll be here. BTW – I’ve enjoyed everything I’ve seen you in.

15. If Pax came to Canada, I would introduce myself. I would also give you an autographed picture of me 🙂
    I’m so humble, I just gotta tell you!
    Have a blast, Wil! And don’t say that you wouldn’t go to your own session. Self-doubt is contagious. Crowd killer!

16. Oh, and I have no Wesley action figures for you to sign.
    Just an awesome new Mad Monk action figure with left-hood liberal theology to punch out conservative Christians!
    That, and my action figure looks drunk, cause he likes Guinness.

17. I don’t comment much, but I’m sure I’ll stop by the booth at some point during the weekend 🙂 (Nice Stephen King reference there, btw, but please don’t quote it when I say hi- that’s like the scariest quote of any SK book/film of all time…)

18. This will be my first convention. My son had been trying to convince me to go to PAX and I must confess I wasn’t sold on going – until I found out I would get to meet you. So you could say I am looking forward to meet you – and get some books too!

19. *shiver* Can’t sleep…clown’ll eat me! *rocks*
    I couldn’t look out of the windows of my house after dark for months after I saw that damn movie!

20. This really makes me cry that I can’t be there, like honest to bob. I was suppose to go, had my tickets all lined up cause a friend of mine is working at PAX (he works for Microsoft’s Xbox div doing game reviews and such) but HUGE SIGH, am stuck in the office getting ready for our launch.
    I even have to work on my oldest’s baby’s 13th birthday.
    Have fun and safe travels. You should at some point, hope the ferry from Seattle to Victoria and do some type of event on the island, like Duncan even 😉

21. gah should be hop not hope. Working till 4 am PST does nothing for my brain power

22. Sorry but I really have to make an Off-Topic Comment here. Maybe people might share my awe (PS I’m not a political pundit just an average joe).
    Today, in the middle of the DNC roll-call for the next Democratic candidate for president, the roll-call was halted midway by no less than Hilary Clinton herself, who placed a motion at the DNC that Barack Obama be nominated as the Democratic candidate for president by ACCLAMATION.
    Ladies and gentleman, nerds and Star Trek fans alike … this indeed is a historic moment for the country. The first black man in history has been nominated for president of the United States and will likely win. And has won the Democratic nomination by acclamation.
    What a moment to watch. Martin Luther King: Americans are now a few feet from the Mountain Top.

23. Can’t make it, dearly want to. I read all of your blog posts, and have for a couple of years, but rarely comment. (Fangirl, yes. Just a wee bit.)
    So I’m sending my husband, and his future bliss may be dependent on him returning with properly signed books of your authoring. 🙂
    Funny story: During one of our really hot days a few weeks ago, I came home from work to find a little parakeet (budgie) in my front yard. It had clearly escaped from somewhere, and it was way too hot and dry for it to survive long, so I caught it and brought it inside.
    I have been unable to locate the owners, so here I was with this traumatized bird, that just sat in one place in its little cage, and never made a peep. Until…
    Last week I was watching a google video of your keynote from last year (the whole thing!) About 3 minutes in, the bird started hopping around and chirping. I turned the sound off, bird stopped. Back on, bird chirps.
    The damn bird has not stopped chirping since. He is suddenly a happy, noisy bird. So thanks… I think.
    Have fun at the PAX!

24. So, I guess I should start commenting more, that way if/when I finally catch you somewhere you can say, “OH, so you’re Caitlen. I..uh..have to go…and find my…um…yeah.”
    Also, I almost never watch horror movies but I have seen It. Tim Curry was so great in that role that my joy in watching him outweighed my fear of the creepy killer clown. Maybe it was just easy for my mind to picture the clown with fishnet stockings on. Does that make me weird?

25. Whoo, PAX! Can’t wait to meet you this year; missed out last year when a pinched nerve in my back kept me from standing in line. Btw, do a Twitter search on ‘PAX’ to see the infectious excitement of your fellow PAX-goers!

26. I’ve been reading your blog for at least the last… year and a half–I’m über (mit umlaut) excited to meet you in person, at which point you’ll hopefully be kind and shake my hand and let me buy you a beer.
    Crossing my fingers.

27. Curse you, Wheaton! Always at shows out West!!:-) Just kidding. Wish I could be there. I would love to get one of your chapbooks some day. We need to get you out here for a MotorCity Comic Con. I guarantee you would have at least one person at your booth!:-) Have fun! Loved the “It” reference.

