PAX East 2011 was my first official PAX and what an amazing time it was.  It became such an incredibly memorable experience not because of the new games and free shirts but instead because of the fans and exhibitors that were there.  Everyone from Tim Schafer to the guy in line with me at the Duke Nukem Forever booth won me over multiple times.  
 
My friend Ryan and I headed out at 4 A.M. from our little town on Long Island and headed out with our sights firmly set on Boston.  I had absolutely no sleep from the night before and had just got done working a seven hour shift which ended at midnight...and I was driving.  The drive there was rough but luckily the overwhelming feeling that PAX exuded upon me when I first walked into the BCEC was enough to wash away all of my tiredness, mostly.  We made our way around the enormous line of literally thousands to wait with what seemed like all of PAX to see Jane McGonigal, the author of Reality is Broken.  We filed in and sat down for an amazing keynote speach, Jane was amazing period. 
 
Now, on to what made PAX East so special.  The games were undoubtedly incredible to play and watch. Seeing footage of Battlefield 3, Duke Nukem Forever, Portal 2, and others was a gift like no other. But being able to talk to fans of video games who were completely judgement free of everyone around them was unbelievable.  It was easily the most comfortable feeling in the world to walk around the show floor and know that everyone was totally cool with whatever it was you were into.  No one here was made fun of for liking WoW or Pokemon, instead they were considered the vast majority.  I talked with so many awesome people who just wanted to voice how much they loved games and what games they were looking forward to. 
 
Even the exhibitors were passionate and friendly.  Their wasn't a vibe of "play it and go" instead it was play this game while I tell you its features and then tell me what you like and what you don't like.  For them it's free beta testing and for us it's a chance to talk to people like Tim Schafer about Double Fine's awesome ideas when it comes to developing games and handing off projects to those who deserve it.  
 
PAX East 2011 was beyond memorable for me. It was a birthday gift like no other and a memory I can't possibly forget.  I highly urge anyone who even remotely enjoys video games to try and make it to a PAX event or even a similar video game trade show near you in order to experience the most passionate and kind people along with the most amazing and entertaining video games. 
 
Thank you PAX.