As was foretold, we've added advertisements to the forums! If you have questions, or if you encounter any bugs, please visit this thread: https://forums.penny-arcade.com/discussion/240191/forum-advertisement-faq-and-reports-thread/
First PAX! Anyone have suggestions?
Sergeant_Slash
Registered User regular
Registered User regular
Hey all!
I'm heading down to PAX West from Canada with a couple friends, we've got our tickets, we've got our hotel, but none of us have been to PAX before! Any veteran PAX attenders have some advice for a couple clueless Canucks? Places we need to eat? Things we need to bring? Booths we simply have to visit? Booths we really shouldn't?
We'd love to hear from you!
EDIT:
Thanks all, I've heard some great things so far! I might as well start a list of the responses I've got seeing as I'd guess there may be some more first timers checking this thread out!
Here's what I've got;
* Bring a small backpack or shoulder bag
* Bring lot's of water
* There's game music concerts! I didn't know about that and it sounds awesome!
* Scout out where you want to go on day 1 then run there when the gates open on later days
* Bring snacks (healthy ones too)
* Bring a handheld game system
* Hand sanitizer and deodorant
* Feel free to talk, people are friendly
* Look for the people in bright blue shirts, they're the PAX enforcers and will be super helpful
* Have an emergency plan, hopefully you don't use it but better safe than sorry
* Wear comfy socks and shoes, you'll be on your feet all day
* Don't forget the Indie games!
I'm heading down to PAX West from Canada with a couple friends, we've got our tickets, we've got our hotel, but none of us have been to PAX before! Any veteran PAX attenders have some advice for a couple clueless Canucks? Places we need to eat? Things we need to bring? Booths we simply have to visit? Booths we really shouldn't?
We'd love to hear from you!
EDIT:
Thanks all, I've heard some great things so far! I might as well start a list of the responses I've got seeing as I'd guess there may be some more first timers checking this thread out!
Here's what I've got;
* Bring a small backpack or shoulder bag
* Bring lot's of water
* There's game music concerts! I didn't know about that and it sounds awesome!
* Scout out where you want to go on day 1 then run there when the gates open on later days
* Bring snacks (healthy ones too)
* Bring a handheld game system
* Hand sanitizer and deodorant
* Feel free to talk, people are friendly
* Look for the people in bright blue shirts, they're the PAX enforcers and will be super helpful
* Have an emergency plan, hopefully you don't use it but better safe than sorry
* Wear comfy socks and shoes, you'll be on your feet all day
* Don't forget the Indie games!
Sergeant_Slash on
0
Posts
Pack essentials: toiletries, clothes etc etc
During the con: carry a bottle of water and some snacks, a portable gaming device (Switch, 3DS, Vita), extra chargers.
If you are waiting in line for a demo, don’t be afraid to talk to others in line or to the devs. Everyone at PAX is super friendly and willing to strike up a conversation.
I can’t remember which booths were a must see last year but I personally like to do stuff that was shown at E3 that the devs brought to PAX.
You'll want a water bottle with a filter in it, hydration is incredibly important.
I highly suggest hand sanitizer. Use it any time you touch anything other people have been using (controllers, tvs, books, etc...). It's also a good icebreaker for talking with people.
Comfortable shoes and socks are a MUST! You'll be on your feet most of each day.
Eat at least one highly nutritious meal per day, you'll thank yourself!
Those are the immediate things that come to mind. That and HAVE A BLAST!
Just a nerd into anything Nintendo, anime, MCU, Star Wars, and board games/card games.
Also a computer scientist and a streamer.
Then, stay active, read, ask questions, don't plan too much, and when you get there, if you need help, find an Enforcer in the bright blue shirts - we're here to help.
PAX is an incredible community (last year was my first PAX, this will be my second) and every interaction I had with people was an awesomely positive one. That goes twice for the Enforcers, such incredible people.
Cheesecake Factory is right across the street, and subway is right outside, but the lines for both get ridiculous.
Oh, and since nobody else mentioned it, do yourself and everyone a favor and wear deodorant and bring extra.
Edit: I wanted to add to this, as well. Don't overlook the indie games! I went to PAX on a mission. I knew I wanted to play at the Nintendo booth, and I knew I wanted to play Cuphead, and see what else MS had up their sleeve, and the Sony booth. I got to play a ton of the big name stuff, but I think I was surprised to find that I had the most fun playing upcoming games that I'd never even heard of before.
If you need to use a cash machine, the ones right around the convention center sometimes run out of cash. One block over (7th and Pine) is a Barnes & Noble bookstore, go inside, downstairs, and out the back, and there's a cash machine there.
