UPDATE: Gabe made two posts about this. There will be lots of pins.http://www.penny-arcade.com/2013/08/09/pinny-arcade-pax-prime-part-1
http://www.penny-arcade.com/2013/08/12/pinny-arcade-pax-prime-part-2
During this post I may talk in the 1st person too much, I may answer my own question, AND I MAY RAMBLE. You’ve been warned.
Huge fan of Penny Arcade here. Seriously, I go to the cons, I am proud I have a copy of their first book (the one that nearly lost them the rights to Penny Arcade), I EVEN HAVE THE SHOES.
But my head isn’t wrapping around how pin trading will work. I played the non-literal SHIT out of The World Ends With You so I’m highly intrigued by the trade-economy that may come up.
MY POINT OF CONTENTION:
I’m trying to get into Pinny Arcade. However, since there are only a few “special” pins at this point, won’t most people just have the starter set?
The Recess Ruler
I know that there are a few special pins given out by special booths or by attending specific cons. My mind can’t wrap around someone from PAX Australia bringing a pin up north with them to trade. Wouldn’t that be like… a shiny-Charizard? No one trades those away!
Perhaps people buy multiple sets, one to keep, one to trade? Maybe people JUST want the character pins and not the location ones?
Again, I’m a completionist in the worst way. My mind doesn’t really comprehend why you’d trade. Maybe if you got a few random pins instead of the base 4 then people would be more likely to barter and trade.
Let’s say that people meet up with Gabe/Tycho/enforcer. They trade them a “starter” pin for their exclusive. What happens to all the pins that were traded in? Will they be put back into circulation later? Maybe a random in people’s grab bags?
Another thing is: do these pins become a currency people are willing to part with in order to get swag? Maybe I see someone went through the 3 hour line for Bethesda and got a shirt. Is it ethical to trade one of my pins for that shirt? Will we use those pins as bribes or payment for items? I’m really spit-balling here, thought-vomit everywhere.
I’d love to hear from Mike or Jerry (or Robert, or whoever knows the logistics best) on these things:
- What has been the trading situation so far? Do you have enough pin diversity that people are continuously trading?
- What happens to the pins traded to Penny Arcade?
- What are your thoughts on side markets such as eBay, or using the pins to barter?
In AMAZING news, it sounds like Maki Naro will be making pins (unknown if they’ll be “official” pins with the PA logo on the back).
One of which would be Crowlmes.
I heart Crowlmes.
Ecstatic news via Twitter.
