PAX 2006: Geeks Gone Wild

Friday's trip to PAX was described by one of the attendees as "too many people, not enough to do." The entry line snaked down the block, while inside it was complete gridlock. That day the expo part of the event wasn't open yet, leaving players with panel discussions and console free play to fill their time, the latter having its own series of lines. For many, this just provided an opportunity for impromptu Nintendo DS competition (they were everywhere, Nintendo should be proud), but for others they gathered on the first floor and made up their own fun, which involved tossing around a beanbag like a beach ball. The roar of thousands filled Meydenbauer Center as this orb was tossed around the room, leaving the Enforcers confused as to how to react (eventually "Ball" was confiscated, leaving it to become a running joke for the weekend). The first big moment of excitement came from the opening panel from Penny Arcade founders Gabe and Tycho, which opened with a public wedding proposal (not a PAX first). The evening closed out with a concert featuring Optimus Rhyme and video game theme cover band the NESkimos.

Saturday and Sunday had more activities going on, so there was no shortage of movement through the venue those days. The exhibition was opened up during the day, so gamers had an opportunity to try out the various offerings from vendors, many of whom sent actual developers to meet with their customers. Rockstar Games, makers of the Grand Theft Auto series were there with a constantly busy station for their latest game Rockstar Games Presents Table Tennis, a Seattlest favorite on account of its Detroit techno soundtrack. We shared our love of the soundtrack with one of the guys manning the booth, and he not only said he'd take the word back, he told us about the guy that compiled the music and how excited he'd be to hear the praise. Now that's building a connection with your customer base.

And the games? Up in the console free play area, most of the stations were taken up with people practicing for the various tournaments, so Soul Calibur III, Super Smash Brothers and Mario Kart were popular. In non-tournament games, a lot of people were playing the new zombie game Dead Rising. It says a lot when even watching someone else play a game is entertaining, and this "everything is a weapon" gorefest handily succeeds on that level. So does Guitar Hero, which utilizes a toy guitar as its controller. The biggest surprise was how much this hardcore audience flocked to the simpler games. Yes, the complicated role-playing games had crowds, as did the first-person shooters (scary to watch people that into it), but so did the simpler games, like Geometry Wars (once a demo XBox was started with this game, people tended to stick with that game for hours) or a multiplayer marble-rolling game created to demonstrate a shader engine.
Somehow, Seattlest managed to end its losing streak at PAX among some of the most hardcore gamers around. While we lost our first game (Rockstar Presents Table Tennis), it was close, and we left the match feeling confident for the rest of the day. In Geometry Wars we managed to set a record for the station. We destroyed some kid by taking first in the latest iteration of the motorcycle racing game MotoGP '06. The biggest win came in a match of Street Fighter II. In old-school arcade style, Seattlest stood in the back waiting for our turn, then took on a cocky kid who was talking a LOT of trash to his friend. We stepped up, and the match was ready, the classic Ken vs. Ryu. Not only did we blank our opponent, his friend helped us to talk trash to his now-silent partner. Seattlest feels no shame in talking trash to a 14 year old. Lesson to that kid: Save the trash-talk for after you win.

Overall, PAX was all that Seattlest expected it to be. It was crowded, mainly male, and geek-speak dominated conversations. There were even people in costume, filling out the fanatic end of the spectrum. Seattlest can't claim to be nearly as hardcore as many in attendance, but that luckily wasn't a prerequisite for enjoyment. Despite the crowds and the lines, Seattlest managed to have a great time and kick some ass. Next year's edition is looking to be held at the larger Washington State Convention & Trade Center which will better accomodate the crowd. We have to admit we're already looking forward to it, and have a year to build up our Guitar Hero skills.