Game On, Bitches: PAX East, Day Zero

March 29th 2010, 9:18am

I’ve just hopped on the train to Boston on my way to PAX East. I’ve left behind a loving household for a mind-numbing 6-hour train ride up to the state of Massachusetts. What in the world was I thinking? Nevertheless, here I am getting ready to check out the biggest video game convention that the East Coast has ever seen.

Watching Inglorious Basterds on an iPod on the Train.

There are several games making their big premieres at PAX East; specifically, CRACKDOWN 2, MAFIA II, RED DEAD REDEMPTION, PUZZLE QUEST 2, SKATE 3, and more. While some of these games have probably been played behind closed doors or at the Game Developers Conference, this will be the first opportunity for the general public to get a hands on. These companies better have some balls of steel because such a premiere can make or break a game.

Flyin’ Past NYC on the way to PAX East

Before taking a look at the games premiering at PAX East, perhaps it would be smart to explain what exactly PAX East is. PAX is the official convention put on by the makers of the web comic Penny Arcade. The comic tells the adventures and hi-jinks of two geeks forced to deal with the ridiculousness that is our culture. Daily comics tackle things as geeky as the minutiae of the daily grind of WORLD OF WARCRAFT to the challenges of being a geek parent to geek kids. For years Gabe and Tycho (characters in and creators of the comic), have represented the cultural impact that web comics can have on not only the subculture of gaming but on society as a whole (for more, read up on their charity Child’s Play).

PAX as a convention has existed on the West Coast for six years and PAX East is the first time the convention has popped up on the East Coast. Prior to this, fans would have to travel to Seattle, Washington to enjoy the festivities. The con is a mix of video game demos, panels about the video game industry, role playing games, board games, and much, much more. PAX East is three days of geek pandemonium.

Nerds on an escalator at the start of PAX East

While I am at PAX East I will be covering only video games and gaming culture. However, don’t let my coverage fool you, there is plenty more to PAX than just gaming.