I picked up TONS of swag at PAX, just for all of you. You’re welcome! Take a look at the video to see what kind of swag you can win!
Leave a comment below letting me know if you want the Large or XL prize pack, and what Britt should do if she wants my Skyrim beanie!
Those who comment with a “Large” or “XL” request by noon Wednesday, September 7th, will be entered in the random drawing for prizes! (US only, because these packages may end up being pretty costly to ship. Sorry!)
Good luck!
EDIT: Courtesy of Random.org, we have our winners! Congratulations to Rachel B. for winning the Large Pack, and Boots_33 for winning the XL Pack! Winners, please send me an email at tara at zaxy.com with your full name and address so I can get those sent out!
We have another SUPER awesome contest coming next week, so stay tuned!
(Thank you, also, for all of the amazing suggestions on what I should make Britt do. I’ll try to come up with an appropriate challenge for her soon!)
And as I sit here and type this epic blog post*I feel like a braindead zombie; a zombie thatcannot think clearly nor talk coherently as this zombie has beenon the go since Thursday; a zombie whose onlyopportunityto sit on her ass for an extended period of time willcome only come at work.
Ew, work.
*I cannotconfirm nor deny this will be an epic blog post,for I haven’t finished it as of the time of thiswriting.
Now, PAX and I have a strange relationship–and I’ve talked to my buddy Beez about this--it seems like the more PAX conventions I attend, the less games I play atthem.I tend to findmyself wandering the show floor, meeting up with friends and searching for amazing buffalo wings.But this time around, PAX and I took our relationship to the extreme;I didn’t play ONE game at PAX Prime. NOT. ONE. Like, Ican’t tell you howamazing Skyrim was. Or how hot Garrus looked in Mass Effect 3 (interspecies sex FTW!). But you know what? Idon’tregretthe lack of buttonmashing.After all, the lines were absolutelyridiculous. Three hours to play Skyrim? No thank youkind sir. I’ll stand from afar and watch the demo half a dozen times and call it good.
I mean, Iheart video games as much as the next gamer, but if I were to stand in line for three hours…sheeeyt,that’s three hours I could have spent meeting new people.And for me—and I know I sound like a broken record—meeting fellow gamersis the best part about PAX. (The people watching is pretty amazing, too.)But if you think all I did waswalk around and gawk at the pretty lights andgamedisplays,you are…mostly correct. HA.Like I said above, I did a lot of wandering with Beez.But some pretty awesome stuff happened on the show floor.
Okay, this is Jennifer Hale. She is my hero, and if you find yourself scratching your head then you clearly aren’t worthy of being on this website. I KID. Come back. Thanks. Anyway, she’s VERY well known for being an amazing video game voice actress. Like, uh she’s the voice FemShep. Yeah. You may also know her as Naomi Hunter from the MGS games.She was simply lovely to meet. In Britt terms –“I want her babies.”
Ugh. I’m going to kill Beez for taking a picture of my derp face. Anyway, despite the unattractiveness of my expression, these are two big wigs that worked on Dragon Age.Dude on the left is Mike Laidlaw,Dragon AgeLEAD FUCKIN’DESIGNER.The guyto theright…I can’t remember who he is. But I’m sure hedoes awesome and important things.
How this picture came to be is byBeez and Iaimlessly walkingaround (like a boss)when we came across the Bioware booth.Mike Laidlaw and aforementionedanonymous do-er of awesome, important things were discussing Dragon Age 2 and taking fan questions from Twitter.I SQUEE’D so hard, and needless to say, Ijust stood there withmymouth agape for aloooongwhile.After they finished talking about the awesomesauceality that is Dragon Age, I stalked them anddemanded a photo.Beez told them to kiss me but they didn’t. WHATEVER BIOWARE.
Beez and I also scored a free OnLive console, or a“MicroConsole TV Adapater“if you want to get fancy.All we had to do was stand in a line for about 30 minutes (that was moderated by nazi Enforcers, I might add), give our name and email address and VOILA!
Dear:Skyrim.I really, REALLY wanted one of the epic beanies that were being handed out for playing you. I waited in line for over30 minutes. In fact, you were the only game I waited in line for.But one of your employeesapproached meand said I wouldn’t get the chance toplay with you, so I bailed, and I never found a Skyrim beanie. I am forever a sad panda over this.
That being said, I guess one could say I at least put forth an effort to playa game. That has to count as something, right?
…OH! Oh snap. I forgot that I played about 15 seconds of Ocarina of Time 3D. But then I realized I was in the Water Temple, soI quickly said“eff that noise” and that was the end of it.
