thedeadparrot (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
thedeadparrot) wrote2015-03-09 07:14 pm
thedeadparrot) wrote2015-03-09 07:14 pm
Entry tags:
A weekend of video games
So this was my first PAX East, a huge fan-focused gaming convention that happens in Boston every year. I've been tempted to go before, but I've definitely been intimidated by the crowds and the general tone of gaming discussions online before.
This year, I decided to go mostly because my coworkers goaded me into it, and I'm glad they did. But I guess I'm feeling ambivalent about it, too.
The Good:
- Lots of games everywhere. I liked the energy of the place, that we were all there because we love games in all their various forms. There's nothing quite like a gathering of nerds.
- Being able to awkwardly fangirl some studios/devs there who have made games that I really liked in the past and were making cool games again in the future. Mostly. It was generally me being like, "I really liked your game." and them being like, "um, thanks."
- Running into random people that I wasn't necessarily expecting.
- Introversion-friendly areas with lots of beanbags and power strips for charging your cell phone/handheld gaming device.
- Seeing other people wearing the Gaming's Feminist Illuminati T-Shirt.
The Bad:
- The heat was kind of unbearable. The crowds were intense. I had to wait in line for 15 minutes to get into the convention hall on Saturday.
- While mostly without visible douchebaggery, there were definitely a few assholes here and there.
- The few panels I went to were pretty meh.
The Ugly:
- I guess one thing I wasn't expecting was the orgy of consumerism on the expo floor. I've only really been used to the low-key indie-focused gaming festival that goes on at MIT every year. The Indie Megabooth was basically like that, lots of smaller lower-key games showing off their wares at their own short tables. But the rest of it? Hoo boy. I'm someone who can deal with Times Square without getting too bothered by it, but this felt like a constant, neverending assault on my senses. So many screens everywhere.
- Plus, I am still totally confused by who goes to PAX to buy their computer hardware.
- Though I did totally shell out money for merchandising, so I guess I can't say anything.
This year, I decided to go mostly because my coworkers goaded me into it, and I'm glad they did. But I guess I'm feeling ambivalent about it, too.
The Good:
- Lots of games everywhere. I liked the energy of the place, that we were all there because we love games in all their various forms. There's nothing quite like a gathering of nerds.
- Being able to awkwardly fangirl some studios/devs there who have made games that I really liked in the past and were making cool games again in the future. Mostly. It was generally me being like, "I really liked your game." and them being like, "um, thanks."
- Running into random people that I wasn't necessarily expecting.
- Introversion-friendly areas with lots of beanbags and power strips for charging your cell phone/handheld gaming device.
- Seeing other people wearing the Gaming's Feminist Illuminati T-Shirt.
The Bad:
- The heat was kind of unbearable. The crowds were intense. I had to wait in line for 15 minutes to get into the convention hall on Saturday.
- While mostly without visible douchebaggery, there were definitely a few assholes here and there.
- The few panels I went to were pretty meh.
The Ugly:
- I guess one thing I wasn't expecting was the orgy of consumerism on the expo floor. I've only really been used to the low-key indie-focused gaming festival that goes on at MIT every year. The Indie Megabooth was basically like that, lots of smaller lower-key games showing off their wares at their own short tables. But the rest of it? Hoo boy. I'm someone who can deal with Times Square without getting too bothered by it, but this felt like a constant, neverending assault on my senses. So many screens everywhere.
- Plus, I am still totally confused by who goes to PAX to buy their computer hardware.
- Though I did totally shell out money for merchandising, so I guess I can't say anything.
no subject
hee! I found this really sweet.
Also re: consumerism, that is the same thing that made me realize why I won't ever be a huge fan of NYCC. I don't DISlike buying stuff, but I like fan engagement and awkward flailing about a thing I love so much more. So it is always weird to come out into this other style of fan culture which is heavily dependent on buying stuff and more stuff. This was a major reason I didn't survive in anime fandom - in my feral years in the early 2000s, DVDs were still about $30 for 2 episodes bc of the cost of translation and import, and I totally balked at paying that. And then there were figurines, t-shirts, doodads, autographed doodads, cosplay... In retrospect it is easy to see how I made the quick leap to HP. All you had to do to fully participate in the fandom was get the book (which the library had for free).
no subject
And yeah, with the consumerism. I was prepared for some of it, but I wasn't prepared for how overwhelming it would be, especially for places that could shell out money and keep shelling out money to make their booths really swanky. There were people willing to wait hours to demo a game! There were people who brought in plants to make their booth vaguely jungle-themed! Some people brought in carpeting!
There was a lot of fan energy at the con, of course. Lots of cosplayers. Goofy things like the Pokemon League (that I am angry I didn't participate in, booo). Silly tournaments for games like Spaceteam. Panels to talk about pretty much anything and everything. But it felt a little weird to be in the presence of so much corporate marketing right in your face all the time.