Can we talk about Demoparties as creative environment (working vs raving)?
category: parties [glöplog]
Just to give my perspective: I still do love all this raving shit until early morning and still love sleeping inside the hall, no matter what. And want to keep on with that, as long as this is possible for me.
But you eventually made some valid points here, since we do not get younger AND you are totally right, that sound-system nowadays got really equipped.
I also like the suggestion made here, that there are also always smaller parties to attend, that do not have this monster-PAs, eternal compo-blocks and such.
PS: Leaving the party for a hotel also does absolutely not work for me - it's a little like you explained, rp. I needed to do it during covid times and it still feel strange for me to do so.
But you eventually made some valid points here, since we do not get younger AND you are totally right, that sound-system nowadays got really equipped.
I also like the suggestion made here, that there are also always smaller parties to attend, that do not have this monster-PAs, eternal compo-blocks and such.
PS: Leaving the party for a hotel also does absolutely not work for me - it's a little like you explained, rp. I needed to do it during covid times and it still feel strange for me to do so.
@D.Fox: Was surprised that all compos allowed remote entries this year. Thought this only applies to the fast-compos. Is this helping in any way (like having enough entries for certain categories)?
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@D.Fox: Was surprised that all compos allowed remote entries this year. Thought this only applies to the fast-compos. Is this helping in any way (like having enough entries for certain categories)?
We allow remote entries ever since we returned to the E Werk.
gasman put it beautifully in the Revision thread:
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Quote:Remote submissions are relatively new invention, they are corona leftovers afaik.
They are indeed, and of course this question came up when we returned to doing real-world events. I was one of those fervently in favour of continuing remote submissions, mainly in view of the massive support we had from places like Japan and South America during the online editions - places from where people can't reasonably be expected to make the trip to Germany. (Kudos to those who do anyway :-) ) It would have been such a kick in the teeth to send them the message "thanks for the support but now we're going to go back to doing our old on-site thing, kthxbye".
If there's one positive to come out of covid, it's that it got us to figure out better ways to include people across geographic boundaries. Let's not throw that away.
Going back to rp's post...
First off, kudos for the honest feedback. I have to admit that I was absolutely stunned by how much I liked MountainBytes — the opposite of Revision in every imaginable way: fewer people, fewer releases, less noise.
But the most important thing for me was how quiet the party place was most of the time. I had tons of great conversations and even small ad-hoc work sessions, which I really enjoyed.
In contrast, the PA at Revision's main stage is so loud that it's absolutely impossible to hold a conversation. (Yes, the real party is outside, but I'm just one of those strange people who like to nerd out watching or showing stuff on the screen.) Maybe it’s just me, but has the volume level increased over the years?
Does it really need to go full volume for all jingles and things like the photo compo?
I'm not demanding anything here — it’s probably just me.
First off, kudos for the honest feedback. I have to admit that I was absolutely stunned by how much I liked MountainBytes — the opposite of Revision in every imaginable way: fewer people, fewer releases, less noise.
But the most important thing for me was how quiet the party place was most of the time. I had tons of great conversations and even small ad-hoc work sessions, which I really enjoyed.
In contrast, the PA at Revision's main stage is so loud that it's absolutely impossible to hold a conversation. (Yes, the real party is outside, but I'm just one of those strange people who like to nerd out watching or showing stuff on the screen.) Maybe it’s just me, but has the volume level increased over the years?
Does it really need to go full volume for all jingles and things like the photo compo?
I'm not demanding anything here — it’s probably just me.
I guess I can also add my thoughts (for the record, I'm 26), as I tried to work on something more long-term at the party (which means I didn't really need to listen to anything fro a demo though). At some points (mainly during the concerts) I had to leave the hall because it was just getting too painfully loud. (To be fair, I was sat on the second row... probably not doing that again next year.) In those moments I just went outside to the bonfire.
As for sleep, I did that in one of the nooks of the toilet tunnel instead of the regular sleeping area. While not perfect, it's much quieter there in my experience. Of course it also doesn't have enough space to house everyone.
The PA indeed got a substantial upgrade during/after covid, compared to 2019 (with iirc a doubling of the maximum SWL).
As for sleep, I did that in one of the nooks of the toilet tunnel instead of the regular sleeping area. While not perfect, it's much quieter there in my experience. Of course it also doesn't have enough space to house everyone.
