*Originally posted September 06, 2012

Along with a few friends of mine, I was lucky enough to snag a 3-day pass to PAX Prime this year. Growing up and attending college on the east coast meant I missed out on a lot of events that occurred in gaming industry. If I recall correctly, E3 started out in the middle of the US before eventually migrating to the west coast. Most game companies setup shop in California too which meant no local events for us east coasters. So sad T_T But that's why I'm here in California where all the happenings happen. (b '' )b

Anyway, on to the PAX!

Short for Penny Arcade Expo, PAX has been and still is a convention for the fans. We have game developers, digital and tabletop, setting up booths to give players a chance to check out what will be coming down the pipeline. For me, the videogaming section of the floor was bit underwhelming but not because the showing was lackluster or the developers and publishers dropped the ball. Rather, I had the opportunity to attend E3 this year so the majority of games shown I had already seen, But that's ok! There was plenty more for me to enjoy. The tabletop games and the panels were definitely the highlight of my trip. But anywho, onto the pictures!

                                                       

                                                       

                                                       

I had heard rumor of these germ incubating cesspools they call "handheld lounges." Never thought I'd see one in person. While comfy, still feel icky afterwards.                                                               

                                                 

                                               

                                                   

                                                           

                                                                                                                                                                                                       Can't have a convention without dice and.....specically designed gaming tables? They were so impressive. One day, I'll have one in my home....one day.                                                                              

                                                                                                            

These 3 cosplayers really stood out to me because of the quality and subject matter. I'm a hugggggggge Monster Hunter and Magic the Gathering fan :3 The Jace was particularly awesome.                                      

                                                                                                        

                                          

 One of my highlights for the whole convention was the live Giant Bombcast show. For those that aren't familiar with them, they run a gaming news/reviews website and have a weekly podcast talking about general new in the industry.                                      

 

                       

 

Shot of the popcap booth. I really liked their setup with the lounge-ish feeling. Really makes you feel like a couch potato with the monitor so close.                                

 

                                            

StarCraft 2 had a small showing at Pax. Here's EGIncontrol casting. I forget who was playing but to give you an idea of just how small it was, he's looking over the shoulder of one of the players.                                                                                                  

                                          

  

Preparation for Hideo Kojima's interview and the preview for the new Metal Gear Solid game :3                                                                                                              

 

                             

Awesome statue for the upcoming Borderlands 2. Who's playing? :D                             

                         

 

Last but not least, here's a shot of the Magic the Gathering world building panel. Not only was Wizards awesome enough to give some pins and boosters to anyone who attended, the information was super interesting. It really dove into how the development team splits off duties and develops the lore and feeling behind the new set. I also really enjoyed the artists' explanation for how they designed symbols to match the feel of the set.                                                                                     

 

                       

Well that was my PAX experience in a nutshell. I want to go deeper into the Magic panel since Return to Ravnica spoilers are in full swing but that'll be saved for my next post. Until then though. :d