Greetings on and all for this is your pal Coldguy and I would like to announce that I am going to PAX East (barring major epic fail). I wanted to let you all know that and if you are going there and see me, come over and say hi. All I ask is that you are not a stalker, and you let me know who you are so I don't get creped at you coming over to me.
Now the one thing I am look at conventions more so then anything else is the panels. Majority of people think I am nuts when it comes to this, however you are in a collective think tank beaming with potential insight that is not only free but sometimes better then the actual event as well.
I know what some are you are thinking, "I need to get to the QnA panel of this person, or attend the zombie survivalist camp, or watch people play match game with anime characters!" For that I say WHAT THE FUCK IS WRONG WITH YOU!?!*
Conventions have panel tropes as much as anything else (see the Colossus yell, I'm on a boat, and free hugs), and knowing these things will help you decide which events you want to go to and which ones to skip. The key to get the maximum amount of fun with the smallest amount of time alloted is planning on what exactly you are doing and where you are going.
Now as of now the schedule has not been released for PAX East 2011, however rumblings of it show that it should be coming out soon. I highly suggest looking it over as soon as it comes out and research the people running the panel. If they have a good track record at other conventions (i.e. Rym and Scott from Geeknights) then those are going to be panels you want to go to.
However, one thing was released from the PAX camp and it is the keynote speaker, Jane McGonigal. When I heard this news I literally made a high pitch squee. Not only do I know she is going to do an awesome job as the keynote, but I got proof of it! Watch the video below in its entirety before continuing.
Yes, she is going to be your keynote speaker. In an age where we consider gaming a modern version of a toys, it is amazing to know that there are people out there using the gaming mechanics to solve real life problems.
We hold in this new medium that we call gaming, with all of the FPS, RTS, platformers, puzzle games, and yes even casual gaming a limitless potential to turn what we consider fun and turn it into a benefit to society.
So when PAX released its Panel schedule, give it a look over and try to find some outside of your normal convention fair and allow yourself to explore gaming in a new direction.
*Trademark Nash 2010
*Trademark Nash 2010
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