There's a convenience store across the street from the convention center entrance, useful for snacks/drinks, cheaper than buying drinks at the convention center
The Gameworks arcade (across the street from the convention center) is open until 1am (12 on Sunday), and that part of downtown is perfectly safe late at night. At 10pm they kick out kids under 18.
Your first year, you won't get to see or do everything you want. There just isn't time, many panels overlap, many games have hour-long lines to play. However, you will find other things you didn't plan on, that are just as good or even better. The first year is a great time to explore and experiment.
You can bring in (a reasonable amount) of outside food and drink. There's even a couple food vendors inside the building, just expect their lines to be loooooooooooooooooooooooooooong during the show.
The convention center is fine with bringing in your own food/drink, but note the PAX “main theater” (where the biggest panels are) is in a concert hall a ways away from the convention center (assuming the location hasn’t changed this year), and you’re not allowed to eat or drink in the actual concert area (you can have food/drink while waiting in line beforehand though).
In fact, large popular events are intentionally scheduled opposite each other to help manage the crowds. Simultaneous one will be in the Sheraton, one in the Westin, and another in the Hyatt.
Make sure your shoes are good for walking and just standing, as you will be doing quite a bit of both. And for the socks, bring two pairs for every day and change them at some point mid-day. Your feet will last much longer.
Also, if you are super attached to canvas sneakers (Chucks being the most common) but find them uncomfortable for long periods of standing/walking, I suggest trying PF Flyers. I have high arches and cannot wear Chucks for more than an hour or so, but PF Flyers have become my go-to shoes for all conventions. They are fantastic.
"Brilliant! Oh wait, if we were meant to fly, we would have been born with little bags of nuts."
Enjoy your trip with your friends and see you at PAX!
I totally agree about snacks. Crackers, fruit, or anything that will keep okay in your backpack for 4-5 hours is a good idea. But at some point you might want lunch. I HIGHLY recommended skipping anything within a 5 block radius of the Convention Center, or even more. It will be overcrowded, and it will take a long time to get food or even a table. Sometimes even the Starbucks will simply run out of food due to the crowd size. Your best bet is to take our handy-dandy bus tunnel down to the International District, or take our light rail to Capitol Hill. You'll need exact change for the bus, as they don't take cards. The bus tunnel actually stops at the Convention Center directly across from the Paramount Theater (it will be in your convention program - the Paramount Theater holds some events for PAX West.); just make sure you're going south towards the International District. You can take any bus going south in the tunnel, as it doesn't turn anywhere else, and the buses are forced to stop at every stop in the tunnel (it goes Convention Center Stop > Westlake Stop > University Street Stop > Pioneer Square Stop > International District Stop). This makes travelling very easy. I can get from my work in Pioneer Square to Westlake or the Convention Center within ~7 minutes. I would recommend keeping your wits about you, however. The area can be a little sketchy, but if you just keep your bags closed and close to you, you shouldn't have an issue (I'm a 23 year old girl who goes to the ID all the time alone. It's mostly sketchy at night.)
The International District has a lot of good Asian food, and an Uwajimaya, which is a local Japanese grocery store. Luckily the one in the International District has a really good Asian cafeteria, where you can get chicken curry katsu, a banh mi, crepes, yakisoba, and a lot more. It's all really affordable (around $5-$12 per plate), and very quick. It would probably only take you 30-40 minutes to get there, eat, and then ride back up, as opposed to waiting 30-40 minutes just to get a table and your order taken.
Your other option is go to north to Capitol Hill. Capitol Hill has good bars, and pricier restaurants than the International District. It's good for bar hopping, if you want to do that after the exhibition hall closes. You'll need to find the Westlake station, which is, incidentally, the same tunnel you would take to go to the International District (but going north). The light rail does not stop at the Convention Center station, so don't go there if you plan on taking the light rail anywhere. It's just one stop up on the light rail. You'll need to purchase a ticket before you get on - they have ticket dispensers on the upper floors of the station (not down at the tunnel).
Sorry this is so long!! I just figure it's better to have more information than less when it's your first PAX. Hopefully the lunch thing will help. Have a good time!!!
[ ] Badges [ ] time off [ ] cosplay
I think lately they've been doing some sort of game thing with their app (last year and 3 years ago I saw them, didn't go 2 years ago). This is rather hit and miss because cell reception can be quite terrible.
Popular panels can fill up early (Markiplier was full like 3 hours before he was supposed to start I think). Linecon everywhere so bring something to do. Make use of the game library! It's a fun thing to do when the exhibit hall shuts down if you got friends. A portable battery is very useful at most cons.
