Being an introvert, mildly clausterphobic and mostly useless, I do not participate in conventions very often. But every year I schlep down to Otakon in Baltimore and enjoy myself with many good friends, only half of which are imaginary. I eat sushi, I indulge in anime and manga and I talk to Peter Beagle, the bestest author in the whole wide world (for the non-book snobs among us, he wrote The Last Unicorn).
E3 is more of a press-related event now, but during its heydey it could definitely be considered the king of gamers' conventions. E for All and Penny Arcade's PAX are even more accessible than E3 ever was, bringing nerd culture to the west coast for a couple of intense weekends. Conventions are truly unique experiences: they bring together food, friends and gobs of people who share similar interests. Conventions stir up emotions you'll never experience elsewhere and they usually stir up unique diseases as well. I remember at E3 2006 I caught a horrific case of laryngitis, an affliction I've never dealt with before. It was a lot of fun because I was working a part-time retail job at the time and my voice horrified customers and I got sent home.
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