PAX East 2014
by ted2112, HSM team writer
PAX East rolled through Boston this past weekend, and for a brief moment the city was taken over by an army of gamers, cosplayers and more games than humanly possible to take in. Think of PAX East as the Woodstock of the gaming industry: it’s not as much about the closed business side of the equation, but rather a place for passionate gamers to gather in force to play, sample, plug in and immerse themselves in the very latest in what’s going on in the gaming world.
This open mentality of PAX East comes out of the fact that PAX was set up as a conference that wanted equal time and attention to console, computer and card games — and as a result created a very diverse gathering. PAX East also excels as a convention because of its focus on the indie gaming scene. Literally acres of indie games sit side by side with the mega blockbusters. I like the indie booths, because in many cases you can talk to the very people who made the game itself; it’s like seeing bands before they make it big.
One of the highlights of PAX East for me: the Supergiant Games booth. Their new PS4 game, Transistor, is brilliant. The game had a feel of a classic PS2 title, with the graphic design inspired by artist Gustav Klimt. The futuristic deco world of Transistor was like navigating the fictional Chiba City of William Gibson’s book, Neuromancer. It was great to play a game that’s not even out yet.
Supergiant newest PS4 title: Transistor.
The Sony booth had an inclusive, cozy feel. Instead of impersonal rows of game stations, the booth had a living room feel to it. The walls were covered with framed prints of classic PlayStaion games, and at the center was an oversize couch for attendees to grab a seat and sample games. There was a constant trivia contest going on, and if you knew your PlayStaion trivia you made out well with the prizes.
The cosplayers were everywhere and turned the entire convention floor into a moving show. Most were of video game characters, but superheroes were also well represented. I’m not the biggest cosplay fan, but I had to stop and take a picture with an amazing Journey cosplayer. I totally admire the dedication of these gaming fans.
ted2112 & Terra_Cide with HSM on display at the Newegg booth
Perhaps the best representation of inclusiveness of PAX East is the console free-play. The free-play section of the convention takes place in the large upstairs area where seemingly endless rows of consoles are set up. You quite simply pick a PS3, PS4, Xbox 360, Xbox One or Wii U game and play it. It’s like walking into a massive video game store where it’s encouraged to touch and sample the merchandise. I could have spent all day here.
I would like to thank the folks at Newegg for letting HSM briefly commandeer their booth with massive screens to put the HSM site up for display for some shameless self-promotion with the rest of the convention fray. We didn’t exactly ask, but in the spirit of their motto, “Take it from a geek,” they didn’t bat an eyelash.
It was great to hang with fellow Home players and moderators as well as ten-thousand friends you didn’t know you had. PAX East was a wonderfully planned and organized event. If you want to attend PAX East, some advanced planning is necessary: tickets sell out usually the first day they go on sale, about six months before the convention. I can’t wait until next year!
April 13th, 2014 by ted2112 | 2 comments
ted2112 is a writer and a Bass player that has been both inspired and takes to heart Kurt Vonnegut words...."we are here on planet Earth to fart around, and don't let anyone tell you different."
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Great report from the show floor, Ted! Sounds like you guys are having an absolute blast out there, yeah?
(Oh, and Melissa…DAT HAT)
This was definitely a good report, Ted.
Can’t wait to see what Transistor is about.