28. I would so love to be at PAX this weekend, but alas, the Midwest is too far, and it’s too expensive for us right now. It hurts even more because not only will you be there, but we have dear friends in Seattle whom we haven’t seen in forever. Maybe next year, we’ll schedule a trip to that area at the same time as PAX, unless you add an East Coast or Midwest location to your convention schedule. It probably won’t happen, but one can hope, right?

29. Well, I’m not a regular commenter, but I’m still going to introduce/make an ass of myself. So look forward to that! See you there.

30. Hey Wil,
    It’s the kid that was silly enough to ask you last year if you’d read Ender’s Game. Of course you’ve read Ender’s Game. /sigh
    Anyway, this year I return to PAX, and want to be in the group “Wil says” photo you mentioned back when the shirt came out. I’ve got my shirt, but which day do I wear it? I only bought the one!

31. So wish I could afford it. Hoping for next year!!

32. I’m mostly a lurker, not much of a regular commenter. I do watch your twitter, cuz I’m somewhat stalkerish that way. >.> ANYWHO! I’ll definitely be at PAX and definitely want to meet you. I hear Mustin of the OneUps is giving you free goodies. Sign my the OneUps t-shirt for me prz? <3<3

33. Ok, I just made an account for the sole purpose of posting here, just so that if I can get my 2 year old to cooperate long enough for me to stand in line & get you to sign my (husband’s) copy of ‘Dancing Barefoot’ I can say I posted on your site.
    And I’m totally with Patrick K up there on not wanting to go too fangirl but… I doubt I’ll succeed.
    So if you see a toddler running around during your panel… it’s probably mine.

34. PAX is not an option for me, being unemployed and living thousands of miles away in Montréal will do that, but I thought I could give you a cool argument for that “casual games killing hardcore games” panel.
    The simple fact is, there are, and there will likely remain, for the foreseeable future, a large number of hardcore gamers. The new wave of casual gaming isn’t making that group smaller (except in comparison) and as a matter of fact, it may help the hardcore group to grow.
    The situation is similar to what happened in the late 60’s and early 70’s, when Star Trek became popular: suddenly, a lot of people who were not previously science fiction fans (the hardcore gamers in my analogy.) Some people in SF were enthusiastic, thinking that all those people would soon be reading book and magazine SF. In actual fact, what this mostly created was a market for Star Trek novels, and cheap knock-off TV shows.
    But that never killed “real” SF, and with some Star Trek fans graduating to “real” SF, this became a huge win-win for everyone! It even paved the way for such things as Star Wars.
    I believe the analogy holds for gaming: most casuals will either remain casual gamers, and that’s OK, because without this new wave of casual games, they would have just been non-gamers instead) but some will get bitten, and will end up playing more hardcore games and liking those.
    Right now, a lot of those new casual gamers are buying all sorts of games, including some very crappy ones, simply because they don’t know any better. That wave will probably end fairly soon, as long as enough good casual games get published. Those initially clueless casual gamers will wise up pretty fast, because we’ve all known, all along that playing video games tends to make you smarter (as long as they’re played in relative moderation and not to the exclusion of other essential things.)

35. Fives of people! That made me laugh. You know there will be tons. If I was in Seattle, I’d stop by for sure 🙂

36. I read (and I’m probably not the first) :
    Friday
    3-4PM: Singing in my booth
    7-8PM: Singing in my booth
    Wouldn’t that be something? 🙂

37. Hey Wil,
    First of all, have an awesome weekend. It sounds like you have a full plate, and since you’re not keynoting this year, you’ll be able to spend more time and enjoy the con.
    I think you’re underestimating the draw that someone who was last year’s keynote will have. I can’t imagine you won’t have a full house.
    One of these years I’ll schlep out to PAX to see you, but not this year. Friends and I are driving down to DragonCon; it’s their first time going.
    Remember, don’t fight the chair, lead your targets, and above all, relax! 🙂
    Craig Steffen

38. I’d love to, if I were closer to Seattle – I’ll sit here in Chicagoland and patiently wait for the mountain to come to Mohammed. 🙂

39. You know, I lurk on a few blogs, but I don’t really comment on any of them. I think I might pick yours as the one I start being social on.
    I mention this because I was thinking how cool it would be to get to go to PAX, meet you at your booth, and feel like I was part of your “circle”. It got me thinking that a) I need to start saving money to go next year (I live in Tampa) and b) it would be awesome to meet some cool people online instead of just reading about them.
    Have fun at PAX! Hopefully, I’ll see you next year!