OH! OH SNAP TIMES TWO! I also played a few rounds of Super Smash Brothers Brawl in the consolefree play area. Thatalso counts as something, right?
Riiiiiight.
But anyway, I had an absolute blast on the show floor. No complaints here. :)
Eee! PAX is upon us, and I’m so excited! For those who know me, I’m a HUGE overplanner, and I planned out my entire PAX schedule last year: press appointments, parties, events, etc. And it stressed me out. So this year I’m taking things a bit easier. I have a couple specific things on my calendar, but for the most part I just want to enjoy. I’ll spend time at the booths I want to, and put a huge focus on partying and networking.
Want to find me at PAX? Here are a few places and events where you’ll be able to find me:
The Expo Hall I’ll be spending most of my time hanging around the expo hall. I’ll tweet out a pic and clues as to where I am, and may even be giving away some swag, so keep an eye on @Zaxydotcom and @ZaxyTara! (I’ll also be tweeting from the @paxparties and @geekyhostess twitter handles, so I’ll be giving my phone a workout!)
NerdProv Saturday, 10:30pm I’ll be judging NerdProv at the Intiman Theater (right near the Space Needle) with special guests Loading Ready Run and Mikey Neumann!
Geeky Hostess/Parenting Geekly Meet Up Sunday, 9:30am-10:30am I’ll be repping my other blog (Geeky Hostess) by providing coffee, donuts, and water bottles to folks entering PAX on Sunday. Look for me and Sharon (from Parenting Geekly) in aprons on the main floor of the convention center!
I’ll be at other parties and places throughout: keeping an eye on the twitter handles will be your easiest way of finding me. I really want to meet you all, so please come up and say “Hi” if you see me!
Can’t make PAX this year? Never fear! By request of you guys, I’ll be rounding up some of the best swag I can find, and putting together a PAX Swag contest later next week. Keep an eye out for that!
We’re starting to get some great footage back from PAX, and I’m excited to show off some gameplay of one of my new fave party games: Slam Bolt Scrappers. If you like punching, button mashing, and drinking while doing it, then this is the game for you.
Take a look at our in depth gameplay analysis:
Slam Bolt Scrappers will be available for the PSN in early 2011. Can’t wait!
Man, I can’t believe PAX has already come and gone. And because of that, I’m going through vacation withdrawals. You know how it goes— no matter what you’re doing all you’re thinking about is the vacation and how much fun you had and how you would do *almost* anything to relive it again.
Yes, PAX takes place in the city I live in, but not once did I feel as if I were in Seattle. I blame the amazing atmosphere (seriously, it’s like you’re in an entirely different world) and because I stayed in a hotel room with buddies the entire time. Sounds silly, I know, but it made the weekend so much more enjoyable.
I did things a little differently this convention. Generally I’ll zone in on a title and wait in ridiculous lines just to get my hands on it, but this time I kept everything extremely casual. Instead of playing the titles I thought I would such as Dragon Age 2, I played Slam Bolt Scrappers, Kung-Fu Live and Just Dance.
::random voice:: Britt, you mean to tell me YOU of all people didn’t play Dragon age 2?! You, the future bearer of Alistair’s pixilated children? You, the freak that collects anything and everything Dragon Age?
It’s true, I didn’t. But hear me out. I’m excited for Dragon Age 2 and some of the bigger, more well-known titles that were on the show floor (uh yeah hi Mr. Duke Nukuem, I saw you) but…
A) The lines were absolutely ridiculous and I would have felt guilty cutting in front of everyone if I tried flashing my media badge.
B) Certain games such as Dead Space 2 and Dragon Age 2 are day one purchases for me, so yeah, it would have been nice to play but I’ve heard enough impressions to keep me happy.
C) I’ve already dinked around with some of the game while I was at E3.
D) I was having so much fun checking out more of the casual stuff with Tara and Kristina I didn’t even care.
I really enjoy PAX because it has a low key vibe to it. Granted the show floor may seem chaotic with flashing lights, huge booths and a mixture of different bleep, bloops and explosions, but compared to E3, this just felt so much more relaxed.
I’m definitely going to be at PAX East next March, and you should consider attending as well.
(This is obviously an EXTREMELY short overview of my time at PAX. If you want a tl;dr version that goes into detail about what I exactly did, you can hit up my blog on IGN here)
I am going to tell you guys a secret right now. Can you keep a secret for me?
I have never been to a gaming convention before.
