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<\/p>\nMichael James is the owner and editor of NAG Magazine, which has become a cornerstone in the South African gaming print media. He is also senior project manager of the annual rAge gaming and consumer technology expo, which is a highlight on the South African gaming event calandar.<\/p>\n
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During the 2011 iteration of the rAge expo, the ninth year of the event, MyGaming sat down with James to find out how things have been going over the years.<\/p>\n
First and foremost we discussed the possibility of rAge shows down in Durban and Cape Town, and while James was keen on the idea of hosting the show in other cities, it just wasn’t possible.<\/p>\n
The main obstacle to hosting more events is the size of the gaming and technology industry in South Africa, explaind James, saying that it just isn’t big enough to sustain multiple events the size of the rAge expo.<\/p>\n
The second problem is budget. Companies have a set budget and if there are suddenly two or three expos, the budget is divided by two or three to accommodate each show, meaning a less impressive overall experience for the consumer, said James.<\/p>\n
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When quizzed on the possibility of splitting the LAN and the expo, James wasn’t too keen on the idea. He said that the show and LAN started together, and would probably continue together on the same lines as the previous events.<\/p>\n
With each getting bigger every year there will come a time where they need to decide on the best way forward. Reducing the LAN size was one possibility; James wasn’t very keen on moving to a newer bigger venue.<\/p>\n
The reason being that Northgate is very central and has all the necessities LANners would need. It’s surrounded by shops, fast food outlets, and has enough parking to keep everyone happy.<\/p>\n
Larger venues are “out in the sticks” and bring with them a host of other problems, so for now rAge looks set to continue at the Dome at Northgate for years to come.<\/p>\n
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As for the LAN and how fast the tickets were sold out, James considered this both a good and bad thing.<\/p>\n
Good because of the community and the number of LANners interested in attending the LAN at rAge. Tickets selling out so quickly indicated that there is a high demand for such an event and that isn’t going anywhere anytime soon.<\/p>\n
Bad because there are only a limited amount of tickets, which means there will always be disappointed people who have missed out on the event each year.<\/p>\n
The other bad side of things is the ticket scalping market which sees people buying up a host of tickets when they go on sale, then reselling them in order to make a profit. The scalpers and those buying the tickets are both equally to blame and ruin the experience for everyone.<\/p>\n
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Considering the expo and how things have gone this year, James had a bright outlook.<\/p>\n
He said that the expo has been good, though each year is very different from the previous one, which means you never quite know what to expect until all is said and done.<\/p>\n
The expo recorded a 10 percent increase in the number of visitors on day one, and looked set to continue the year’s trend with between 12 and 15 percent growth.<\/p>\n
On the presence of so many casual gamers, James considered this a good thing. He said that these casual gamers are the ones who grow the market beyond the “hardcore” audience.<\/p>\n
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When asked “Where to from here with the rAge expo and LAN”, James didn’t have anything particular in mind, but hinted that with rAge 2012 being the 10th anniversary of the event, they’ll probably do something big.<\/p>\n
Finally, when discussing highlights of the expo and what his favourite part was, James mentioned the enthusiasm of those attending the expo and LAN as the best part of the entire experience for him.<\/p>\n