Late last night I returned from PAX East, where I’d been since Friday. I came back tired, but also happy and satisfied with what ended up being one of the finest conventions I’ve ever been to.
This was actually my first PAX, since I live here on the east coast. However, I thought I knew what to expect thanks to the many impressions I’d read about PAX West in the past. I knew to expect large crowds, lots of swag, and total physical and mental exhaustion. What I didn’t expect was the sense of camaraderie shared by almost every badge-holder. I made new friends there, and became even closer to the ones I went with.
But I digress. PAX East was made up of panel discussions, a large expo hall showcasing new games and technology, and of course plenty of places to just hang out and play games. The show was packed, and lines were long, yet bearable, thanks to Pictochat (which has never been so useful).
Although Nintendo’s presence there was fairly small, I was able to play a few yet-to-be-released titles that I will expound upon in their own articles. My friends and I also spent a lot of time in the classic console room where we played games on the NES and N64.
Overall, it was a great show and I will definitely be going back next year. It was a long, tiring trip, but I wouldn’t have it any other way. If you’re a gamer, you need to be at PAX.