40. Can’t wait for PAX! Thanks for letting us know where you’ll be. My fiance and I will be at both panels and hopefully be able to stop by your booth so I can get my copy of Dancing Barefoot signed 🙂

41. Wil, you need to start coming to Cincinnati.

42. I’ll certainly try to get a copy of your new book while I’m there. I’d love to say hi, but figure I’d smarm you. You’ve mentioned it before somewhere in a blog where your readers feel like they know you, but the reverse obviously isn’t true. I’m a gamer from way back, married a woman with kids with rougly similar ages to yours, I’m roughly the same age as you. I even used to play a lot of poker :). A lot of parallels that make your books and your blogs very meaningful to me. I’d love to hang out and swap stories, but, well, I’d just come across as some creepy fan.
    I was really psyched about “You want kids with that?”, but I guess that’s been somewhat permanently tabled :(.

43. If I had the money/time to go to PAX, I would TOTALLY go to a panel with your name in it.

44. I looked at your booth schedule and winced. I’ve three conferences this month and just did a little dance that we decided not to do booths at any of them. \o/ I hope you have time to enjoy life outside of smiling and signing and shaking hands!
    (also, how annoying is it that my industry conferences conflict with PAX and Dragon*Con? VERY ANNOYING)

45. *printing!*
    My husband is planning almost our whole weekend, which I’m fine with because I’m not a huge gamer, I’m just along for the ride, but he knows that we ARE GOING to see Wil Wheaton’s panel. It’s the only thing on my To Do list. Also, I will try and get there early to buy a book or two or something! Wheee! See you tomorrow! 🙂

46. Damn you Wil. I still haven’t convinced myself to go… but now I wanna.

47. I will definitely be stopping by your Sunday panel and your booth. If I go on Saturday I’d be interested to go see your panel as the definition of gamer closest to me would probably be a casual one. We moved to the Seattle area a week ago and PAX is first on my to-do list, mostly so I can exchange you shiny gold rocks for your stuff.
    In a fit of brilliance and illiteracy, I misread which weekend PAX was and showed up to the convention center this past weekend, wondering why it was so empty. Win.

48. Wil – This is COMPLETELY off subject, but I can’t figure out a way to e-mail you on the side.
    Knowing you’re a fan of Infocom games — and especially their version of Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy — I thought you might enjoy this:
    http://www.douglasadams.com/creations/infocom.php
    You can actually play the entire game, online, looking just it did on the old Apple IIe.
    Of course, if anyone else has already hepped you to this, color me dumb…

49. I’m going to stop by on Sunday to check out the “The Wil Wheaton Panel”. I’ve never been to PAX, (as I’m not a really a gamer), but I’m really looking forward to it.

50. I admit I am a newbie to the Wil fan club but have started following your blog since I first got to meet you at Emerald City Comic Con ‘07. Where I might add you were very cordial to me. Of course in my brain I’m thinking here is another stuck up Hollywood star but that all changed after meeting you. After reading your blog for a while and finishing up a host of other books in my list to read I find my self in need of some new reading material. I had Friday off work so to PAX I go. Once at PAX I figured I could hit up your booth and buy your books. By the time I got to your line the PAX enforcer told me I was to late and he was the end of the line. OK fine many things to do at PAX until your back at your booth. I got back in line at around 6:30pm or so. I waited in line anticipating getting your books when I’m about three or four people back from the front of the line I recall your earlier post about failing a vital saving throw with Randall Munroe and come to horrible realization I didn’t have enough cash on me and odds are you don’t have a debit machine stashed in your pocket. I am now faced with the humiliating circumstance of standing in line for 45 minutes and bailing at last second or jumping in with both feet and hope I have enough cash for at least one book. My saving throw failed miserably. So I was the big guy with a black army hat that asked how much the books cost, with a Friday only badge, and then made up some stupid shit about reading your blog, shook your hand and wasted your, and everyone else time. Sorry and I promise next time I will be better prepared. Funny how a gaming convention will lighten your wallet faster than expected. The worse part was I ran to find an ATM or something and my stupid ride decided to leave early so I never got a chance to go back. I promise to buy your books and bring them to you to be signed at a later date. P.S. Thanks for be kind to the guy who rolled a one on a d20. Oh and tell B-Rad T-Roy says Hi!

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