OpenCon is also fulfilling for Gary on a more personal level. "It's great to work in this area which I feel passionate about personally but also really is key to other things we are working on. It has really been great being here, it's really engaging meeting people that are trying to do things. Everyone has that shared sense of trying to do things and a lot of frustration in trying to do them." The toll of working to effect change can feel diminished when in the company of others working on similar problems. "It's really empowering when you are feeling frustrated to come to things like this and see other people."