I mean, don’t get me wrong. I’ve got street cred. I’ve been to 6 Harry Potter conferences over the span of the last 3 years, I’ve been to 2 YouTube conventions, and a sci-fi con, but PAX is going to be a whole new world of experiences for me. So enough about that, let me tell you what I am most excited for (though I’ll be honest, Brittney and Tara pretty much said it all already).
1. The Overall Conference Mindset: There is nothing more exciting to me than walking through a hotel with your nametag dangling around your neck, passing people in costumes or rolling their suitcases behind them, pouring over schedules and sharing travel woes – Like Britt said, it’s the whole atmosphere of the convention that I can’t wait for. Everyone is there to have a good time, meet people, and have more fun than should be allowed in one weekend.
2. Actually Going to Programming: It’s funny, because as a Harry Potter conference veteran, it’s common (at least in my social circles) to go to all of the “fun stuff” like the dance, the concerts, etc. and skip out on the formal programming because you stayed up too late partying the night before – but from what I’ve heard, the formal programming at PAX is the fun stuff. This is new. This is exciting.
3. Swag: Tara tells me that PAX is all about the free swag. I don’t know about you, but to ME, the only thing better than free stuff is LOTS of free stuff, all over the place, all weekend.
4. The Zaxy Party. The other girls pretty much explained it all already, but I for one am a huge Ken Jennings fangirl (come on, he made Jeopardy so exciting for awhile there) so I’m totally pumped.
5. Raid Warning LIVE!: I’ll admit, World of Warcraft is a game where you spend a lot of time being a geek alone in front of your computer. I do it. I’m not ashamed. However, that is why I am super, super pumped to (finally) be a WoW geek in a room full of other people. And, of course, hearing all the exciting new updates about Cataclysm is also a plus.
See you there! Definitely come up and say “hi” if you recognize any of us while we’re there!
PAX Prime 2010 will be the fourth gaming convention I’ve been to. PAX Prime 2009 took my convention virginity, and after that I went crazy with PAX East in March and then E3 in June. I’d *like* to think I have a general idea about how these things called “gaming conventions” work, so I can confidentially say I’m looking forward to the following.
The Atmosphere: Rarely are you able to walk into a room, let alone a ginormous convention center, and be surrounded by people that share the same passion as you. I mean, hello, this is an entire CONVENTION about videogames and all things related. For the most part attendees and developers alike are extremely friendly and are always willing to talk shop. How can one not look forward to that type of atmosphere?
The People: Going solo to these kinds of events can be fun, but I personally find it much more enjoyable when you go with a group of friends. You may not stick together the entire time, but regrouping later to discuss what everyone has been playing is something I always look forward to. It’s also a blast running into people from social networking sites such as Twitter, Facebook, or any other online community you may be a part of. One of the definite highlights from PAX is meeting people, period.
The Games and Tech: This is totally vague, I know, and an obvious one, but I mean this is PAX. Gaming is a part of it…right? In all seriousness, being able to go hands on and experience hardware and software that not too many people have…it’s a prideful feeling. For example, let me revert to my time at E3 when I dinked around with Move, Kinect, 3DS, Skyward Sword, Fable 3, the new Twisted Metal…okay, I’m going to shut up before I start sounding like a bragging b-word.
The Zaxy Party: Major Nelson! Ken Jennings! Alcohol! Trivia! Alcohol!
I’m extremely pumped for the Zaxy party this Friday. We have some fun things lined up, and I really want to meet you guys! To be completely honest, I don’t really know what to expect (besides the awesome events we have lined up) as this is the first event I’ve been to where I might have a tinge of responsibility, but that makes it all the more exciting. We will also have a camera crew following us around to catch the shenanigans. Remember to RSVP here!
The Zaxy girls are all eagerly anticipating PAX, but for different things. Here are the top 5 things I’m most looking forward to. Be on the lookout for Britt and Kristina’s coming up soon! And if you’re at PAX, follow @Zaxydotcom and @ZaxyTara to find out where I’ll be and when!
1. Dungeons and Dragons WOTC always comes up with something to bring the boys (and the girls) to the yard, and it sounds like they’ve outdone themselves again. They will have a freakin carriage full of things like monsters and Jones soda (best combination ever?) outside of the convention hall. Plus, they’ll be doing all types of demos and games. I won’t have time for the full Gamma World demo, but I am looking forward to the D&D convention delve of “Lair of the Dread Witch” featuring characters from D&D Essentials. And I’ll probably end up buying some more dice. I dont need more, but darn it, they’re just so pretty!
