Gearing up for PAX West this weekend? So are we! Here are a couple of ways to add some GeekGirlCon to your PAX plans:
The GeekGirlCon Booth
This will be the SIXTH year GeekGirlCon has had a booth in the PAX Diversity Lounge. We’ll be there all weekend long, so plan some time to stop by and get your DISCOUNTED passes, shop our merch, or just say hi! Open daily from 9:30 a.m. to 6:00 p.m., the Diversity Lounge is a laid-back, inclusive space where you can discover a ton of nonprofits that support underrepresented areas of geekdom.
The Golden Ticket
Yep, we’re bringing back the Golden Ticket scavenger hunt for its third year! You could win fabulous prizes by finding one of our Golden-Ticket-holding GeekGirlCon staffers. Keep an eye on our Twitter each day of PAX for hints on who to look for when and where. Once you find a staffer and get your ticket, take it to our booth in the Diversity Lounge to claim your prize!
Description: The 11th Doctor from Doctor Who jumping up and down holding a golden ticket and saying “Golden ticket! Spacey zoomer! Free ice cream!” Source: Giphy.
It’s the most wonderful time of the year, when convention season starts up! GeekGirlCon may still be two months away, but you can get your geek on at PAX West from this Friday through to Labor Day Monday, and you might see some familiar GeekGirlCon faces while you’re there!
Diversity Lounge
We’ll be hanging out for YEAR 5 of our presence in the PAX Diversity Lounge! Come up to the 6th floor of the convention center and say hello! We’ll be selling merch and passes to our convention. You can also hang out in a laid-back and inclusive atmosphere while learning about a ton of nonprofits that support underrepresented areas of geekdom.
Panels
In addition, we have a couple of staffers on panels, so come and learn (more) about representation in games, and the shifting nerdcore music scene:
On Friday, catch yours truly and fellow GGC staffer Hadeel Al-Massari on Gaming While Other, 12-1pm, as we discuss what it’s like to be underrepresented in both games and the gaming industry.
Shubz is also headlining a nerdcore show on Sunday night, so you can catch her music live if you’ve ever wanted to check out nerdcore.
The Golden Ticket
Finally, we’re bringing back the Golden Ticket. On Friday, Saturday, and Sunday of PAX! if you can find a GeekGirlCon staffer holding a Golden Ticket, you can claim it (you just have to talk to us). Tweet a picture of you with your ticket and the staffer, and then take your ticket up to our table at the Diversity Lounge to turn it in for some fabulous prizes!
Want to know where to find tickets? Here’s a hint: these fine people will be roaming around at PAX armed with a limited number of tickets, so you’d better find them before they run out:
(Ferret will not be at PAX.)
Some ticket holders might be easier to find than others! Some might be in cosplay! Check the GeekGirlCon Twitter each morning for their locations. Good luck, have fun!
If you’re into games (or even if you’re not), PAX West is one of biggest gaming conventions of the year. GeekGirlCon will be making an appearance at PAX again this weekend! Starting from Friday and running all the way until Monday, we will be in the PAX Diversity Lounge. I talked to the amazing Kristine Hassell, who has worked to make sure we can take place at this awesome event, about what it means to have GeekGirlCon represented at PAX, and where you can find us!
What is the PAX Diversity Lounge and why is it important?
The Diversity Lounge was first launched in Boston at PAX East in 2014 by Benjamin Williams, co-founder of the Lounge and also GaymerX. The idea behind the Lounge was to offer a space with a specific focus on diversity where PAX attendees could find organizations that represent diverse groups in the industry that might not necessarily get exposure otherwise. The Lounge is free to its participants who have a tabling opportunity to network with PAX attendees, reach a new audience, and to improve the overall inclusion at PAX.
Since relocating to Seattle in 2006, I have attended every Seattle PAX. With each passing year, I was pleased to see better diversity in the attendees. So when GeekGirlCon was invited to participate in 2015, I felt it was important that we participate for several reasons. As a non-profit, our operating budget is snug and we could not afford the tabling costs to come to PAX. As a WOC geek, I demand better representation in my games, media, and at the functions I attend. I believe the inclusion of spaces like the Diversity Lounge benefits the greater geek community that might not otherwise be exposed to organizations like ours, AbleGamers, or I Need Diverse Games, to name a few.
Come and see Kristine Hassell in the Diversity Lounge at PAX this weekend!
What is GeekGirlCon doing at PAX?
GeekGirlCon staff members and board members engage with attendees to tell them about GeekGirlCon. It’s a treat when someone has already attended a previous GeekGirlCon convention and want to share a favorite memory from our convention. We pass out promotional cards and candy, sell passes to our convention in October, and offer a small amount of merchandise for sale. So you should totally swing by and say hello!
What can PAX attendees expect from meeting GeekGirlCon in the Diversity Lounge?
Smiling faces, answers to their questions about why GeekGirlCon is an important organization, witty banter, and candy. We always bring excellent candy. We will have a limited amount of merchandise to sell for those who couldn’t make our convention or who want to rock one of our sweet tees back home in Kalamazoo*! All proceeds directly fund our all-volunteer non-profit and support our convention which takes place October 8 and 9 at the Conference Center at the Washington State Convention Center.
I hope that if someone has never heard of GeekGirlCon, they walk away with a better understanding of why we do what we do. Our conventions are celebratory but they are also a carefully curated safe space with a strictly enforced zero tolerance harassment policy. Our focus is on the support and celebration of women in the geek community but it’s important to know that everyone is welcome at our convention. Our catchphrase this year is Every Geek, Everybody and we mean it. Our mission of inclusion and diversity is something that we are more than happy to discuss with curious folks. I like to tell people how I found GeekGirlCon and what it means to be as a WOC geek.
Sounds awesome! Where can I see GeekGirlCon in action?
If you are attending PAX, stop by the Lounge on the 6E Lobby on the 6th floor. Come and visit us between 10:00 a.m. and 6:00 p.m., Friday, September 2 through through Monday, September 5! Check out our swag, start a conversation, or just come by to say hello to some fab GeekGirlCon folks, myself included!
*Unbeknownst to Kristine, I actually used to live in Kalamazoo!
Sailor Scout Luna, photo by Sayed Alamy. Courtesy of GeekGirlCon Flickr.
GeekGirlCon is looking forward to participating in the inaugural PAX Prime Diversity Lounge. This is the first year that GeekGirlCon will be attending PAX.
We at GeekGirlCon are committed to providing a safe space in the gaming community and at PAX Prime. We look forward to engaging with our community and talking with anyone who has questions about our mission of inclusion and diversity or wants to know more about our focus on the support and celebration of women in the geek community.
If you are attending PAX, stop by the Lounge. Check out our swag, start a conversation, or just come by to say hello! We’ll have some awesome GeekGirlCon goodies available for purchase, plus passes to our convention this October 11 and 12. All proceeds directly fund our all-volunteer non-profit and support our convention.
The Diversity Lounge is located in the East Lobby on the 6th floor, just above the main entrance to the Expo Hall. Come and visit us between 10:00 am and 6:00 pm Friday, August 29 through Monday, September 1, and chat with some of the fab GeekGirlCon volunteer staff.
