EGX adventures

 Gaming in person?

So I decided to crawl out of the dank dungeon I call a writing room and venture out into the cruel mistress of the outside world in order to attend this year's EGX and see what that world of the industry had to say for itself. My first foray into such ventures and an interesting look into the kinds of developers who still hold stock in physical events within an age pushing digital more and more. As Xbox threaten to role back their Disc support and gaslight the world into pretending it's not happening, and Playstation very much primed to do the same, it's feeling like the Pandemic has killed off another aspect of physical shopping just as it did with the High Street. (Or perhaps the more appropriate analogy would be to say it 'finished them off'. Afterall: "Jeff Bezos murdered Sears") So what did I get to experience in that regard?

Japanese publishers! As far as the eye could see! In a British event, in the heart of London, (Thereabouts. Everyone in London likes to call themselves the 'heart', it's all very pompy) the majority of the floorspace was taken up by giant SEGA exhibits and a smattering of smaller Square Enix ones around a grand Nintendo space purely for their new Mario platformer. I was actually somewhat shocked by how few companies decided to turn out, although I suppose that just offered more room for what was a solid selection of coverage for some of the best incoming games. There really wasn't a title I didn't have a bit of interest in, beyond the Modern Warfare 3 tent because... come on, why would you ever want to remake that game to begin with? What are the Activision team thinking? 

For me, however, the event was heaven. Persona 3 Remake, playable, full to the brim of fresh rerecordings of the classic brilliant soundtrack of the original game. (Even 'Mass Destruction', the classic, got a rerecord! Incredible!) Persona 5 Tactica; the latest spin-off title in the very much growing pantheon of P5, before the rumoured 'All Stars' game for next year! 'Like a Dragon Gaiden', which I finally got the chance to enjoy now that I've reached that point in the Yakuza narrative- confusing me with it's quite interesting dual styles system that switches up speed and power somewhat bizarrely- Infinite Wealth, which I've been abuzz about since it's announcement- and Sonic Superstars, which might only just rise above the 'gimmick entry' threshold depending on the complexity of some of the more in-depth navigation mechanics I got to try out. (Still yet to hear those real soundtrack bangers though.)

Square Enix's presence was a bit more nuanced, for one I was very surprised to see a dedicated booth set up for what I believed to be a small indie game I stumbled upon a few days ago and was mildly enraptured by- 'Little Goody Two Shoes'. It's a... magical girl game- but one with a gorgeous mixture of different art styles and speckled with all these curious daily activities to get lost doing, it just looks like a sweet game seeped in care and a love for old-school anime. But it certainly wasn't the kind of game I expected to get a booth. From a little bit of asking the Square Enix Collective staff I learnt how part of Square's work to bring up some of the upcoming indie titles they discover involves budgeting sensible marketing campaigns and, I suspect in the really special cases, bringing them to convention events to get them in front of as many eyes as possible- which is an incredible opportunity for any indie developer that I'm seriously impressed is being offered by Square of all publishers! I always heard about the EA partners program, but maybe I've been sleeping on Square all this time...

Of course, being a celebration of gaming there was a lot more to see and raise an eyebrow at than simply the game demos from the upcoming Japanese release slate- there was also a bunch of retro gaming accessories and the like to rave about. Arcade cabinets playing classics like Donkey Kong Jr, with the original hardware, (unlike the type that Billy Mitchell allegedly loves to frequent.) and a slew of old computers set up for what seemed to be a LAN party CSGO tournament. Dice strewn tables for various role playing rituals littered the middle sections of the convention hall, right next to a rather pointedly placed Fazbear pop up diner, as well as a 'Exorcist experience' booth I never saw a single person inside of. (Maybe it really was just that scary!)

There's always bit of a kick to get out of seeing all the ways that these entirely virtual worlds bleed into real life, even if it in the manner of extortionately priced fast food. (Forget the animatronics, those prices were the real killers!) Of course, it's the vistors themselves who help keep that spirit alive and well. Delicately over-elaborate Genshin Cosplayers seemed to replenish themselves every few minutes, alongside the regularly patrolling Taskforce members belonging to the COD franchise. At least one Edward Kenway regularly posed with his scared hidden blades to people's necks and various Mario Bros strolled up and down from those in full body foam suits (lord have mercy on their overheated souls) and one guy who was just in overalls with a red shirt. Oh, and there was one wierdo in a Purple Suit and Yoshikage Kira's tie... who was me. That was me. I dressed as an Anime character to a gaming convention. Sometimes I think I just need someone to tell me 'no' in my life more... 

  

EGX is also the only place you can really source high quality video game related merch that isn't mass produced off online drop sites stocked up by sweat shop knock-off trash. I mean some of that stuff is there too, no doubt, but the majority was otherwise sensible merch. Oh, and then there was the sword stand. So many swords. Katannas, Buster Swords, Aqua Man's trident, some Genshin Weapons and... yep, even a Yoru or two. I think the only reason I didn't get more wither glares on the train was simply because I was the only wierdo not with a wooden sword attached to his back- which I guess is my loss? Maybe? (What do those people even do with those Swords anyway? They're not really good enough to be display pieces? Ah- Nerds do what Nerds do I guess)

And with that I close my thoughts on what was the first physical industry event I've ever attended in the world of gaming, and my impression were decently positive, I enjoyed my time there! Perhaps were I to have made it a weekend visit the sheer overwhelming attendance would have had a wholly different effect on me, but luckily I don't have to live in that dark world, now do I? Seriously though, it's great to see the other kinds of people that make up the gaming obsessed of the world and get a touch on all the different walks of life out there, it's a difficult thing to measure from behind a computer screen most of the time. Thank goodness, too, for the Japanese game publishers for bothering to show up when no one else could make the trip. (So much for our 'special relationship' with the States!)