I spent Saturday roaming PAX East, the annual video game convention held in Boston. Along with many gamers I enjoy the opportunity to engage with games that I love along with discovering new things from less known companies.

What I Love About PAX

While it’s interesting and fun to get the giveaways from the big brands, the game developers and designers from small studios show-up in person. When you go to the Nintendo booth you are talking to staff. When you go to a small studio booth you might be talking to the CEO or game designer.

The Brazilian Game That Caught My Attention

Extremely Powerful Capybaras had captivating graphics and gameplay that kept the players glued to the couch the company setup at their booth. I talked to the designer and he shared with me how he was inspired by the Capybaras near his home in Brazil. He wanted to inject this local flavor into a game that has the potential for international success. First available on Steam, I am hopeful they port it to Nintendo, because it feels like a natural fit for Switch.

Nintendo’s Tour de Force

I have been attending PAX for years and 2023 was the biggest investment I have seen Nintendo make in the event. You could forget the Switch is over five years old with four separate booths setup by the company to push its games. Convention goers were greeted by a giant Zelda display. In the PAX Arena Splatoon and Mario Kart tournaments were banner events.