It was Wednesday evening and I was getting ready for the experience of a lifetime. I was actually going to the Penny Arcade Expo (PAX) for the first time. I was scheduled to go last year but couldn't flesh out the details in time to correspond with my job. I had everything laid out on the ground sorted by type of clothing for different kinds of cool Seattle weather and had set out every piece of electronic and power charger I had. I was ready. I was also going to finally meet everyone from the Gamercast Network that I had been playing games on line with for the past two years and finally put a face to their names. So before I went to bed and then work for a couple hours the next morning, I put everyone's contact info into my phone and double checked my flight itinerary and lastly I made sure I had packed everything I needed for the cool Seattle weather...again.
As I boarded the plane, first class I might add due to a free upgrade, I could feel the excitement and nervousness build up in the pit of my stomach which was a good thing and a bad thing: I get motion sickness easily. But even though I felt sick to my stomach, nothing could take over the excitement I felt when i arrived at the Seattle Airport. I ran as quick as I could to get my luggage and to a ride to the hotel because I was already running late for the Pre-Pax party held by The Blue Skittle. (Thanks ooopy!). The line for the taxi service was about twenty something people long so I sucked it up and took one for the team: i grabbed a Limo. Surprisingly the Limo was only about $40 USD so riding in style didn't really break the bank.
I arrived at the Tap House Grill around 10 P.M. and went straight to registration when all of the sudden I heard over loud music and over a hundred talking people "NC is here!" I can't remember who exactly said it but I think it was either Chris or Heather Paladino. I recognized them instantly from times where we have all played UNO online with Vision Camera support and gave them both big hugs and hand shakes. It was then when the nervousness faded away. As they took me inside i met the rest of the Video Game Show crew including Keith and his girlfriend Sue, who bought me a drink right after i met him, and Ivan and Phil who I both play World of Warcraft with almost nightly and both of their girlfriends Mary and Jill respectively. They made me feel like one of the guys. The rest of the night went by as quick as it begun. I was fortunate enough to play Rock Band 2 with everyone and we rocked out a couple of songs and then called it a night. I walked about eight blocks to my hotel with an ear to ear smile on my face and lots of excitement built up inside me knowing that this was going to be a trip I would remember for years to come and that I would meet people whom I would never forget.
It was officially day one of PAX and I woke up early that morning on what little sleep I got for a jog around Denny Park and up and down 7th Ave. I should have worn sweats because I froze the hair off my legs in the cool 50 degree air. But I didn't care to much. Soon I would be in a huge cluster of thousands of gamers from all over the world and indoors. After a quick shower I met with everyone I had seen the night before and also Chad who runs Gamercast Network (GCN) for breakfast at the overpriced yet tasty Daily Grill located directly across the street from the convention hall. After having great conversations and killer omelettes we made our way down to the Market on Pike St. and took in the local flavor. There were what seemed to be endless amounts of people showing there wears consisting mostly of imported flowers and trinkets and even smelly fish-but fresh smelling fish I might add. And after we everything down to a random lady holding her crotch with a disturbing look on her face, it was time to make our way back to the convention hall and onto day one of PAX. And when 2:00 P.M. Pacific time rolled around, so did tens of thousands of other people.
The first booth I visited was the Microsoft booth where they had Gears of War 2 running, which I got to play later on that weekend, and a stage where Gears 2 single player was being played by one of the lead artists and watch by what seemed to be hundreds passing by. As I made my way around the show floor with people from GCN including Andrew, Dale, Briggs and everyone else it began to sink in on how many games I was going to get see and how many I was going to miss playing because there were so many people there. There are too many games I could list that I saw but some of them include Rock Band 2, Guitar Hero World Tour, Dead Space, Left 4 Dead, Wrath of the Lich King, and several other spread throughout the weekend. After a few games, we were all treated to a keynote done by Bioshock creator Ken Levine which had us in stitches by the end and reassured us that being a nerd is okay. After a long day of playing games and a hilarious keynote, we went to an after party at a hotel put on by GamerDNA.com. They were incredibly nice. As soon as we got in, some of us were treated to free drink coupons while others had to fork over a few bucks but it didn't matter-they had Rock Band. As we played into the night I turned to my right and recognized the guy that had grabbed the mike right off the bat as Alex Albrecht from Diggnation and the Totally Rad Show and Jeff Canata also from the Totally Rad Show. I introduced myself to Jeff and Alex and later on we played The Kill, a song by 30 seconds to Mars that I hadn't recognized but now am a fan of and really lit up the place.
