I’m not really a video game geek. I bought a Playstation 3 so I could play Infamous, which of course is even making my video game geekery comic related. I fell in love with the cell shading of Borderlands and played that over and over despite it scaring the crap out of me when I played at night. I ultimately bought a Playstation 4 so I could play Destiny with some friends. I’ll probably play the same handful of games until I die. But when a friend invited me to my second PAX, I thought, why the hell not?
Maybe it’s because it’s my second time, or perhaps the displays weren’t as snazzy, but I walked away a bit lackluster this year. Don’t get me wrong, it was great, and I even stopped to play a few video games, but I found myself mostly confused by the games. I’ll admit, I want flashy graphics coupled with compelling stories. Retro gaming just leaves me bored. If I wanted games with 8bit graphics, I’d go back to my old Nintendo and break out Secret of Mana and Mega Man. Even Bethesda’s display didn’t leave me feeling warm and fuzzy. I will admit, they do put on a good show with their booths though. I may even buy Prey, which means I’ll just be scared all the time thinking weird goopy bug things are going to kill me.
I bumped into plenty of comic geeks and got to see a lot of great costumes. My favorite part is watching the people interact. It’s a friendly lot and similar to comic conventions in that regard. I was also delighted that there were fewer people. Perhaps the cold scared them away, it was frigid outside and sweltering inside. I’m still recovering. However, I did walk out of there rejuvenated and ready to do some work, so I’m back at writing and plotting out stories. Never enough down time!
