Blaugust Day 15: Underground BlizzCon Survival Guide

While I was at work, I got to thinking about my budget and my plans this year for BlizzCon. Checked and double-checked my vacation time, went over the different things I had lined up, and thought about the different stuff I brought or did last year. So I’m gonna share my… not quite kosher BlizzCon Survival tricks. Some essential, some a bit sneaksy.

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• Comfy socks and shoes can NEVER be emphasized enough. If you don’t want to hate yourself, make sure you’re good to go.
• If you’ve gotta use the bathroom, the ones in the back corner of the main hall are almost always completely empty. There’s two bunker-type pillars, and each has bathrooms. Usually overlooked, but if the lines are forever in other places, it works.
• Pockets are your friends. Even if you’re bringing a backpack or purse or something, a good pair of cargo shorts makes the difference, usually because….
• Security checks bags for outside food/drink when you enter, along with computers. DO NOT try bringing a laptop. However, if you want to pack some trail mix, or protein bars… well, as I said. They check the bags. And cargo pockets are kinda awesome.
• Live it up. Don’t just sit in the main hall the whole time, if it’s your first year. And don’t just go back to your room each night after the convention is closed, then line up the next morning. Meet people, grab a drink. Have a blast.
• FOR THE LOVE OF ALL THAT IS GOOD AND HOLY, FOLLOW PROPER HYGIENE ETIQUETTE. Statistically speaking, if only one person out of every hundred decides to skip a shower, or deodorant… and there’s a couple thousand there… you don’t want to deal with it. Other people don’t want to deal with it. Even if it means getting up earlier, please, for everyone. Just using deodorant/body spray/perfume/cologne doesn’t cut it, and can make it even worse.
• Try stuff! The food trucks out here are awesome, and I also make it a tradition to have some of the taco stands inside of the convention each year. Pretty damned tasty, and decent enough value. Also, Noble Brewing is based in Anaheim and they sell beer inside.
• If you’re the type who doesn’t want to buy your own booze *at* the convention, well… there’s ways to get it in. Just don’t be belligerent or drunk.
• If someone’s trying to get their group in an area of seats, don’t be the asshat who dive-bombs over the backs of the chairs and plops down into the middle because there isn’t anything against doing it. That’s like saying there isn’t anything against face-pulling a boss or a whole instance while everyone else is getting ready, just because you’re in LFR.
• COMMON COURTESY IS EVERYTHING. Even though I wish I didn’t have to toss that on there… it’s kinda a key to surviving it. We’re all at the convention to have fun and enjoy ourselves. Don’t ruin it for everyone else by being a dick, and make them ruin it for you by returning the favor.
• If you’re hanging out in the Hilton/Marriot lobbies, there is no open alcohol allowed outside of the buildings. However, if you swing up to your own stash in your room, fill your cup, and bring it back downstairs, well… /shrug
• If you’re not planning on charging like a raging animal, don’t try to push forward in the line for the first day.
• There’s a Starbucks in the Hilton.
• …There’s a Starbucks in the Hilton.
• If it’s allowed or not, even if there’s nothing particularly harmful about it… please don’t vape in the middle of a seated crowd. Again: Don’t be a dick.
• If you plan on doing shopping, be prepared for a multi-hour line, and even then, be prepared for them to not have the one exclusive thing you want. To counter that, charge inside right to the line instead of opening ceremony.
• Nothing makes you or others happier than having a portable charger for wireless devices. And even if there’s wifi, it’s gonna be every single person there trying to jump on it.
• Stay hydrated. There’s water fountains by the bathrooms in the carpeted area, and I think there’s some others inside, so you’d only really need one water bottle and refill it. Or you could keep buying more, that works too.
• Bring a small notebook, or something of the sort. Definitely bring a couple pens. When you meet up with someone awesome and wanna swap realIDs, jotting it down works if you don’t wanna just give out your number or add them on facebook. Alternately, make scraps of paper or business cards with your info on it to hand out.
• Don’t freak if you miss a panel. Everyone gets the virtual ticket, and if I want to, I can open my mobile app and catch the panels from last year.
• Explore, have fun, get out of your shell, and meet people!! We’re all nerds, and unlike the big comic conventions, we’re all here for one damned company. We’ve got shared interests.

So those are my tips, and these are my rules, or very strong advice:

1. COSPLAY IS NOT CONSENT. Ask before taking a picture, and especially before touching.
2. HYGIENE IS KEY. You don’t want to be known as that one smelly person from last year, through the year.
3. DON’T BE A DICK. Seriously, please, don’t ruin it for yourself or others. Troll trade chat, but be friendly here.
4. HAVE FUN. If you can’t have fun within those other rules and suggestions, maybe BlizzCon isn’t for you?

That’s all I’ve got today. And yeah, so what if you can find these guides everywhere? Mine has beer tips in it. And food.

-Bane Falcon

“ Rest your shields, lean on stones, listen and always remember, long are the arms and legs of men, yet still longer, the Dwarven members!” (a battlefield limerick meant to relieve stressed-out dwarves, usually exclaimed by leaders and commanders whenever the outlook is otherwise grim)

The Revenge of Blaugust