2. Controller-Free Gaming Ok, I know some of you are hating on the Kinect. I get it. It’s not hardcore gaming. But I’m not a hardcore gamer. I like stuff that makes my friends look silly at parties and help me stay active while I’m inside “playing video games”. And honestly, Kinect and other controller-free gaming is a great way to test out technology that can end up morphing into something way cooler. I’m picturing Jetsons-style living. It will be amazing.
Kinect’s supposed to have a pretty awesome and flashy set-up at PAX. The Zaxy girls are also psyched for our demo of Kung-Fu Live, which puts camera tech and controller-free gaming into a multiplayer Kung Fu battle that will GUARANTEE that we have a great time and all look ridiculous.
3. Meeting People Whether they’re bloggers, fans, developers, or random guys who jump on top of me to get a flying free t-shirt, I’m excited to meet them. I will take pictures with people in funny costumes, trade business cards with businessy folks, and chug beers with wizards at the Tri-Wizard Drinking Tournament. I can’t wait. Going to PAX? Please say hi! Take a picture! Tweet at us! Challenge us in a game!
4. Free Stuff I’m a sucker for free stuff. And PAX has enough free stuff to keep me happy for days. Rumor has it that Death Spank will have ACTUAL thongs of virtue. So I’m pretty much set for life.
5. Zaxy Party! We partied it up at PAX East, but this time PAX is in our hometown, and we’re hosting our own party. Place: Neumos on Capitol Hill Time: 7pm – 2am Major Nelson will be there–will you? RSVP now to be in the drawing to be a part of our Geek-Off hosted by Ken Jennings. He’ll test your smarts and stamina in exchange for some wicked prizes. We also have bands and food and drink sponsors. What are you waiting for? RSVP!
Overall, PAX is going to be a blast. I already have demos set up with Alienware, J!nx, Kung-Fu Live, Portal 2, Tripwire, Slam Bolt Scrappers, and Glass and have a few more in the works. And in case you haven’t heard, there will be a DeLorean there in honor of TellTale’s Back to the Future game! OMG.
Our good friends over at Pixelated Geek posted an interesting article today about potential changes to Booth Babe requirements for PAX.
PAX polled their forums, and came up with the following conclusions: 60% of people polled love or like the idea of a “Booth Babe Ban” 20% are indifferent to the idea of a “Booth Babe Ban”
Most people would be alright with banning scantily clad models in exchange for people who actually know about the product they’re representing. Don’t get me wrong, people can be knowledgeable AND attractive, and they’re welcome to wear scantily clad attire if they are cosplaying an accurate representation of a character. This would ban booty short wearing bimbos that are there only to look bored and draw you into their booth.
I am all for this. I think it will encourage women to feel more welcome at conventions, as they’re not just seen as a piece of meat. It will also encourage more open, friendly conversation between the girls at the booths and the visitors, as they’ll actually know their stuff and be excited about the game.
Tara here, back from PAX East, the second best gaming convention in the country (next to PAX Prime, that is!). I’m exhausted, excited, and full of game knowledge and new dice. But before we give you all the beautifully gory details, how about we tell you why we were there?
PlayOn had a booth at PAX and brought us along to be a part of it. We’re huge fans of the service and were so psyched when they invited us to come along to represent them. We had a great time demo-ing the service and watching our fave Hulu shows.
But what exactly is PlayOn?
PlayOn is a software program that streams media to your gaming systems. It downloads to your PC and connects through your home network to your PS3, XBOX 360, or Wii. You can then use your game controller or connected remote to browse through tons of streaming channels like Hulu, Comedy Central, Adult Swim, ESPN, and CNN. If you have subscriptions to Netflix Streaming or MLB.TV, you can watch those on there as well.
Some of the most popular shows demoed at PAX were: Archer, House, Family Guy, and Lost. (Jill just started Lost and I’m about to start as well, so no spoilers, please!)
I really like PlayOn because it’s an easy way to see the shows I want when I want, and I don’t have to pay for cable. I believe 38% of PlayOn’s customers have canceled their cable and just stream everything.
Because it’s software, they just charge a one time fee for the lifetime license. Then you can use it to stream whenever you want–forever! The fee is $39.99. If you want to check it out before you buy, they offer a free 14 day trial. Check it out!
A couple of quick notes based on FAQs at PAX:
-This is meant for Windows based PCs, but if you have a Mac, you can use Parallels or Boot Camp
-You can play existing media from your computer. If you want to showcase pictures, play music, or watch a downloaded program from your pc on your tv, you can do that.
-The amount of channels available are always increasing, due to third party plug-ins being created. You can see these here.
Anyway, they were great sponsors at PAX and we recommend you check them out! Be on the look out for more footage/reviews from PAX in the next couple days!
