If you let it, PAX can be learning experience. It may not teach you the meaning of life but it definitely has life lessons….at least for us gamers.

Here are the Things I Learned At PAX 2010:
1. Sometimes Being Juvenile Is Just Fun

I have been very vocal about my disdain for calling something “mature” by a developer only to have lewd and crude jokes interspersed with gargantuan breasts (Bayonetta, I’m looking at you). However, this year at PAX two of my most anticipated were, in fact, simple juvenile fun.

Mortal Kombat brought back the gory fantastic-ism of old with fatalities that included dismembering and de-spining your foes. It also brought back the 2D plane combat and responsive control that had been lacking for some time. Ed Boon’s return to form is something that I am generally excited about, and this is coming from someone who usually abstains from fighting games.

In a similar experience, the first showing of Gearbox’s Duke Nukem Forever was fantastic. Yes the game that no one ever thought would be is actually going to be. I actually went into the game having little nostalgic love for the franchise. Maybe it was all the hype that Randy Pitchford brought to the table during our playthrough, but I genuinely laughed out loud at the game several times. Everything from starting the game peeing in a urinal to kicking a large beast’s heart through the uprights in a football stadium made me giggle.

Maybe it’s just me trying to hold onto my youth but PAX taught me that sometimes, if done right, juvenile humor and gore can be fun.
2. Some Games Can Exceed Already High Expectations

Walking into PAX most people have their games they want to get their hands on. Sometimes you walk away disappointed, other times you walk away in awe. This year a few games high on my expectation list still left me in awe. This is a rare treat.