PAX Fanblog Day 1
PAX the Gygaxian Gingerbread House (phrase shamelessly stolen from Ken Levine)
Tags: PAX 2008 Categories: Features, Tech Features
Posted by Mike "Two Tone" McConnell on Aug 30th, 2008
I have already been in Seattle for a day, though yesterday was devoted to scoring Sushi and Comics (Spicy Tuna and Barefoot Gen). Today the boss man Dan took me to Pike Street Market. This is one of the quintessential Seattle sights, and also I saw another very Seattle sight, biodegradable graffiti.
This is my second year at PAX, and while the setting is familiar, the scope has become even larger. The morning started with the PAX 10 panel. A group of indie developers that are given the unique opportunity to present their game to the geek masses. As a group that comes from very different backgrounds, it was nice to see the commonalities in their philosophies and beliefs on making games. To be sure, it was nice to see everyone being hopeful about the expansion of the indie games market. As PAX gets bigger, it is so awesome that the Gabe and Tycho are making sure that these developers get the huge publicity instead of losing them in a sea of PR for big titles.
Which brings us to the game floor, or a sea of PR for big titles. Everyone’s booth is pretty well done, although I wish that Sony would get it together, a booth with some guy talking like the disc jockey from Stand by Me, is just annoying. When waiting around for the Infamous demo, I don’t need to be accosted that you’re having a contest to play Buzz.
The keynote line was about as long as a new roller coaster’s, giving me some time to catch up on the myriad of writing I have to do. When Ken Levine finally did take the stage, he gave a speech about how he came of age as a closeted nerd. “I didn’t want to like the shit I liked” he said. A tale of nostalgia and finding his home when he joined the games industry. Essentially his tale of nostalgia was more about what brings people to PAX, “We’re brought together because we’re a giant bunch of fucking nerds.”
Speaking of nerds keep your eyes glued to the site, as I have an interview with MC Frontalot coming up in a few days. If you are unfamiliar head over to his site, and join the party.
After some more time bumming around the exhibition hall, Dan and I ended up at the Campions Online party. Beyond plenty of Sierra Nevada Pale Ale, there was a booth where you could get your super hero card. I am now officially The Critic and can bitch at a superhero level. Beware enemies of good taste, I am vigil.
It’s now far too late, and me feet are already dead. Two more days to go, and I have to say that this show is huge. There are elements of E3 here that take away from what made PAX unique. Thankfully Gabe and Tycho run the show, meaning gamers always come first. However, I don’t get nearly as much time to wander, and even when I do, I seem to be carried by the large crowd around the floor. This show is huge, and there’s no doubting the power of nerds.
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Tags: PAX 2008
Posted by Mike "Two Tone" McConnell on Aug 30th, 2008 and is filed under Features, Tech Features. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can post a comment, or trackback from your own site.
