Penny Arcade

I married a nerd.  I’m sure if you’ve read any of my other articles you are aware of this.  Are you also aware that I gave birth to 4 little nerdlings?  Each of my 4 children has been converted to the nerd side of the force.  They all play games on the computer, whether it is Sims, Spore, or Age of Mythology.  For our family vacation this year (and last year) we attended Penny Arcade Expo, or PAX for short.

            PAX is an event that resulted from a cartoon strip.  This cartoon strip is called “Penny Arcade”.  This is not a comic strip that I would recommend for any child!  This comic strip is created by 2 men who basically tell it like it is in the gaming world-I mean computer gaming world.  They rip on games that they think suck, and they herald games that they think are awesome.  They do not stop at games however, they move into the whole computer world.  It is a pretty funny strip if you are a nerd, geek, or those who are really nerds and geeks but choose to hide it (closet nerds). 

            So once a year, PAX descends upon the Washington State Convention Center.  Yes, it is so big, that they have to use the Convention Center.  This year PAX sold over 75,000 tickets.  75,000 nerds gathered in one place at one time-can you imagine the IQ of this event?  We as a family attend this 3 day event every year.  Each floor of the convention center is devoted to a different aspect of gaming.  This year LAN gaming was on the 6^th floor.  LAN stands for Local Area Network, in other words, computers linked together to play against one another.  Gary ran this event, and it hosted 400+ bring your own computer spots, as well as 400+ free play computer spots.  BYOC, which stands for bring your own computer, is where individuals pay to bring their personal computers in, connect to one another, and play for the entire 3 days the convention goes.  Free play, means that there are 400+ computers brought in by a company.   People sign up to play for a certain amount of time.  It is an amazing event!

            One whole floor is dedicated to vendors.  You walk into the room where an individual can find any and all computer stuff.  I tried to think of a more descriptive word, but “stuff” is what comes to mind.  You have console games (think Wii, Xbox, Playstation), you have computer games (think DOOM, SIMS), you have game companies (think Harmonics which makes Guitar Hero), you have EVERYTHING!  This year, I even found a kitchen table that I fell in love with!!!  Mind you it is a gaming table in disguise, check out their website: www.geekchichq.com/.  Overall, it is an extremely overwhelming experience.  I never in my whole life realized how big the computer gaming world is.

            While the comic strip is not something I’d call family friendly, the PAX is completely a family event.  At this year’s event, I passed parents with children the same age as mine.  Parents with children younger than mine, and parents with children strapped to their backs in a backpack.  Aside from the things you find at PAX, there are other interests to discover.  There are many different forums, and speakers present different topics for discussion every 1-2 hours in various theaters.  This year I attended a presentation on Violent Video Games and Children:  The science, the myths, and the Facts.  It was presented by a psychologist from Vancouver BC.  I was truly impressed at this presentation.   There are also special guests from various science fiction shows that have autograph sessions, as well as geek-bands that play music to calm the gaming soul.  So you can see that there are many family experiences that one can attend in this “gamers convention.”  One of the funniest parts of the convention was talking to the Green Coats (those hired by the Convention Center for security).  They always spoke about how much they enjoy this “kids event.” 

            I could go on and on about the many things that a family can do and see at PAX.  But unless you are a gaming family, it will most likely bore you.  I find that when I talk to those “outside” the nerd realm, they give me that blank look of:  howniceforyouandyourfamily-NERD!.  When I speak with those who game, the jealousy is so obvious, it's almost painful.   Penny Arcade is a great family experience.  If you ever have the opportunity, remember next Labor Day weekend, the Washington State Convention Center will once again be over-run by the Nerds, Geeks, and general gaming community for 3 days.  Join us, you might feel comfortable coming out of the closet.

Comments

[Becky]

The closest I get to gaming is brick layer...and I am horrible at it.