Day two was fairly similar to day one. We saw the same games and waited in the same lines but the high light of the day had to be going up on the main stage at the Harmonix booth and playing "More Than A Feeling' by Boston. Heather Paladino, Mary, Miles (we call him White) and I must have waited close to two nerve racking hours to get up on stage but as soon as Mary hit a killer note in the song and I heard people cheering at the top of their lungs, I smiled while still concentrating on my screen and played those newly constructed drums like I was never going to get to play them ever again. We all felt a little bit like rock stars. Later on in the day I was also introduced to a little card game-you might know of it-called Magic: The Gathering. Being that a couple of us had never played before and some that haven't played in years, it took a while to set up our decks and explain the rules but it got to be extremely fun as the ball got rolling. Unfortunately it was time to eat so we didn't get to finish our game. The day finally wound down with a dinner at a restaurant called Mexico, or something like that, and a birthday celebration welcoming White into manhood as he turned 18 years old that night. Some of had Margaritas and some beers but we all had great food and a bunch of laughs. But as I made my way slowly to the hotel, I began to have a sinking almost depressing feeling in the pit of my stomach: it was then I realized there was only one day left. Only one day to spend with my friends.
I started the morning again with an early jog and met Andrew (Cypher) and Dale (E5150) for breakfast. Brent (Zulfikar) made it too but unfortunately he had to leave due to an early flight. I shook his hand firmly and gave him a hug and we said our goodbyes. Sunday at PAX began with an impressive panel put together of video game podcasters including Chad from VGS, Godfree from Gamertag Radio, Natalie from Achievement Junkie and Inside Xbox, Jay from Uncle Gamer Radio, Doc from Sarcastic Gamer and moderated by Chris Paladino from the Gamerscore Blog. They each talked briefly about how they began their podcasts and then took questions and answered every single one of them respectfully and honestly from the audience. After a round of applause, the GCN community got together for a series of group photos, some funny and some serious, but all memorable. Afterwards, a few people said their good byes, some people went to lunch and the rest of us went back to the how floor. After a few minutes playing some games with Phil and his girlfriend Jill, we met back up with the VGS crew and did a quick live recording that i was fortunate enough to have a brief but fun spot on. I hope to hear how it turned out soon. The day was almost over by the time we were done but there was still a few things left to do and one of those things was to play Guitar Hero World Tour up on the display stage. It was a bit set up a bit different from Rock Band with more stations so more people could play but we played the main stage of course and did the best rendition of "Livin' on a Prayer" by Bon Jovi I've ever heard. When we finished we all got T-Shirts and made a few more rounds on the show floor. Then in the last hour everything ended with more Guitar Hero World Tour action at the Microsoft booth where E, Jill, and Mary all sang songs while a couple time I played drums and Phil and Chris played guitar and sang as well. We played our hearts out and I know I played with a heavy heart because PAX was officially over. It was six in the evening and the lights were coming up. It was time for one last dinner.
Thankfully Heather P. had called the Fox Sports Grill and let them know we were bringing a big group of people and that we we waited only a mere 15 minutes. In a way I wished we waited longer. I had an incredibly good rack of ribs and a couple of beers and laughed and joked about the most random things with everyone there as if I've known them all my life. Then before I knew the check came and it was time to say goodbye. We all stood up and gave each other hugs and firm handshakes and wished each other well. It took everything I had not to cry but I teared up instead. I thought to myself "why am I tearing up? I play games with these people all the time?" Sometime during this trip I had made personal connections with everyone from GCN and from other sites that I'll never forget. From the unmistakable laughter to the sarcastic humor of the VGS crew to the warm hearted-ness and friendliness of each and every person i met in person, I'm forever grateful and thankful. We stood outside of the restaurant and said good bye one more time then parted ways back to each ones' hotel. It was a tough walk back. I kept thinking to myself about all the good times we shared over the past three or four days and all the really cool people I met whom I'll never forget for the rest of my life. I admit it. When I got to my room I sobbed a bit like a kid who just lost his best friend because he had to move away. I know that I'll see everyone again in some form, whether it be online or in person in the future, but I miss them already.
Going to the Penny Arcade Expo for the first time was an experience I'll never forget and for that I'm forever thankful and grateful. I made some new friends and finally put a face to the name of so many people who I've played games with for the past couple of years and who i would give my life for. So here's to looking forward to PAX 2009 and another great year of gaming and a lifetime of friendships, old and new. So....does anyone want to play Forza 2?
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