PAX East 2011 Reflection

“This is E3 for the fans”, that’s what I was told going into my 1st PAX convention. Those words couldn’t be more accurate as the next 3 days gamers from  around the country filled up the Boston Convention Center with costumes, swag bags & itchy hands ready to play games that won’t see light for some time.  The 70,000 in attendance was clear and apparent long before the floor opened as I walked along lines of people wrapping all around the first floor and  far up into the second. I walked for about 10 minutes with the Chocolate Lemon staff giving passing glances at the flock of gamers sitting on the floor,  seemingly camped for hours and looking right back at me until I realized “WOW, some of these eyes look real upset that we get to walk right on through”.  I then picked my head up and walked straight remembering what Phire had told me about presentation. I wasn’t just representing me but a company now as  well.

After getting settled and a quick locker room football-style huddle with the staff, we all broke out and parted our seperate ways. Headed to the showroom floor a personal fear crept in on me that everyone with me was here to do a press related job. I didn’t want to seem like some tag along pro-gamer kid that just made it because he knows how to shoot people. It was my first time as an E-sports Analyst and I felt the need to prove myself to the gang. Looking down at the showroom floor from the top of the escalators, I knew there was so much to sink my teeth into.

Venue

The Boston Convention & Exhibition center housed 69,500 gamers, exhibitors & cosplayers alike. Long story short, Pax East 2011 was HUGE! Three massive levels packed at every floor with game hungry enthusiasts all under the same roof. There was room for everything from kiosks to table top games, theaters, stages, tournaments and tons of accessible bathrooms. Except for the couple of narrow lanes on the showfloor I very rarely felt crowded.  I was so happy not to encounter the usual B.O. issue you’d expect from these things, especially on such a large scale. I actually joked with X-play co-host Adam Sessler about circulation problems, thankfully we were both wrong for the most part. The center was great, one of my favorite areas being the food court below ground level. They had ice cream!

Booths & Panels

Walking through the floor was great. Every panel was so alive and they all stood out on their own. Remember how it felt walking through the market district in Shenmue 1 & 2? Yeah good stuff. Something was always catching the eye from flashing lights to gaming art work, hands-on demos and my favorite, booth/panel babes. The best part about the booths was that you were part of the display. A lot of times I ended up part of the display rather than a spectator. If you showed any interest in the product, you are more than welcome to come over and interact with said product and staff. Want a free T-shirt? Join the Facebook page and play a round Marvel Vs Capcom 3. Win or lose your walking away with something just for coming by. Now THAT’S a great service to the gamers!

Tournaments

Here is where Sol Lekz felt right at home. The tournament scene was such a great experience for me and gave me good feel for competition from all over the country in various genres. I competed in Super Street Fighter Turbo HD Remix, Super Street Fighter IV, Marvel VS Capcom 3, Call of Duty: Black Ops & Halo: Reach. One sad fact that, at least with me, still holds true is the most homely looking dude on the scene is usually the one you will see in the finals. While scouting competition before the event starts, you can identify him as the guy who looks like he doesn’t see much outside the walls of his room/basement.

However what I was syked about was the community sportsmanship during Halo: Reach. Not one game ended without a sincere congratulatory hand shake. This is so much different from what you’d expect from online play and goes to show these players are learning how to act in public. The crowd got a good kick out of a few t-bags I handed out and it was all taken in good fun by my opponents. Also, you’d actually hear players behind me taking note of what spots I held down on the map to add to their own strategy. We Halo players don’t mess around!

The fighting scene was most interesting. From walking around and talking to various players, I’ve learned that no matter what their skill level, they are always willing to trade tips to help you improve. I traded many helpful ideas and mindsets for match ups from other players before even getting into my first round. Personally as a gamer who’s competitive background is primarily First Person Shooters, I felt right at home without that “He’s so much better than me” feeling you’d get being so new to the scene. The most warming feeling being how animate and quick players were to lend helpful ideas about the character you use.

And hey what do ya know!? I actually pulled of a nail biter of a 2nd place finish out of a 32 player Bracket! Hopefully this means more for me than just being the Halo guy!

Fun Factor

PAX East with the Chocolate Lemon crew was nothing short of amazing. I got some good early playtime with Gears of War 3, Fear 3 & Mortal Kombat being my absolute favorite. I would do it all again if only I had the stamina. That place sure will drain you! But above all else, I got to spend time with one of the greatest group of people you could ever meet. I’m so happy to be a part of the family and hope this is just the first of many outings. Next time, I’m going for gold and hope to play even more games earlier than the rest of the world. If you’ve yet to attend PAX… start booking next years hotels NOW!