Current Events > Almost ready to bail on PAX East. Almost.

(+) Yeah! (+)

None of my friends care to go, and so few big names show up anymore, and even if they do, the days of "PAX Exclusive Reveals" are LONG over.

Mostly I go for the indie scene, and honestly, I can get that done in one maybe two days.

But anyway badges just went on sale.

I went there 2 years ago and it was basically 8 hours of standing in line to buy stuff I didnt really want and could get online for cheaper, standing in line to play kinda sorta okay indie games and a bunch of nerds playing board games.

https://gamefaqs.gamespot.com/a/forum/6/60651769.jpg

EmilyTheCEman posted...

I went there 2 years ago and it was basically 8 hours of standing in line to buy stuff I didnt really want and could get online for cheaper, standing in line to play kinda sorta okay indie games and a bunch of nerds playing board games.

My local con was basically like this. I've been somewhat interested in PAX, but I know since I don't have a decent group of friends to go with, it wouldn't be fun.

I'll go with u bby I'm at the Wendy's in downtown crossing already halfway there

One thing I make sure to do is sign up for board game tournaments just to get some social interaction.

And you post the ball pit picture but it's funny how much empty space there is in PAX these days. They used to go wall to wall.

CyricZ posted...

None of my friends care to go, and so few big names show up anymore, and even if they do, the days of "PAX Exclusive Reveals" are LONG over.

Mostly I go for the indie scene, and honestly, I can get that done in one maybe two days.

But anyway badges just went on sale.

I got the westin, which makes such a huge difference for going to pax east it's insane. They sold out within 2 minutes of the tweet.

I somewhat agree, ever since covid it's been going down hill. I've gone every year except the one year I traveled to spain. You really feel the impact of the big leagues being gone like sony and microsoft.

Indie scene is still pretty good. The board game scene is still pretty good, and you don't really have to wait in line for much unless you desperately need to see it. I go for four days so I'm usually ambivalent about lines. I'll plan to come early one day (since you know I'm at the fucking westin this doesn't cost me much time) and then go straight for thing in the morning so I don't have to wait.

The panels have been trash. It's mostly social commentary about games, which is...FINE. But I like some of the more unique stuff. Like this for last year. Mother To Earth: The Untold Story Of Earth Bound. They were talking about how they found and played the few alpha copies of earth bound. Most of the panels now a days or at least in previous years are rehashes of being a hispanic person in the gaming world, or the dev world, or how it feels to stream as a gay black person. I don't want social simulators, but I guess for the people who relate to it, it can be a nice place to meet someone else who "gets it." Which is fine, and can be the place but it certainly doesn't attract me like some of the more unique panels like building your own fight stick that they had in the first couple years.

CyricZ posted...

One thing I make sure to do is sign up for board game tournaments just to get some social interaction.

And you post the ball pit picture but it's funny how much empty space there is in PAX these days. They used to go wall to wall.

Just know at night, the westin is certainly popping for sure, the lobby is absolutely packed and there's tons of night owls still hanging around pax at 10pm in the board games area.

As for the empy space yeah there's certainly a lot more now. They may have to lower prices because they seem prohibitive to indie devs. Then there's those huge spaces for the indoor food trucks that charge insane prices.

I've always been meaning to ask you since you go every year. You got any awesome restaurant recs for boston to go out of the way for? I've got an awesome BBQ place that's super close to PAX that I'd highly recommend. If you got any for near by that works as well as far away too.

badjay posted...

I've always been meaning to ask you since you go every year. You got any awesome restaurant recs for boston to go out of the way for? I've got an awesome BBQ place that's super close to PAX that I'd highly recommend. If you got any for near by that works as well as far away too.

Shabu Zen (the one on Tyler St)

badjay posted...

I got the westin, which makes such a huge difference for going to pax east it's insane. They sold out within 2 minutes of the tweet.

Ah okay. See the Westin is good but the Aloft and the Element are also like right across the street from the side entrance and I got the Aloft last year and it was so nice being able to hop from the floor to my room in the space of five minutes.

BUT, I didn't like that I had to go far afield to get decent access to good food, which is always a problem with the Seaport area. Staying at the Courtyard this year (which I've done a few years) and it is right near some great food, so if you're okay with the bus ride between there and the BCC, it's kind of a wash I think.

I somewhat agree, ever since covid it's been going down hill. I've gone every year except the one year I traveled to spain. You really feel the impact of the big leagues being gone like sony and microsoft.

See I wonder with restrictions being so relaxed at cons if they'll trickle back in but I worry the ship has sailed if they realize "well hey we can just do our own version of a Direct and won't have to haul people and merch garbage all the way down there so heck with cons these days".

Indie scene is still pretty good. The board game scene is still pretty good,

Yeah... pretty good.

and you don't really have to wait in line for much unless you desperately need to see it.

Thursday baby. Get so much done on that day because the place is like half full.

The panels have been trash. It's mostly social commentary about games, which is...FINE. But I like some of the more unique stuff.

I'm fine with the diversity panels; they're just the same ones every year. Also, I'm not really big into "how to stream, how to cosplay, how to build your brand, make your game".

Then again, I'm not all that into "hey we're the devs of this popular game" and it's just a marketing panel. And what does that leave, lol?

A good panel is hard to do (I say as I rev up for my third straight Mahjong panel at MAGFest)

I've always been meaning to ask you since you go every year. You got any awesome restaurant recs for boston to go out of the way for? I've got an awesome BBQ place that's super close to PAX that I'd highly recommend. If you got any for near by that works as well as far away too.

lol I read this after typing the food stuff.

I personally love going to Wagamama at the Prudential Center, and I always try to make a trip to Boston Burger Company on Boylston. Legit though I'm crap for "these are the REAL GOOD food places" because I'm such a basic bitch.

CyricZ posted...

I always try to make a trip to Boston Burger Company on Boylston.

That was one of my secret recs lol. I love Boston Burger Company on Boylston. Close to where the first Pax East was right?

I'll give wagamama a shot and
The_Nintendo_Master posted...

Shabu Zen

This place. I'll put it down. I usually do sushi too, so I'll have to see if I can find a sushi all you can eat place to get stuffed. I remember there was a sushi burrito place near pax but I did it, and it was absolute trash.

The place near pax east that I really liked was The Smoke Shop. Highly recommend it, it's close, somewhat pricey, but still delicious for a bbq place and quite filling. I will be going back again.
https://thesmokeshopbbq.com/

badjay posted...

Close to where the first Pax East was right?

Yeah right near the Hynes Convention Center.

badjay posted...

This place. I'll put it down. I usually do sushi too, so I'll have to see if I can find a sushi all you can eat place to get stuffed. I remember there was a sushi burrito place near pax but I did it, and it was absolute trash.

The one year I think there was a conveyor belt sushi place on Seaport Blvd, but pretty sure it wasn't there the year after, but maybe I was misremembering where it was. Yankee Lobster on Seaport is also pretty decent if you like seafood. I really love their clam chowder, but they're always packed and there was nearly always a line to get in, and they might be a bit pricey iirc.