Review: PAX East 2014 Was a Gamer’s Delight

This year was my second time attending the Penny Arcade Expo, and I am glad to say, this year was even better than last year. PAX East is a 3-day convention, located in Boston, held at the Boston Convention and Exhibition Center. PAX East is a great opportunity for gamers to get their hands on some of the new titles in development from some of gaming’s best.

Also the amount of cosplayers would surprise you — being a gaming convention, most would suspect it to be all non-cosplaying gamers, but that is not the case. Not to mention the amount of indie games present at the con gives smaller studios to get some much needed face time with the gaming public. Since I had experienced PAX East once before, my excitement for my second trip to New England for it made the wait a tough one.

Walking into PAX East I noticed that the show floor seemed more packed than last year; more game set ups, game developers, and merchandise booths were present this year. I thought this was cool, having all these games around made this gamer’s heart full of excitement. Seeing the giant Goliath statue from Evolve, Moon Base from the Borderlands “pre-sequel,” and even a half pipe ramp for Trials Fusion.

The games located on the game floor, were amazing! And needless to say, the gamers came to play! I loved seeing the energy given off from the crowds as hundreds watched Cliff Bleszinski play Evolve, and others watched the Pro BMX bikers do tricks on the half pipe, and watched the tournament for Infinite Crisis on Sunday. It was an exciting atmosphere. I enjoyed getting my hands on more Titanfall, playing Guacamelee, and a bunch of indie titles. I love that indie games are so well represented at this convention.

Con staff was very helpful, and probably the most enjoyable con staff I have witnessed. They assisted cosplayers with getting through crowds, knew the layout of the con floor, and were generally helpful. Security of the con was tight, mostly due to the unfortunate Boston Marathon bombing that happened last year. Because of this, con security was strong, and took no chance with anyone — however, this also made getting into the actual con center much easier.

I will say my personal standout this year was the Riot Games stage for League Of Legends. League of Legends has been growing in its popularity over the last almost six years of its life, and has become a giant in the gaming industry. And I actually enjoy seeing the game in action, and the cosplays that come from it. With this said, I felt the Riot booth should have had a bigger presence this year. Last year it was the booth, and a big open space for cosplayers to stand around, but with the merchant booths taking up a lot of the space, it felt clustered. Maybe for next year the Riot booth should have a bigger space, with more room for the cosplayers there. But I will say, having a cosplay repair room for cosplayers has to be one of the greatest things for a con to have. A lot of League cosplayers loved that room, and felt having that at a con was amazing. Riot Games loves their fans, and it shows.

Next thing I want to talk about, is what everyone loves walking away from a con with, con swag. For those who are unaware, con swag is free merch given away by game company’s or the con itself to attendees. And I was sadden that there was a lack of swag this year. I felt game companies didn’t bring a lot of swag this year. Last year I walked away with more clothes than I brought with me to the con. Not a real big deal but hopefully it will be better next year. However Riot Games brought a lot to the show. Giving away free codes, and swag bags to its LoL cosplayers, which contained a statue in them as well. I was very pleased with my own bag I got from a friend. So next time bring the con swag, game companies, your fans will thank you.

Overall PAX East is an awesome con. I didn’t have a negative experience at PAX East, nor have a heard anything negative about this year’s show.