One of the highlights of PAX — and one I feel like no one is going to really talk about — was the presence of independent developers. Is that “newsworthy” or “hard-hitting”? Maybe, maybe not. It is, however, something I want to share with everyone who missed the convention.
I’m happy to report that by, oh, the halfway point of day one, the indie booths were pretty full. By day two of PAX, the area — which was scrunched in a corner and included stuff like SpyParty, Monaco, Dishwasher 2, Comic Jumper, and the PAX 10 — was effing packed.
These smaller developers depend on awesome promotional goodies, word-of-mouth success, and not being jerkfaces. It totally worked. Even the less-conveniently-located studios were able to continuously draw in a crowd. Seeing onlookers pitch these games to each other was a sight to behold; really, it was.
As someone who tries to give less-backed games the exposure they deserve, it made me proud to see others do the same. Your fellow gamers did a very good deed this past weekend.
