In life, one experiences many “firsts” and some are more memorable than others. First step, first word, first kiss, first job, your first “time”, first gaming console, and on and on. Well, I am experiencing two firsts right now; my first article for The Blue Skittle and my first trip to the renowned Penny Arcade Expo (PAX).

Yes, friends, I am a PAX virgin. I honestly have no idea what to expect. I’ve heard that of all the gaming events in the year, this is the one to go to. It is a gamers nirvana. I’ve also heard thousands of people attend, which is a bit daunting. Now, I absolutely love to travel, but I like to be prepared. With that in mind I decided to ask my colleague Frag Monger (FM), a PAX veteran, for some tips to make my first time truly memorable.

Well, Frag Monger, I know that PAX takes place in Seattle, August 29-31, 2008. I have my plane ticket but not sure about accommodations. What do most people do?

FM Most of the few reasonably priced hotels around downtown Seattle fill up pretty quickly as PAX approaches. If you’re determined to get a hotel room in the downtown area without breaking the bank, book early. If you’d like to save a little money, you might consider sharing a room with a friend or two (or three or four – sleeping bags anyone?) Be sure to check the PAX site for their hotel deals as well (http://www.pennyarcadeexpo.com/hotels.php).

If you’d like to get even more economical, I suggest checking out the hotels that are near the Seattle airport. You won’t be right downtown, but Seattle has good bus service with busses heading from the airport to downtown and vice versa about every 20-30 minutes all day.

Hotel room, check!

I hate to over pack but don’t want to under pack either. What are some things I should bring and what should I leave behind?

FM Unless you’re a pretty thin-skinned person, don’t bother with a heavy coat. Seattle is beautiful in August, and the sun doesn’t set until around 7:00PM. Definitely bring some shorts and bring some comfortable ‘party clothes’ and maybe a light jacket for the evenings – PAX is replete with after-hours concerts parties and get-togethers.

One other important item is comfortable shoes. People often underestimate the amount of time they’ll spend on their feet during their three days at PAX. Go for function, not fashion or your feet may rebel against you.

What’s the first thing I can expect to see when I get to the festival?

FM You’ll see Bill Gates, Cliffy B., Major Nelson and Peter Molyneux drunk, nude, covered in neon body paint and dueling with chain saws in the streets. Be sure to bring a camera!

I’m just kidding. The first thing you’ll probably notice is the size of the convention center. It’s no L.A. Convention center, but it’s pretty big. When you walk in the door there will be a few shops and restaurants on either side, and main/central escalators to take you to all the floors of the convention center. You’ll see huge banners and posters everywhere, featuring the Penny Arcade comic characters as well as some of the games you might see at the expo.

With very little exploring you should easily find the console free play areas, the BYOC LAN room, and the locations of the various game tournaments that will be taking place during the expo. Be sure to register in advance on the PAX site if you plan to bring your own PC for the LAN room – space is limited and fills up fast.

A short walk from where the main entrance is, you’ll also find the exhibit hall, where you’ll get the chance to see what surprises the publishers and developers have in store for us this year.

I have three days to cover a lot of ground. What’s the best way to see everything?

FM Seeing it all can be a challenge. PAX covers PC and console gaming, handheld gaming and tabletop gaming. There are tournaments, speeches, several panels covering various gaming industry topics, the Omegathon, etc. The best advice I can give you would be to keep an eye on the PAX Schedule, which will be posted here: http://www.pennyarcadeexpo.com/schedule.php and make a plan of attack that will let you see the most of what you want to see.

Are you coming to PAX primarily for the tournaments? Then you’ll want to focus on the tournament schedule and when/where you’ll want to be to enter and participate.

Are you coming to PAX primarily to see what new games are headed your way in the coming months? Then you’ll want to focus your time on the exhibition hall, as that’s where you’ll find video previews, demos to try out and even publishing and development company reps to quiz about what you see.

Are you looking to get into the gaming industry yourself? Then you’ll want to focus on the PAX industry panels. There will be various panels covering such topics as Breaking into the Industry, Pitch Your Game Idea, Changes in the Industry, Indy Games, New Media and many more.

The exhibition hall is a definite must see. That is where you’ll get to play demos of unreleased titles, see video previews for upcoming titles and even get a look at what new tabletop game goodies are on the way.

What are must sees and what should I skip?

FM The exhibition hall is a definite must see. That is where you’ll get to play demos of unreleased titles, see video previews for upcoming titles and even get a look at what new tabletop game goodies are on the way. It’s also where you can purchase various gaming nick-knacks and even snag some free schwag. As PAX continues to grow in popularity, more developers and publishers want to attend to show off their titles. As a result, the exhibition hall for PAX ’08 will be at least 20% larger than last year’s in order to accommodate the extra exhibitors. That means even more for you to see.

Be sure to poke your head into the PC LAN room too. Even if you aren’t participating, it’s an impressive sight to see that many PC’s all lined up and ready to game.

Also debuting at this year’s PAX is ‘The PAX 10’, which is a showcase of independent games. It will showcase the best & brightest of what indie developers have to offer. I recommend checking it out.

