When I go to conventions, I’m always on the look out for the dumb, free stuff that gets given away. Over the years I’ve accumulated kryptonite light-up whiskey stones, Batman flashlights and too many inflatable weapons to count. Some people go to cons for the cosplay, others for the community, I go for that rush of finding an exclusive figure, toy or gadget only con-goers get. I’ve always been a collector, and this is just a new way for me to add more plastic to my figure pile.
Before me, nobody at iDigitalTimes really cared about free swag. They were too busy “working” and “getting interviews” to roam around the floor and stand in line to get a T-Shirt that is three sizes too big. I wanted to show off some of the fun things I managed to collect at PAX and prove how awesome swag can be.
This is a plush piece of poop from the ARK booth. In the game of ARK your character can poop, and to commemorate this victory in gaming we got a plushie. I would’ve used a dinosaur to help sell my game about living with dinosaurs, but there was already a giant ARK dinosaur on the floor (and you could ride that one.) They also gave out a necklace that reminds me of what would happen if Sesame Street tried a gritty reboot.
T-Shirts are a vital part of the con swag experience. My wardrobe is mostly shirts I’ve picked up over the years thrown alongside some sweaters covered in Star Wars iconography. At Pax East, I did my best to find interesting billboards to wear on my chest. Instead I found a ton of black with a hastily slapped on logo. Seriously, every shirt given out at this convention was black, from Star Fox to Logitech. I know it’s slimming, but it’s nice to have some color in your life.
This little guy came from a game funded by a Kickstarter campaign for a game called Bedlam.The game itself is a turn-based strategy game set in a post apocalyptic future that isn’t Fallout. Just look at this thing, it’s like Doctor Zoidberg decided he would become a cultist of Cthulu, like Chewbacca after too much time around radiation. I don’t think this little guy is making it home, he’s staying at the AirBNB.
Geico has been trying to capitalize on the popularity of eSports, so they sponsored a Hearthstone tournament at PAX East. Geico always gives out some great swag, one year it was gecko pez dispensers. At the convention they gave out mouse pads that look like they were drawn by a ten-year old Minecraft fan and a gecko plushie wearing a TSM fan. You know eSports is big business now that the gecko is repping Reginald’s squad.
Did I miss anything at PAX East (other than the deodorant Twitch was handing out)? Tell us in the comments!
