Aaron: Newbie

The Nicotine Transdermal Patch lists the following unsettling list of possible side effects:

• Rash
• Irregular heartbeat and palpitations
• Nausea
• Dizziness
• Vomiting
• Weakness
• Rapid Heartbeat
• Vivid Dreams

I am not sure what exactly possessed me to give up smoking and try the patch on the first day of AGC. I guess I figured that I would be indoors all day and so wouldn’t be tempted to smoke. I wasn’t, but only because I was experiencing all of those side effects to some extent, with the merciful exceptions of vomiting and vivid dreams. Not to fear though, these symptoms passed by the afternoon.

I live in Austin, so I left my own home this morning at the un-godly hour of seven to meet Dana, Laura, Jon, and Carolyn at their hotel. After helping myself to a bit of free hotel coffee, it was off to the Convention Center and the Keynote address by Rob Pardo, head designer for World of Warcraft. The address could be summed up as “Why WoW Rules”. It might have seemed a big arrogant if he hadn’t been mostly right. The keynote was preceded by Austin’s Mayor, Will Wynn, whose address could be summed up as “Why Austin Rules”. It might have seemed a big arrogant if he hadn’t been mostly right.

This is my first time at AGC, a more somber, professional affair than E3’s, now former, blaring lunacy. The Austin Convention Center has been filled with mainly developers, speakers and attendees who dropped several hundred dollars to attend, among other professional seminars, The Game Initiative’s Game Writers Conference, sponsored by Bioware. I attended some of the writing seminars, and will have reports up soon. The show floor opens tomorrow, so I should have more about specific upcoming games tomorrow, along with more industry seminars and hopefully a party or two.

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