You could stand in line for four hours waiting to play Duke Nukem: Forever. You could wait in slightly shorter lines to enjoy an alternatively amazing aspect of the Penny Arcade Expo — the panels. Or, you could skip waiting altogether, carry on with life, and watch it all on the Internet later.
Just because you couldn't make it out to Seattle for this year's PAX Prime doesn't mean you missed out. Sure, skipping the convention means you couldn't see Portal 2, Mortal Kombat, and Dragon Age 2 demos. But there's so much more to the experience of the event than playing games.
I love seeing press, publishers, public relations, social media experts, and other influential figures chit-chat about games. Panels are insightful, educational, eye-opening experiences for those interested in the behind-the-scenes side of the industry.
You can get the best of PAX's panels straight from home. Bungie recorded its Halo: Reach presentation, for instance, while another camera caught Sucker Punch's sneak peek at Infamous 2. If you're interested in game development, working alongside publishers, or becoming a games journalist, you can't go wrong with these top-notch recordings.
Infamous 2: An Inside Glimpse into Creating the Superpowered Franchise
Developer Sucker Punch not only let gamers look behind the curtain to see new Infamous 2 gameplay, but shared a ton of awesome info on the original game as well. This panel's packed full of hilarious early footage of the first Infamous. The team also showed different character designs, scrapped abilities and missions, and how radically the concept changed during development.
If you have any interest in how games are made, this is an absolute must-see, even if you're not a franchise fanboy.
Welcome to Reach
Like the Infamous 2 panel, Bungie's Reach presentation was all about explaining the design process. Concept art and early ideas led the way in this larger-than-usual, hour-long panel. Halo: Reach releases a little more than a week after the panel recorded, so there's naturally a lot of stuff to pump you up, too. Again, those of you fascinated with the creation process should see this one.
The Five Wonders of PC Gaming
The PC Gamer podcast crew discussed the greatness of the PC experience. If you're sick of hearing about whether or not computer gaming is dead or dying, sit down and enjoy some genuine conversation about gaming with a keyboard and mouse. The conversations about indie gaming, mods, and digitally distributed classics stand out as the most memorable moments.
Giant Bombcast Live!
Loud, obnoxious, and as funny as it ever is, the Giant Bombcast ruled, as expected. But it actually wasn't the highlight of this live show.
The "Grumpy Old Men" portion of the podcast, as it's referred to by its hosts, is an absolute must-watch. During a "break," the regular crew put freelance writer and former EA.com podcast superstar Jeff Green, industry analyst Michael Pachter, and ex-Editor-in-Chief of PC Gamer Gary Whitta on the stage.
Pachter, Green, and Whitta poked fun at each other for being old, talked a bit about the good ol' days, financial flops, and the successes and failures of games journalism. It's a short segment in a lengthy recording, but it's a great change of pace in the middle of a predictably excellent podcast.
A Sophisticated Evening with Rooster Teeth Productions
The Halo machinima masters at Rooster Teeth shot the breeze, took on a bunch of fan questions, and premiered the finale to Red vs. Blue's "Revelation" season. The witty guys' hilarious rapport made for a unique brand of "sophistication."
Unfortunately, the high-res videos published via Halo Waypoint don't quite have the complete panel. You can check this pretty decent hour-long, from-the-crowd cam to see it all, including the finale.
Also, pillowfights.
Ask a Games Journalist: Veteran Editors Answer Any and All Questions
A mix of current and former Future US employees — including folks from Official Xbox Magazine, PC Gamer, and GamesRadar — offered advice to anyone asking about working in the press. Cold truths, hilarious anecdotes, and hot tips populate the majority of this awesome discussion.
The Various Roads to Becoming a Community Manager
Each of this panel's speakers shared his or her journey to scoring a job as a publisher's public figure, and what their jobs really mean. Visceral Games' Jay Frechette, Gameloft's Jennifer Kye, and other community managers also gave attendees a solid list dos and don'ts for succeeding in the video game industry.
Surprisingly, the many of these panelists don't have the assumed requirements to work at a game developer — so they explained what employers are looking for.
Twittering for the Man: Social Media & Game Publishers
Veterans, newcomers, and expats from the "social media" side of the gaming industry explain what they do, the separation from marketing and PR, and the struggles of representing a brand. Folks like Xbox Live's Major Nelson and Activision's Dan Amrich chat about the future of interacting with consumers and sharing feedback with development teams, which is enlightening if you're not sure what social media really is.