MAGFest 2024 - The Good, the Bad and the Ugly

MAGFest had a reasonably good year but has room for improvement with bands and the arcade.
MAGFest: www.magfest.org/

[@cool_al7505]

The Bust-a-move tournament was a wild goose chase for me.

[@GuyverProxy]

I found that Thursday was lacking in panels, but Saturday was back to back panels/shows/games ... wound up being the best day for us. The Shredventure was one of my most favorite moments in Mag in the 8 years I've attended.

[@standardsloshy]

From someone who stayed off-venue, getting off the bus at 9am and walking into the orchestra was kind of magical ngl

[@osurpless]

Be it the circulator or the general, that’s a great affirmation to work against the whole “Gaylord or bust” mentality.

[@esw01407]

Glad it was something good for you!

[@walterlewis1029]

I agree with what you are saying.

[@piecesofeight_mashups]

Yeah Nandos was slammed. I think they had a shit ton of Uber eats or takeout orders.

[@esw01407]

I wouldn't be shocked, but to a point it was almost like they didn't expect to be a major event in the Harbor on Wed/Thurs.

[@TrashQueenAndKing]

We went Wednesday night, and the service was all over the place. Our friend got his food an hour after everyone else got theirs, and he just got a simple burger and fries

[@osurpless]

@@TrashQueenAndKingMust’ve lucked out myself, as I ordered take out after meeting with a student on Thursday around 7pm, and the hour prep time was spot on. Planned for that time (after cautioning some attendees to be aware in the elevator) and it was waiting for me upon arrival?

[@christianarmstrong3659]

Hello Hello Hello. So i help run panels for magfest and i am looking for all the feedback i can for the Con. I can tell you right now i Can't do anything about Nando's. What i can do is what to select for panels. However saying they are bad is not good enough to really improve. i need more specifics. what you did not like and what you would like to see.

[@esw01407]

Hi, Where I'd start is Saturday were the panel choices, try to add some more general content, and less deep cut panels. Almost everyone in my room felt the content on Saturday perhaps went too hardcore. The Otaku TV panel that was on Friday at 8PM might have done better on Saturday. Did attempt to attend the Saturday 4:30PM Military-Gaming panel, but they were basically full and it was too crowded in there for my taste (I'm a panelist at other cons, so I understand the struggle of trying to guess whats popular.) Throwing some compliments around, the Thursday 2:30PM State's Attorney Investigations panel was rock solid and the panelist knew what they were doing. Friday Swadge panel is usually interesting. I would have liked to see the game preservation/copyright panels more spread out as seems like they were concentrated on Friday. This is also the toughest ones, there was one specific content area that had two panels in the whole con that were repeats. Both I had seen before and I knew to avoid them, as the content wouldn't be interesting or good. Last year I hard to report the one for not being what was in the panel description, but this year they fixed that.

[@BigCuddleMonster]

@@esw01407 Now this is the kind of feedback i can add to my spreadsheet of feedback.

[@esw01407]

I did also attend a "how to get started in VA/equipment" panel that for the life of me can't find the title of by a single presenter. That panel was one of the best beginner in VA panels you could hope to have because he gave realistic information.

[@BeccaMichaelson]

It's called the MUSIC and Gaming Festival and you don't like the music aspects of it?

[@esw01407]

I feel I've given fair criticism to several parts of it. Also fair praise. Some of the concerts I saw were vastly underappreciated, like Glorified Magnified.

[@Tynted]

Regarding instrumental bands: Get the fuck outta here with that. Instrumental bands are one of the pillars this fest was built on, and VGM music is mostly instrumental as well. With the exception of Protomen, bands that add vocals are usually trash

[@esw01407]

You seen one instrumental, you've basically seen them all. Were kinda at the opposite of this one, but I respect your opinion.

[@NeonCowell]

@@esw01407huh?? So ZAKU and Bit Brigade are totally the same? Yikes

[@StetchnikU]

Agreed, and I'd rather see Dom Palombi banging away on his drums or Rob Kovacs at the piano than some of the vocalists. These two acts were extremely well done and drew a huge crowd.

[@piecesofeight_mashups]

For tech, I heard they started using new people instead of bringing on tech veterans. The lasers during Metroid Metal was/is a heated topic, esp.

[@esw01407]

I only heard some rumblings about the lasers, what happened there?

[@piecesofeight_mashups]

@@esw01407 The lasers tech, a professional who was doing it for free, was planning a HUGE extravaganza with the Metroid Metal team, then was told by upper brass somewhere down the line after a good majority of their set plans was finished that they were wanting to go with a new technician (I think in a move to use union-backed employees?). The lasers tech were told to wait, waiting got far too long, they brought it up on social media, then they were told outright that they weren't to do lasers anymore for MAG. That's the best I can regurgitate from memory.