<\/td><\/tr><\/table><\/p>\nThis weekend, Josh and I are going to meet for the first time at PAX East. I’m going to be appearing on a Q&A panel hosted by the Escapist, along with MovieBob<\/a> and some of the Loading Ready Run<\/a> crew. <\/p>\n Here is how PAX works:<\/p>\n The main attraction is the show floor. In the middle of the convention center is a massive (airplane hanger sized) area where different companies have booths for showing off their goods, games, demos, previews, and otherwise vying for attention from the press and gaming public. Some of these “Booths” stretch the definition of the term, and are more like self-contained marketing theme parks. In particular, Xbox has enough territory to declare themselves a sovereign nation and field an army to defend it. People are saying they might even have enough space for two people to play with the Kinect. The mind reels.<\/p>\n Around the edges of this mayhem are tiny booths owned by starry-eyed indie developers and middle-aged guys selling overpriced T-shirts, buttons, posters, and other gaming culture accoutrements. <\/p>\n Elsewhere in the convention center are other ongoing attractions: An arcade, a beanbag lounge, a PC lounge, etc. These are quiet places to get off your feet and recharge yourself, your Nintendo DS, or both.<\/p>\n In the outer rooms are “panels”. These events can encompass a lot of different things. Movie screenings. Presentations. Interactive question & answer events. Some are aimed at the press, or developers, or the public, or certain gaming demographics. Read the schedule<\/a> before you go and see if you’re interested in any of them. <\/p>\n Last year I didn’t have a game plan, and this resulted in a lot of spine-destroying hiking around. This year, I have a careful plan. <\/p>\n For the curious, here is my schedule for Friday. If an event isn’t here, it doesn’t mean I don’t care about it. It probably just conflicts with whatever else I’ve got going on. <\/p>\n <\/p>\n Gamers With Jobs Presents: Gaming For Grown-ups <\/strong> Stuff Your Criticism, I Want A Review!<\/strong>Friday<\/h3>\n
\nManticore Theatre, Friday 12:00pm – 1:00pm<\/small>
\nRationale: Possibly interesting look at mature gaming. It’s a bit early in the day, and we’re likely to still be walking the show floor collecting swag, but if we need a break, this is where we’re going.<\/p>\n
\nWyvern Theatre, Friday 3:00pm – 4:00pm<\/small>
\nRationale: Good topic near to my heart. This is actually the subject of my column last Friday<\/a>: Reviews as consumer advice vs. artistic criticism. The panel includes my friend Susan Arendt.<\/p>\n