Switch: US 1651-2551-4335 JP 6310-4664-2624
MH3U Monster Cheat Sheet / MH3U Veggie Elder Ticket Guide
On this note, some people bring little camping, fold-up stools to the con. I personally don't (I just sit on the ground), but it's an idea.
[ ] Badges [ ] time off [ ] cosplay
I brought one with me last year, and I did actually find it useful when I was willing to wait in a few of the huge lines (which I generally didn't want to do much because it was my first PAX and there was a LOT of other things I wanted to do). I'm currently pondering if I want to bring it again or not.
Oh man don't be sorry about that! (Now you're sounding like the Canadian haha) That is fantastically helpful, and we are almost certainly going to follow a bunch of that!
Bring a backup USB battery to re-charge your phone or other important tech away from your hotel room.
Bring a power strip. A full hotel room means lots of phones & things getting charged.
Make use of restaurant reservation apps to prevent long waits for meals.
Switch: US 1651-2551-4335 JP 6310-4664-2624
MH3U Monster Cheat Sheet / MH3U Veggie Elder Ticket Guide
-Pack one outfit for each day, then pack one extra outfit and double that number of socks.
-Please, remember to leave yourself enough time for the biological things in life: leave yourself enough time to eat, drink, hit the facilities (please wash your hands, everyone remembers the swine flu epidemic from a few years ago), and for the love of anything, leave yourself enough energy to bathe, preferably nightly. You don't want to be that person, do you?
-Eat. If you manage a solid breakfast, the less likely you'll be to binge on expensive on-site food, and if you get a solid dinner, you're not going to be tempted to buy overpriced snacks. And no, a handful of crap from the snack machine does not a meal make. Also, you'll feel more energetic if you're not running on garbage food.
-If you need things to help you stay awake, there ought to be a market or gas station nearby where you can buy things like energy drinks or energy shots instead of pounding down soda- or better yet, hit up a Wal-Mart and buy a bunch for cheap (you can get a ten-pack of energy shots for eighteen bucks- less than half of the cost of buying them at a gas station!)
-Get plenty of sleep! Not everyone will be able to do the late night/early morning thing and run the entire convention on twelve to sixteen hours of total sleep. If you have to, budget extra time in the morning unless there's an event that you absolutely can't miss.
-Leave time for looking around! If you stuff your schedule, you miss the best part of a convention like this- wandering around, checking out booths, and meeting awesome people! Pack a handheld or some card game decks (Magic or Pokemon are good ideas), and just stroll around looking at stuff!
-Snacks are good, but pack the right snacks. Sugary garbage will just leave you hungry again and spike your sugar to make you tired. My usual go-tos are Odwalla bars and soft beef jerky, with a bottle of water to wash it down.
-If you're going to buy art, have a way to either store said art or transport it with you- like poster tubes, binders with plastic pages, etc.
-If you're buying anything else, either have a way to haul said purchase back to your room or have a way to haul it with you.
-Pack the night before the day you leave, but leave out enough stuff so you can shower, bathroom, and then relax for a few hours before you take off and just shove the rest of it into a bag.
-Bring your own bags. Otherwise you'll have to buy a bag from somewhere in town, and they'll happily charge an arm and a leg.
-As far as meds, pack stuff like tooth pain reliever and other situational things just in case- better to have it and not need it than bust a tooth on a popcorn kernel and be in agony until you get home or have to search out an emergency dentist. Refill prescriptions before you go and take extra, just in case.
I can has cheezburger, yes?
Me and my friend are both cosplayers. Would people suggest skipping over the cosplay for our first year? What is the cosplay scene like with PAX west?
PAX West 16, 17
My Rig: I7 7700K, Aorus K5, 32GB RipJaws V, Samsung 960 PCIe 256 & 500, Zotac 1080Ti
Just get a slingbag that can fit the stool inside of it.
Glad you can say that man, last year was my first PAX and the one enforcer I talked to was not polite whatsoever
twitch.tv/10KStreams
You got those comfy shoes, but are you used to being on your feet for 6 hours straight? You packed light but thats still 15 lb of weight on your back that your not used to. You brought snacks, but if your used to eating two full meals a day can you be comfortable subsisting on a bunch of peanut granolla bars and tap water?
In the month leading up to the con try and walk around your block for an hour with a couple of books in your pack, if it's easy ramp up your pace, time, weight, go up and down stairs, etc. Regardless of your physical fitness level, directly practicing your con routine before hand can make life alot easier.
