Oh where to begin?
PAX '11 was just last weekend but if feels like I've returned from another world. Several actually. Steve Jackson was there, and so were a lot of bigwig video game developers, Microsoft, Sony, Blizzard, Privateer Press, Wizards of the Coast, etc.
And thousands of gamers, including me. I played my first game of D&D back when the hardbound books were the new thing and it was called "Advanced Dungeons & Dragons." Now we refer to that as First Edition. I have been hooked ever since, and have been one of millions of fans of the imaginative fantasy game which is now in it's Fourth Edition. I'm also a longtime player of Magic: The Gathering. These are hugely popular games worldwide and the main games I write about in this blog. But with thousands of gamers, these two games were literally a drop in the bucket.
The new Star Wars Old Republic MMO generated huge lines. Halo had it's own event. Madden Football. The new Choplifter. So many games, thousands of players, one big weekend. And you meet a lot of the people who actually create these games, and get your chance to demo the newest.
To learn more, Google Penny Arcade or PAX.
So anyway, now that I've finally gone, I understand what all the fuss is about. If you're into games this is a "don't miss." I'm not trying to sell anybody on going, it's just that if anything I now regret not finding a way to get to one of these sooner. It's a great time to go and play but more than that it re-affirms that gamers, whether they use video controllers, dice, books and or cards, are a society unto ourselves. We may be labeled as geeks or dorks by people who don't understand. Many gamers have introverted personalities and spend lots of time inside. But at PAX gamers from the U.S., Europe, Africa, Australia, Asia and who knows where else came together to game and compare ideas in the industry. It gives what is in one way a potentially isolating hobby, something else - a time and place to connect with other like-minded individuals.
All connected together by an unlikely pair of web cartoonists, who found themselves at the epicenter of gaming and the founders of the Penny Arcade Expo, which is a remarkable and unique gaming industry event.
Speaking of the gaming industry, remember how a few years ago gaming passed the movie industry in gross annual sales? That's pretty cool, especially considering we've been kind of on a fringe of society for a long time. People outside of the gaming world look at a grown man who paints miniatures with pity. "Are you having fun with your little men?" they tease. Well maybe I am. And they are 1/35 scale science fiction and fantasy miniatures, thank you very much.
So I played D&D. And Magic. And video games. I got to meet game developers. And be entertained by the game industry's favorite cartoonists. I got to see forums. And spend time staying, eating and walking around Seattle.
I heard Jonny Nero Action Hero, and the Protomen. I spent some time with my friends (who are PAX veterans) but ultimately we each got so distracted by the seemingly infinite number of games and forums we each went our own way, connecting back with text messages and comparing notes over dinner.
Blah, blah blah Dave, stop gushing you newbie.
I will be back.
