PAX East: Cultivating Community & Wellness

PAX East 2026 happened at the Thomas M. Menino Convention & Exhibition Center on March 26 to March 29. PAX East is an annual convention hosted to celebrate gaming culture. Throughout the four days, there are activities and workshops for all ages. There is also a gaming expo where creators can demonstrate to the public games they have made. Attendees have the opportunity to interact and play with the games. 

This year I attended PAX East for the first time. Even though I am not an avid gamer, I wanted to attend because I had heard about how fun PAX is from other people. Due to a scheduling conflict that weekend, I ended up attending PAX by myself. At first I was nervous because I had never been to a big convention by myself.  When I walked in, there was a sea of people checking in and enjoying the space. While checking in, I could hear the combined voices of people at the gaming expo. At first, it was a bit overwhelming at check in. As I went about my time, I felt more comfortable. 

In order to orient myself and plan my day, I used the PAX app to make a list of workshops I wanted to attend. Then, I spent the majority of time at the gaming expo. Even though I was alone, I didn’t feel alone. Instead I felt like I was on the next wave of innovation in gaming. There were so many futuristic and creative games such as guitar-shaped controllers. This article will delve into three cool games I had the opportunity to play at PAX and a workshop. 

Coin and Cauldron 

Coin and Cauldron is an adventure Role playing game (RPG). In an RPG, you change the plot of the story based on the choices you make. The lead game developer of Coin and Cauldron mentioned, “as a sole developer, getting my name out there is a big thing, and PAX helps me with that.”

The team for Coin and Cauldron took the initiative to apply to be an exhibitor at PAX. This year was Coin and Cauldron’s first time exhibiting at PAX. Essentially, PAX is a stepping stone that helps small creators connect their games to the community.  It provides an opportunity for viewership and recognition. I didn’t have the opportunity to play it since all the computers were occupied. The games combines mythical creatures and magic.

Drakong Infinakore Telecaster Guitar Controller

Next, I played a game that had a controller in the shape of a guitar. Attendees could play two songs on the guitar. There is a large database of songs to choose from. I played “Still into You” by Paramorel on the guitar. It was cool to play the guitar because it felt like an actual guitar. The frets of the guitar were like the buttons on a common controller. Although I didn’t have the highest score, it was an enjoyable experience to play the songs. The game was very similar to the mobile game “Magic Tiles 3.” 

Developer Drakong by Hyperskin designed a modular and customizable controller. Nathan Perez, who is Product developer and marketing Coordinator, highlighted, “We found that people typically can’t grip a stroke bar…so we are developing attachments that hook better to a table, so that they can play horizontally by holding their palm and moving it back and forth.” The design bridges the gap between games and accessibility. Perez mentioned the company is working with AbleGamers, who is a company that makes video game solutions for people with disabilities. Additionally, Perez planned on working with people attending PAX to improve the design. Moreover, community and feedback is essential to allow Guitar rhythm games to be accommodating to everyone.

G’aim’e Gun

I played a shooter game using a gun-shaped controller, the G’aim’e Gun, to shoot at the objects on the tv screen. The game had different levels, so I had to pass multiple rounds before I found the answer to the mystery. A princess had been kidnapped, so the player has to get past multiple levels of enemies before they find the princess. 

Heena Lakhani, who is the Head of international business at G’aim’e, mentioned the controller was created to “find a solution to bring this immersive gameplay back to the home environment, because they play in the arcades.” G’aim’e is bringing shooting games typically seen at arcades into homes, so G’aim’e is creating more access. Finally Lakhani noted, “It’s getting people to interact again. You know, it can be your friends playing together.” Instead of isolating people, the game is creating community and helping people be more physically active.

Workshop: Wellness for Geeks Who Sit

I attended this workshop where the instructor, Robin Waren, demonstrated ways people could exercise while sitting down. Exercise can simply look like stretching, moving your arms, and remaining yourself to have good posture. Moving your body is enough for exercise. When I asked Warren about her favorite exercises she mentioned, “I think the opening and closing of your hands is a favorite, because people don’t realize they’re gonna feel it when they do it.” 

I really liked how accessible the techniques were because, even if you don’t have that much time or space you could still do it. When I asked Warren the inspiration behind the workshop, she mentioned, “I developed this particular workshop by working with comic book creators as clients.”
Warren has developed  her technique through private coaching, teaching physical-education classes, and teaching the workshop at conventions for the last four years. Additionally, Warren founded Geek Girl Strong, which is a health coaching community. Finally, Warren noted, “Rather than thinking that exercise has to look one way all the time, redefining what exercise means and looks like can really be beneficial, so that we’re not stuck in all or nothing thinking.”

Final Thoughts 

My day at PAX was filled with introspective conversation, trying new games, and excitement. If you are looking for a convention to attend by yourself or with friends, I would recommend it. PAX East is an annual convention. To find more information, you can visit: https://east.paxsite.com/.