Following up on this, I have slowly introduced cardio into my regimen. I usually lift so my stamina is real garbage right now.
When you buy new shoes, break them in like a real good month beforehand. It really makes a world of difference to have the heel worn in, especially due to the amount of standing you're doing.
Everyone is suggesting snacks and I agree, but don't stop at snacks for your bag. Stock up your room! There's a Target and several other shops where you can buy water and essentials (or Amazon Prime Now to the hotel!). This will help you save money in the long run instead of bleeding 15 bucks a day for breakfast (but hey, it's your vacation, you eat what you want
This is a weird one I learned the hard way but bring an amount of cash. Yes card is accepted everywhere, but there have been several times when a vendor's Square wasn't working or it was just easier to hand a few dollars to the Cookie Brigade. I would especially recommend smaller bills for tipping! If you plan on going to parties, bars, etc. it's always easier to have cash to tip folks. It's a high volume event and having a little bit of money has really done wonders for me than relying on plastic the entire time.
And this is entirely a personal preference but smartwatch or wearable has helped me out a ton during Pax. The event (especially the main floor) is super loud, so I tend to miss a lot of stuff on my phone. Line alerts, texts from friends, calls, and reminders of panels all go straight to my smartwatch. It's been a great way for me to stay on top of things. Again, this is a personal thing but something to consider if you already have one or were thinking of getting one.
Cosplayers are awesome at PAX! Often times a lot of exhibitors will bring cosplayers as part of their exhibit, like last year Maul Cosplay came as his Geralt with a Yennefer cosplayer and walked the devs to their seats at a CDProjekt panel. The year before that, ItsRainingNeon dressed as Cindy with the Hammerhead to hype the huge FFXV presence. Bungie also hosted a panel where they welcomed Destiny cosplayers to show off their costumes last year.
So yes, cosplay is definitely present at Pax. If you and your friend really want to dress up, you will certainly be in good company
This is a map of where all the PAX spaces usually are.
The Annex across the street usually has the Magic tournaments, PC freeplay, BYOC, and some indie dstuff.
The Paramount was totally Bungie in 2017 (and MTG in 2016). There are usually a couple food trucks over here. They tend to not be the same every day, and the popular ones (Cheese Wizards) sell out.
The Westin is where a lot of big signing events happens. Panels, the staff pin tradeing, and any celebrity YouTubers (those lines are the hugest, if one of them is on your itinerary line up now).
The Grand Hyatt has some of the bigger panel rooms
The Sheraton has a number of panels, plus it contains Merch Lite. Merch lite is the only place you can buy the show's Limited Edition Pinny Arcade pins. And the line starts earrrrly.
The Olive 8 has tabletop spaces. I believe it's usually quite in the day, but after the expo hall closes and regular Tabletop fills up, it fills in.
Benaroya Hall hosts the biggest panels.
And the WSCC itself has a 6th floor, which usually has a host of indie games and Bandland. Bandland is where friends of PA (and some of the bands playing that year) who don't make games get to set up booths for meeting fans and selling loot. LoadingReadyRun, Katie Rice, MC Frontalot, Kris Straub, Extra Credits, and Bill Amend are all frequent exhibitors there.
We have talked a lot about eating, and I do also agree with leaving the convention. I HIGHLY recommend going to the market and getting some fresh fruit/veggies to munch on throughout the day that are both delicious and nutritious.
-Accept you can't/won't see everything. Pick a few must-do items and focus on them, fill in the time around them with other stuff. If it's going to be a popular thing, plan accordingly. There will be long lines.
-PAX is not just the Expo Hall. There's so much to do, don't limit yourself by only staying in there. Go out and check out stuff going on in the other areas. Attend a panel, try out a type of game you haven't tried, go to a community or industry event.
-If you like art/posters, bring a poster tube ahead of time. The Fedex Office in the convention center will run out.
-Bring an external battery to keep your devices topped off to last though the day.
-Check out the events and other things that get coordinated on this forum. The PAX community is awesome and is one of my favorite parts of PAX.
-Enjoy! PAX is quite the experience so soak it in and go with the flow. If you're not having fun, you're not doing PAX to its fullest.
So my idea for this year is to skip any panel that's streamed on twitch, and just watch it in the following weeks from home (or work at lunch), and then use that time to actually play some more tabletop games. I love playing games, but usually don't end up making time to go play games at PAX. This idea is also much more time efficient, as it'll only take me an hour to watch the panel later, whereas it'd take 2+ hours at the con by the time you factor in transit time and line waiting time.
I'll probably chicken out and still go to a bunch of panels, but the idea seems good in my head right now.