In an average year, I travel to around 5 or 6 cities for conventions. Almost every time I announce an appearance, the most common response is some version of “that’s great! When are you coming to [my town]?”
I’m not coming to your town, but I am coming to your computer (or your tablet or your phone or even your TV, I think) on June 7 for a virtual convention that needs a much better name than Couch Con, because at this moment in time, that creates a very specific, very unfortunate, image. (Maybe it will happen today).
Seriously, I hate every name I think of for this. What would you call a virtual convention where I am the guest of honor, the toastmaster, the featured author, and also the only guest? Wil Wheatcon is kind of cute, I think, but I feel like there’s something better. If you have one, would you comment?
The Untitled Wil Wheaton Virtual Convention came out of an unrelated meeting with my friends and partners in crime at Stands about how we wanted to turn some of my designs into stickers. One thing lead to another, and I’m just going to get to the graphic you’ve probably looked at already:
I love going to cons, and spending time with my people. I love sharing how much we love all our nerd shit. I love the safe place we create together. And I know that money is tight for everyone right now, everything costs more than it should, and just the price of a ticket can put a con out of reach for a lot of people. And that’s not even accounting for whatever we spend on merch, art, autographs, and photo-ops.
So a big, big part of my wanting to do this is the opportunity to do something convention-ish, which is way more affordable, at just fifteen bucks. Hell, get ten friends together and everyone can cover the ticket with the change in their pockets. People still have change in their pockets, right?
I have met tens of thousands of people over the years. I know that this is an unscientific, heavily-skewed metric that would fail any peer review, but I still think it matters that the single most common thing they tell me is some version of “I loved your panel discussion. I wish you’d had more time for questions.”
Well, if you’re one of those people, this is probably going to crawl your dungeon. We have as much time as we want, I can take as many questions as I want, and if enough people ask, I’ll even read you some flash fiction I wrote. And we’re offering some break out, private meet and greets, for anyone who wants that experience.
Oh, I’m also going to pull my kitty ears out and put them on for a Wil Wheatcon exclusive autographed 8×10, if that’s your thing and you wanted to add some whimsy to your life.
A few people I know have done this kind of event, and they all tell me that it’s so much fun, so uplifting, and a wonderful way to spend a couple hours together. I believe them, and I’m excited to experience that for myself. I hope you’ll join me!
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I’m all in on “Wil Wheatcon”. I belong at a “Wheatcon”
– John Wheaton
I totally read the one line as “slash fiction” and was all “well, this is sure gonna get real interesting, real quick…” 😉
Such a great idea, and I hope everyone can help make it a huge success for you (and them!) 😀
Aww YAY! “Wheatcon” really tickled my fancy, and I can’t come up with anything better 😆 Whatever the name, it’s gonna be awesome. I cried tears of joy when I saw you were coming here to Twin Cities Con, and now I’ll get to experience a virtual con, too?! The best news!!
Wil, it may just be the millennial in me, but I love puns very much, which means “Wil Wheatcon” is an excellent name that puts a silly little grin on my face! So if nothing better catches your fancy, don’t stress it!
I love this idea! Cool! [looks up ticket link] Do you know what stinks though? $15 USD is $21 CAD at the moment for some incomprehensible reason. Why does the country which is actively destroying the world’s economy and is almost universally hated (under the present administration) have a stronger dollar than a country that is trying to promote unity? Damn. Not sure I can even afford this convention. I can’t in good conscience buy this ticket when my kids need things and our budget is stretched way too tight. [curses Trump]
Alternate name idea: You Have the Con
Ha!
I’m kind of fond of the Couch Con titling. It invokes a sense of welcoming and suggest this is a relaxed event. Of course, some people don’t know how to act in situations that relaxed, so maybe not a good idea. A couple of other ideas come to mind too. First is WilCon. Simple, short, and rolls off the tongue a little better. That idea is very Wil-focused. If it’s making you feel too narcissistic you could try focusing on your attendees, maybe something inclusive (because you are an inclusive person). Something that invokes the idea that includes everyone no matter where they are located. I don’t have any ideas yet, just the idea of it. No helpful, but maybe helpful?
Count me in!
Yes, I’m trying to figure out how to get your autograph delivered, because Stands doesn’t ship to Argentina, and shipping through Aerobox is super expensive. But I’ll find a way! :/ I don’t plan on missing the chance to see you live and have your autograph. Even if I have to use a VPN and change my IP to watch you, since I’m not sure if the platform will stream here in Argentina, I will be there.
I am so excited that you are doing this, it’s going to be a beautiful experience!
Also, I don’t know if you saw it on Threads, but thanks to your video about the girl who suffered from bullying, my dad confessed to me that he had also suffered from it terribly (so much so that he told me he wouldn’t tell me what they did to him, not even under torture). He had never told me this in 42 years. It was so important to me. And I also got the 1993 Wesley action figure in its original packaging! 🙂 So you are right on my nightstand. Thank you for existing, Wil. You are wonderful.
Also, thanks to your video, I apologized to someone I had treated badly without realizing it and had hurt. They forgave me and we hugged 🙂 You matter so much, Wil. Never let your light go out.
That’s wonderful.
I am so happy to hear it, and I’m thrilled you’ll attend the con. I don’t know how we can get you a signed picture, but I’ll see if I can do anything to help make it happen.
AWWWW I love you, Wil. You are so sweet. You can’t even imagine how many things you’ve helped me with without even knowing me. Before, I loved you as Wesley, but now I love you even more as Wil. Thanks for everything.
Lay in a course for the Wheatcon aystem. Maximum warp!
Love this idea! You could always call it wilwheaton.directcon. Or wilwheatonconbetweenfriends.
Con name suggestions (or non-starters, as you will):
DesCon (a smash-up of Desk Convention… which also implies I’m tethered to a Desktop system)
TableCon (a slightly more relaxed cousin of DesCon that allows for a wider variety of snacks)
IntroCon (’cause, for an introvert, I’m not entirely against people as a concept, but the thought of actually being in the prescence of them is a tad… repellent.)
RemotiCon (for no readily apparent reason)
Wilcon came to mind!
I’m going with WWVC (Wil Wheaton Virtual Con). Has a whole Wrestlemania vibe to it.