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In contrast, the PA at Revision's main stage is so loud that it's absolutely impossible to hold a conversation. (Yes, the real party is outside, but I'm just one of those strange people who like to nerd out watching or showing stuff on the screen.) Maybe it’s just me, but has the volume level increased over the years?
The PA indeed got a substantial upgrade during/after covid, compared to 2019 (with iirc a doubling of the maximum SWL).
I think Revision is big and "verwinkelt" enough that you can escape the noise if you need to. But then again, noise level toleration while working is a very individual thing. As for myself, as long as the background noise is "random" and does not catch my attention, I don't care how loud it is - I even managed to get some "real-life" work done at demoparties a couple of times. But for others, it's completely different...
Good to know I'm not the only one with this quirk, @dodge & @nodepond :)
I'm also not interested in critisizing party orgas or specific events. For me, this is about identifying sensitivities. Because I wonder if I'm the only person who arrived at a point where I'm waging stress/health concerns vs attending an event. Or sadly: staying at home.
In the end, I think that a few adjustments could go a long way. Depending on the venue and its facilities. The more I think about it, the more I realize I'm affected by bass exposure over time. To which neither earplugs nor going outside provide a remedy.
Conscious adjustments could include (thinking out loud):
- Bass management
- Night-time DJs catering to zzz
- Or instantiating zzz hours during the first days, if zzz-ing area is close to/or inside the main hall
- Encouraging camping outside
- Re-thinking the purpose and levels of jingles
- Maintaining non-distracting bass levels during eg graphic compo blocks
And yes, I read eg boyc's comment. About this years Revision being much more cozy in this regard. I wish I knew this beforehand. In the end, maybe just re-assuring the guests "hey, we've got this on our plate" might be all there is to it. Which might be as little as a communication thing.
I'm also not interested in critisizing party orgas or specific events. For me, this is about identifying sensitivities. Because I wonder if I'm the only person who arrived at a point where I'm waging stress/health concerns vs attending an event. Or sadly: staying at home.
In the end, I think that a few adjustments could go a long way. Depending on the venue and its facilities. The more I think about it, the more I realize I'm affected by bass exposure over time. To which neither earplugs nor going outside provide a remedy.
Conscious adjustments could include (thinking out loud):
- Bass management
- Night-time DJs catering to zzz
- Or instantiating zzz hours during the first days, if zzz-ing area is close to/or inside the main hall
- Encouraging camping outside
- Re-thinking the purpose and levels of jingles
- Maintaining non-distracting bass levels during eg graphic compo blocks
And yes, I read eg boyc's comment. About this years Revision being much more cozy in this regard. I wish I knew this beforehand. In the end, maybe just re-assuring the guests "hey, we've got this on our plate" might be all there is to it. Which might be as little as a communication thing.
PS: If this is just a 'me'-problem, I fully accept not attending.
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Because I wonder if I'm the only person who arrived at a point where I'm waging stress/health concerns vs attending an event. Or sadly: staying at home.
TBH, it was one of the reasons why I didn’t go to revision this year. I find the party exhausting and after having a p hefty year, didn’t want to add that on top of everything.
What pixtur said.
Hey rp,
I completely agree with your first post. The older I get, the more careful I have to be with my physical and mental health resources. And that means I can't always go to certain parties.
I completely agree with your first post. The older I get, the more careful I have to be with my physical and mental health resources. And that means I can't always go to certain parties.
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You're not.I wonder if I'm the only person who arrived at a point where I'm waging stress/health concerns vs attending an event. Or sadly: staying at home.
Talking about sleeping issues. This was my take on the subject from 2010.
https://lowresmag.wordpress.com/2011/02/04/always-in-the-sleeping-room-at-parties/
It's pretty much hotels all the way now.
This one was from 2022. Watching/dreaming the stream from my hotel bed because of late running and tiredness.
I'm old enough to need careful pacing and spare energy to shout at clouds.
https://atariscne.org/news/index.php/a-very-delayed-sillyventure-2022-party-report
This party has cleaned up its subsequent competition scheduling and running a lot.
https://lowresmag.wordpress.com/2011/02/04/always-in-the-sleeping-room-at-parties/
It's pretty much hotels all the way now.
This one was from 2022. Watching/dreaming the stream from my hotel bed because of late running and tiredness.
I'm old enough to need careful pacing and spare energy to shout at clouds.
https://atariscne.org/news/index.php/a-very-delayed-sillyventure-2022-party-report
This party has cleaned up its subsequent competition scheduling and running a lot.
