Each year I end up writing a post talking about arguably the most exciting time of the year for me - the summer when Gen Con takes place. Gen Con has become more than a tradition to me, and it's a part of my life that I severely look forward to. Just thinking about seeing all of the people - friends and family alike - as well as check out all the excitement on the floor just fills me with tons of happy. Since it's the beginning of the year, the countdown to the convention has already started. So, with it being a new year and all I decided that I would really take a moment to sit down and analyze the things I wanted to accomplish in 2016. I really feel that I've let myself down - as well as the things I manage - in the past year and that needs to change drastically.
Towards the end of 2015 I feel like I started heading in the right direction. I had a lot of things going for me: I put more attention into I:T, I was playing games again, I started my own line of beard oil that was showing signs of success, and I started looking to the future. Even with all that, I regretted that it took me almost a full year to get it going. Now, with last year behind me, I am pledging to change things going forward. This year I’m looking forward to upgrading my life like it’s never been before. I am looking forward to motivating myself to work harder on my website, gaming, reviews, writing, finances, and much more. There’s something better out there, and this year I’m going to find it.
That’s why I’m already planning for Gen Con. I mean, we’ve already decided that Texas just isn’t the place for us, so we’ll be moving back to Indiana at some point this year. Originally we planned for February, but some things have come up to push that date back. So for now we’re looking toward getting things in order to move as soon as we can, and in the interim we’re planning for positive things. This is where Gen Con comes up. Of course we look forward to the convention at the start of the year, but this year we’re actively going to plan things out straight up to the first day of the con. In the past couple of years we’ve focused on getting a hotel room attached to the convention center. Of course it hasn’t happened yet, but we put so much focus on it that other things slip through the cracks. Last year we devoted more time to checking things out on the exhibit hall floor instead of interview after interview and it worked out for us. I even pledged some time to volunteer at the Shadows of Esteren and Harebrained Schemes booths. We had a blast, even with some mitigating circumstances, and this year we’re going to ensure it blows all the other years out of the water. I think that, with everything we have going on, putting focus on just enjoying the con as a priority will do us well. Of course we’ll spend time talking with some publishers, but this year we’ll be getting news up as we get it instead of scrambling like in the past.
Honestly, I still want to get a hotel room attached to the convention center, but this year I’m feeling like I need to let that notion go in favor of other things. If we book a room out of block, even 6 miles away from the convention center (which is still somewhat close) we’ll end up saving a lot of money in the long run and we won’t be so stammered with other planning. Once that’s out of the way we can even work on better coverage leading up to the convention. Earlier I wrote a small piece on the fact that pre-registration dates are already posted, and, in fact, they are just under a couple of weeks out. We’ll also be able to focus more on what games are debuting at the con as well as what publishers are bringing to the event. Ultimately I feel like this is a much better take on planning than with previous years. It will also help us budget things better so we can grab that one big game that we’ve been eyeing for a while since we’ll save some money by not worrying about the hotel.
Really, I just want to have a good time this year. I’m looking forward to seeing all of our friends and catching up with people. I’m also unusually excited for the prospect of meeting brand new gamers at the convention. While I’ve struggled a bit with anxiety this past year I’m pumped now more than ever to meet new people and interact with them.
With all that being said, I’m hopeful for 2016. I’m pledging to write more, post more, breathe more, and enjoy more. I’ve already played some great games in the first few days of the year and I’m raising a glass to many more. I might even finally pick up a copy of Star Wars: Imperial Assault! Until then I look forward to reviews, interacting with people, getting some beard oil out the door, and turning things around for the better.