The keynote address is often a judgment call. It really depends on who’s speaking and if you’re interested in hearing them. Last year’s keynote speaker was Wil Wheaton (Wesley Crusher from Star Trek TNG).

Unless you’re looking to get into the industry, you can also likely skip the various industry panels on those topics, though I must admit, the ‘Pitch Your Game Idea’ panel can be rather entertaining.

I must admit something. I love swag. What kind of swag is distributed and who usually gives out the best stuff?

FM Most of the schwag you’ll come across at PAX is in the form of demo discs, pins, stickers and, of course, t-shirts galore. I must have come home from last year’s PAX with at least 6 new t-shirts (almost all of which I gave away to friends or handed out as contest prizes for the website I was with at the time).

In general, I found that the more anticipated a devs/publishers title is or the more publicity they want to generate for it, the more generous they tend to be with their schwag. I came home last year with some pretty cool stuff from many devs/publishers, including: Bioware, Rockstar, Harmonix, EA, Vivendi, THQ and many more.

All the walking and swag collecting is going to work up an appetite. I am a foodie, but not picky. What is the local fare like?

FM Seattle is a great city for food. This is especially true if you’re a fan of fresh seafood or Asian cuisine. Some of it can get a little costly, but there are certainly deals to be found too.

You will find several places to eat right inside the convention center including: Cyber Dogs (Gourmet Hot Dogs & Internet Cafe), Juice It Cafe (Juice drinks, rice bowls, Salads, etc.), Subway, Taco Del Mar and many more.

If you’re feeling a bit more adventurous, I highly recommend the seven block walk from the convention center down to Seattle’s famous Pike Place Market. You’ll find plenty of good places to eat, as well as loads of great shops and, of course, Pike Place Fish – the famous fish market where the fishmongers throw the fish and have fun with visitors.

There is also a Gameworks right by the convention center, so if you haven’t had enough of gaming by the time you’re ready to go eat, you can go to Gameworks to eat as you keep right on playing.

Seattle is a great city for microbrews as well; so if you’re over 21 and looking for a good beer, you won’t be disappointed. Most downtown bars and restaurants have at least a few microbrews on tap. You’ll also find a Rock Bottom ale house, The Pike brewing company at Pike Place Market, and Pyramid brewing company down by the ball parks.

I plan to have a full Seattle ‘guide’ on 360 Rant Rave by late May/early June, with details on hotels, restaurants, bars, other Seattle attractions, etc. So be sure to check back if you’re looking for hotel and food deals and more info on where to go besides the expo while you’re in town.

What parties should I try to talk my way into?

FM It can be tough to know until they are announced. Just like your plan of attack for the expo itself, I suggest looking for parties thrown by publishers and developers who are showcasing titles you are interested in knowing more about. The parties, beyond just being a whole lot of fun, are another great way to get even more info about a game, perhaps get in some more demo play and maybe even pick up some more free schwag.

Last year, I actually missed most of the publisher and developer parties, but that’s only because I wanted to attend a party thrown by Trixie360 at Gameworks, and a more personal party, attended by many of Microsoft’s insiders, which I was fortunate enough to be invited to.

So, if I can’t get into a party, what are some other options?

FM That’s a big question! There is, of course, Gameworks as I already mentioned. Beyond that you have Pioneer Square down on First Avenue – a popular string of clubs and bars, many featuring live music. There’s also the EMP (Experience Music Project) for you music buffs, lots more shops and restaurants down on the waterfront and the Seattle center where the space needle is. Even if you don’t find your way into one of the parties, you’ll have a hard time getting bored in Seattle.

There are 100 people on my friends list and many more who I couldn’t make room for. Where is the best place to meet up at PAX?

FM Seattle has several recognizable landmarks. Unfortunately, very few of them are in close proximity to the convention center. Some places near the convention center you could plan to meet are:

-The 1st floor of the convention center. The 1st floor is the most open and spacious and there are shops and restaurants you can use as ‘landmarks’ for where to meet.

-Gameworks is about a block from the convention center, and a popular meeting place during PAX.

-Pacific Place is a shopping center located about two blocks from the convention center at the corner of 6th and Pine streets.

-Westlake Center & Westlake Park is located about 3 blocks from the convention center at 401 Pine Street.

Obviously I imagine I’ll be meeting up with old friends and making new ones, but I’m not sure whether I should use my gamer tag or my real name. What’s the protocol?

FM If you’ll be meeting up with people you’ve only met during your online gaming sessions, I suggest you use your gamertag or another recognizable online ID. When it comes to gaming, I tend to identify my buddies by their gamertag rather than their real name anyway. For most of us, it’s far more recognizable around the gaming community than our real names. My real name is Michael Dieterle, but just about everyone in the gaming world knows me better as Frag Monger.

I’ve met quite a few people the past few years at PAX, but even now I’d have to think hard to recall their real names. Most I know and address mostly by their gamertag – and that’s just fine.

Goodness, Frag! That is a lot to digest. I’m counting down the days until I’m finally at my first PAX. Realistically, I don’t know if I’ll be able to experience it all, but I must say the thing I’m most looking forward to is seeing people whose voices I hear every night through my Tritton AX360 headset.

See you all soon!