Sure, it’s Holy Week and all, but this title has nothing to do with the holiness of the week.
It’s a shout-out to the nerd-o-rama that took place in Boston this past weekend, when the PAX East convention was held.
I would have missed the whole thing if my husband and I hadn’t taken a walk in Back Bay last Friday evening, and spotted a sign at the convention center for PAX – and a lot of young folks milling about.
“Some Christian kid thing,” I told Jim. The “x” in 
the logo looked to me like a cross (not a game controller). But the disproportionate number of Ms to Fs, and the appearance of a couple of guys in what looked like Star Trek unis of some sort, brought me to my senses.
The Revenge of the Nerds! Game On!
Although the event was sold out, and Jim and I didn’t have passes, they let us in to the convention center to mill around. With the exception of a couple of security guards/badge checkers – we were the oldest folks there by about 30 years or so. After a few minutes observing, and trying to get out of the way of kids heading toward the free something or other handout, we were pretty much over-powered by the smell of fried food. Apparently, when gamers convene they eat the same sorts of crap they mau down when they’re gaming at home.
But it was fun to see all these gamers enjoying each others company. Surprise, surprise. Aren’t we always told that they’re so inward, weird, and nebbish-y that these guys don’t have any social life. Untrue! They have each other – and there are a lot of them.
While I’m guessing they would have preferred having a few more girls around, they looked pretty darned pumped and happy.
Probably because – interest in gaming aside – I am not without some trace elements of nerdiness, I like nerds.
Sure, one of them occasionally flips out and destroys everyone who’s ever looked cross-eyed at him, but mostly, in my experience, they’re nice, and harmless. Plus they make up a good swatch of the techies and tech support people who keep our lives going these days.
So I’m more than glad to welcome PaxEast to Boston, and delighted to see that they’re planning on coming back for the next few years.
Other than the slightly scruffier look and feel – and all those inflatable lounging mattresses strewn around outside the exhibition areas – PaxEast didn’t seem all that different from the dozens of trade shows I attended over the years.
Admittedly, their site was a had a lot less of the who-should-attend-features-and-benefits tech marketing speak that was the norm of the shows I participated in.
PAX East is a three-day game festival for tabletop, videogame, and PC gamers. We call it a festival because in addition to dedicated tournaments and freeplay areas we've got nerdcore concerts, panel discussions, and an exhibitor hall filled with booths displaying the latest from top game publishers and developers. Even with all this amazing content the best part of PAX East is hanging out with other people who know their shit when it comes to games.
Nope. In all those years, I never saw a nerdcore concert. I did see a way over-the-hill Chicago once at Comdex. Bor-ing.
And no one ever claimed that people at the shows I attended would “know their shit.” In fact, at many shows I went to, the booths were populated with rented “demo dollies”, there to woo folks in. Good luck if you wanted to actually speak to someone who knew their shit about a product. Talk about Where’s Waldo?
I also never saw this bit on a show FAQ:
Don't bring anything that would annoy another attendee or set us up for a crazy lawsuit. PAX East is not an event run by some giant corporate entity; it's a big party we throw for the gaming community in general and PA [Penny Arcade – from whence cometh the PA in PAX] readers in particular. Have fun, but be cool, and please leave your airsoft/ paintball guns at home!
Nor this:
Are there age restrictions to PAX East?
Nope. But if you're under 13, please make sure your parents know where you are.
Meanwhile, I hope the gamers had nice time in Boston.
Pax vobiscum*, kids. Et cum lightsabers tuo.
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*That’s “peace be with you” to those without benefit of Latin and or attendance at the pre-Vatican II Catholic Mass.
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