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PAX - A Weekend of Wonder

09/10/2010 11:05am

Last weekend, Dark Horse's social media and community dude was sent to Seattle's PAX Prime with Associate Editor Dave Marshall and Director of Custom Programs Nick McWhorter. While Aaron was supposed to be promoting new projects, rumor has it he suffered severe bouts of fever hallucinations during the trip, making this report suspect at best. Thankfully, there are photos.

For those of you that don't know, PAX is one of the greatest conventions in the country. Started by our Penny Arcade friends, the festival has become the place for gamers of all kinds to celebrate their once-mocked culture. The nerd-piles on the second and third level of the convention hall didn't do much turn the stereotype tide. Still, the atmosphere was one of joy and understanding among insiders.

Now that video games are pulling in just as many fans, and more importantly - just as much money, as major blockbuster movies, it seems as if everyone is plugged into a console of some kind. Although an elderly gentleman in the elevator asked me, "Are electronic games really that big today?" - everyone else seems to be in the know. Video games are a $1.6 billion market in America. And the 75,000 people at PAX were proof of the gaming industry's future success.

While I was pretty busy drumming up interest in our Mogworld, Fallout: New Vegas, Mass Effect, Force Unleashed, and Old Republic projects, I managed to snap a few photos for your viewing pleasure, some of which already appeared here.

Seattle is a beautiful city, even if the Space Needle is kinda lame. Come on, you know it is.

At SDCC there was Predobear, then at Star Wars Celebration V there was Predasith, and now . . . Predalady! Or maybe she's Machiko Noguchi. I don't know. To be honest, I felt super creepy having this woman pose for an iPhone photo on the steps of a major, downtown intersection, and didn't want to ask. Plus, her brother or boyfriend seemed to not believe that I was a professional, despite my loud attempts to convince the crowd of my credentials.

This is was the banner everyone wanted to get their picture with, and for good reason. Force Unleashed 2 looks to be an incredible game. Double lightsabers! If you want the full story of Starkiller, you'll need to read our upcoming graphic novel scripted by the game's writer Haden Blackman.

One of the best parts of the show was meeting up with our Mass Effect friends from San Diego. They are, like, so cool. You don't even know.

There were some other good cosplayers, too. But I don't know them. They're still probably cool. As cool as one can be dressing up for a video game convention.

The Guild gets love everywhere. Best. Cosplay. Ever. I think Felicia would be proud. Or maybe angry . . . There can be only one!

There was some sort of street fight happening inside the convention hall. No one seemed to want to stop it. Not wanting to be a total narc, I took a few photos, wagered my bets, and went on my merry way. Still no word from my bookie. I had Crazy Hair 6:1 over Pigtails.

One of the best rooms at PAX was where bands could cover video game theme songs. This group was jamming-out to Mario Bros. It was trippy. For a moment I had a Bonnaroo flashback, but quickly came to my senses when I realized there wasn't an old hippie trying to sell bunk mushrooms while some topless chick puked into a Phish t-shirt.

There's a new game coming out that hopes to capitalize on the cash-cow that is Rock Band. This game is going for a more 'realistic' approach, giving the game's guitar a full six strings. However, the drum machine sits on the floor, detecting the movements of the sticks in the air. As a novice drummer, I would think the lack of reverberations would make it difficult to keep time. But maybe not. Maybe the kids will love it. This group was certainly rocking out. Rocking out hard. So very, very hard.

I have no idea what these ladies were promoting, and I don't care. They were, hands down, the coolest people at the whole convention. Look at those shades, man! On a side note, I should point out that many conventions in this industry employ somewhat ignorant 'booth babes' who know little to nothing about the products they're selling. They are pretty faces and curves used to lure virgin geeks, who hope their wallets will provide a temporary escape from loneliness and a short time with an attractive woman. At PAX, however, anyone on the convention floor must know the ins and outs of what they're promoting. One step closer to equality! Kinda. Anyway, I think it's a good policy. Sure, they're no Frag Dolls. But really, who is? I mean really . . .

Everyone dance! Now! Ubisoft demands it! The Frag Dolls control your body! Yes, even you Luigi, even you.

Tron! OMG OMG *drools* Okay, calm down. Breathe. We shall no longer speak of The Mouse and his movie/game/toy empire that seeks to dominate planet Earth.

Looks like our Mass Effect friends picked up some new acquaintances. It's almost as if Mass Effect was becoming something more than a video game, like an entertainment phenomenon that expands into new forms of media, furthering the reach of the imagined universe and the characters within . . . weird.

Well, thanks for everything Seattle! Maybe next time don't give me food poisoning. Just sayin'.

Sorry I couldn't get more news, or sneak in a video camera to the Duke Nukem trailer. I tried, believe me, but that booth was locked down like Fort Knox. I hear it opens with Duke and a pair of twins . . . you know what, there might be kids reading. For the record, Portal 2 co-op will blow your fragile mind into tiny bits, sweep them up, put them back in your skull, shake them up, and serve the contents to you. And you will like it.

If you have pictures from PAX, share them on the Dark Horse Facebook or Twitter page. It would be swell if you did.

Aaron Colter is a transient who was paid in day-old oysters for this report. For documentation purposes, he was also given a first generation iPhone, which is considered more worthless than a bucket of buffalo nickels now that everyone and their mother is sporting one of those stupid iPhone 4s for jerks. Sometimes he rants on his own Twitter account, which Dark Horse Comics, Inc. and their partners and affiliates find inaccurate and inappropriate. Do not follow him, his has been declared clinically insane by a panel of no less than five doctors in both Indiana and Illinois.

For those of you that don't know, PAX is one of the greatest conventions in the country. Started by our Penny Arcade (http://www.darkhorse.com/Search/penny+arcade) friends, the festival has become the place for gamers of all kinds to celebrate their once mocked culture.

Now that video games are pulling just as many...">

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PAX - A Weekend of Wonder

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