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So how was the convention? A bit disappointing. The show is 4 days long and I had scheduled for 2 days but only needed 1. To be fair, it’s not so much the fault of the event but more on me.
In my younger days, I would go to E3 and was thrilled to see all the new games and would wait hours to try them. I have no such patience any longer. There are several issues here: First, some of the games at the convention are already available to play in the comfort of your home as demos on Steam. Worse yet are the games that are already fully available. Why are people so patient to play such games in a crowded, noisy, environment with the very high risk of getting sick?
But that isn’t the case for every game. There are some unreleased games that are playable. Many of those are scheduled to be released in the next 3 months however so why not just wait for that? It’s only marketing and they entice people to wait for hours by throwing in swag. I used to go after swag so I sorta get it but it’s all just cheap junk now. A free sticker or keychain is a $2 gift for 2 hours of your time. Not worth it.
Finally, there are indie games that are early in development. I like talking to these creators about their games. Unfortunately it was just way too crowded and loud for this. I spent about an hour in this area of the convention and that’s all I could tolerate.
The convention has more to offer across the street in another building. That building is much larger with plenty of space for all. I went to some panels including a talk with Xbox head Phil Spenser. They had a variety of other attractions such as Jackbox Games, an arcade full of Japanese games, tournaments, table top games, etc. These probably would have been fun with a companion. Solo I only perused them to try and fill the day. At least there were no lines. I spent more time tending to StreetPass on my 3DS despite having no use for them. An event like PAX is the only place to get them.
The event I was most looking forward to was the game music concerts but even those were a letdown. A concert is more than just the music. It’s a show and that include elements like lighting, costumes, dancing, stage design, video, special effects. Video game bands don’t usually excel at those aspects. They too often lack a frontman / band leader with enough charismatic or flair to really entertain an audience. They used to hold concerts in an actual theater. Now they just hold them in a giant room on the convention center. The bands performing were all competent musicians but below-average performers.
I ended up leaving even earlier than I needed to. Instead I walked around Seattle more and chilled at the hotel before an uneventful flight home. I wore a mask during most of my trip and I’m still feeling okay so I hope that I avoided getting ill. If I ever decide to attend again, I’ll go on Sunday / Monday when it’s less crowded and I’ll go along with a friend.
In my younger days, I would go to E3 and was thrilled to see all the new games and would wait hours to try them. I have no such patience any longer. There are several issues here: First, some of the games at the convention are already available to play in the comfort of your home as demos on Steam. Worse yet are the games that are already fully available. Why are people so patient to play such games in a crowded, noisy, environment with the very high risk of getting sick?
But that isn’t the case for every game. There are some unreleased games that are playable. Many of those are scheduled to be released in the next 3 months however so why not just wait for that? It’s only marketing and they entice people to wait for hours by throwing in swag. I used to go after swag so I sorta get it but it’s all just cheap junk now. A free sticker or keychain is a $2 gift for 2 hours of your time. Not worth it.
Finally, there are indie games that are early in development. I like talking to these creators about their games. Unfortunately it was just way too crowded and loud for this. I spent about an hour in this area of the convention and that’s all I could tolerate.
The convention has more to offer across the street in another building. That building is much larger with plenty of space for all. I went to some panels including a talk with Xbox head Phil Spenser. They had a variety of other attractions such as Jackbox Games, an arcade full of Japanese games, tournaments, table top games, etc. These probably would have been fun with a companion. Solo I only perused them to try and fill the day. At least there were no lines. I spent more time tending to StreetPass on my 3DS despite having no use for them. An event like PAX is the only place to get them.
The event I was most looking forward to was the game music concerts but even those were a letdown. A concert is more than just the music. It’s a show and that include elements like lighting, costumes, dancing, stage design, video, special effects. Video game bands don’t usually excel at those aspects. They too often lack a frontman / band leader with enough charismatic or flair to really entertain an audience. They used to hold concerts in an actual theater. Now they just hold them in a giant room on the convention center. The bands performing were all competent musicians but below-average performers.
I ended up leaving even earlier than I needed to. Instead I walked around Seattle more and chilled at the hotel before an uneventful flight home. I wore a mask during most of my trip and I’m still feeling okay so I hope that I avoided getting ill. If I ever decide to attend again, I’ll go on Sunday / Monday when it’s less crowded and I’ll go along with a friend.