PART THREE: How to Have a Great Time

No matter how you slice it, PAX is incredible. My list has a lot of scary-sounding stuff, but the negativity is almost insubstantial. This event is peerless. You're guaranteed to enjoy yourself. That said, keeping organized, focused, and energetic is important to optimizing the amount of awesome you'll consume.

Khoo Says...

Be prepared to make hard decisions in regard to what you want to see. We only have 43 hours to work with for the weekend and a ton of really cool things to see, hear and experience. If you broke out all the different areas to the show, you’d come up with 12-15 different things going on in any given instant.

Plan ahead.

Before you leave for your flight, road trip, or hitchhiking adventure, print a copy of the schedule. Keep this on you at all times, but make sure to give it a good read prior to PAX. If you're rolling with a posse, partner up and plan out what panels you'll attend.

Panels are a great way to escape the monstrous mob of the Expo Hall and to enjoy alternative aspects of the event. Developers, podcasters, journalists, and myriad other entertaining people have plenty of interesting stuff to say, insight to offer, and sneak peeks to show off.

Map it out.

Another must-have item: This lovely show floor map. The Expo Hall is an enormous place, and the more you know about it beforehand, the beter off you'll be. With the slightest idea where to go you'll save yourself precious time when sprinting toward Dragon Age 2 or The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword.

Lines: Deal with 'em.

Nobody likes waiting in lines -- take advantage of this. Many people see a long line and think, "I'll come back later when it shrinks." Lines don't shrink. If you want to play a game, play it! Yes, time is limited, but believe me: You'll have more than enough time to play what you want.

Don't let lines get you down. Get them out of the way sooner than later and you'll get more hands-on time with upcoming games.

Khoo Says...

Make sure to follow both @PAX_Lines and @official_PAX [on Twitter]. The former keeps you abreast of how many spots are left in the main theatre line and the latter has all general updates to the show.

Don't discriminate.

Play as many games as possible on consoles you don't own. If you only own an Xbox 360, you'll definitely want to get to Sony's booth for Twisted Metal or Motorstorm: Apocalypse. On the other hand, if you're without an Xbox 360, definitely check out Microsoft's exclusives and Kinect.

If Ubisoft, EA, or other third-party publishers' booths get congested, duck over to Microsoft and Sony. They usually have kiosks for third-party games with shorter lines.

Talk to developers.

You can learn a lot about game design and jobs within the industry from them, as well as the games you're playing.

You might also find out about events they're holding. Last year, I ended up in a Battlefield: Bad Company 2 tournament with some friends in the press after we spoke to DICE's community manager. (We won, by the way. That's our goofy glee in the image up top.) It was crazy-fun. Seek this stuff out!

Play the PAX 10 titles.

These inevitably amazing indie games are the titles everyone else is going to freak out about six months from now. Get in so you were there before they sold out... for a sweet publishing deal and deserved sales.

Tycho Says...

Don't neglect the Tabletop Room because you "don't play those kinds of games." PAX is an opportunity for you to check out what is essentially a parallel gaming dimension.

In conclusion...

Prepare for an unforgettable time at PAX Prime 2010. Again, any negative implications in this article exist only to explain how to avoid bad situations. You have to try really hard to have a poor experience in what is easily the greatest gaming event of the year.

Yeah, I said it.

What of it, PAX East?

Huge thanks to Robert Khoo and Jerry Holkins for contributing to this guide. How those dudes will survive the show is an entirely different situation. Good luck, gentlemen, and thanks again!