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Post and pictures contributed by Ken Gagne of Gamebits.

Last weekend, Boston was the mecca for 60,000 gamers from around the world as we hosted Penny Arcade Expo East, the inaugural East Coast counterpart to Seattle's annual celebration of gaming in all its forms.

While video game conventions have been around for decades, most— such as the Electronic Entertainment Expo (E3)—have traditionally been reserved for industry members. Such events served developers, retailers, and the press, but neglected the ultimate audience: dedicated gamers. In 2004, Jerry Holkins and Mike Krahulik of webcomic Penny Arcade founded PAX as an alternative game convention for the masses. The event's popularity has nearly doubled every year until it became too big for one convention to hold. Thus, PAX East was born.

The three-day event included a spacious show floor for both renowned and independent publishers to show off their wares. Gamers could play recent and upcoming titles, from Rockstar's Red Dead Revolver to Aksys Games BIT.TRIP Runner. Dedicated rooms hosted tournaments of not just video and PC games such as Joust and Street Fighter IV, but also board and card games like Munchkin and Settlers of Catan. Hallways were littered with beanbags for gamers needing to rest or to engage other attendees in wireless handheld gameplay.

Several stars of video game and Internet culture were present for various unveilings. Rooster Teeth Productions needed the full capacity of the 4000-person main theater to debut the new season of machinima series Red vs. Blue with the most impressive single episode of the show we've ever seen. Later, PAX founders Holkins and Krahulik took the stage to answer questions from the audience, which provided the opportunity for several moving tributes to the duo's non-profit work with Child's Play, a charity that provides games to children's hospitals.

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  • Twelve cities have more energy-efficient building than Boston. [eWEEK]
  • Fenway Park renovations include bigger bathrooms, a new row of grandstand seats, and more concession options of the vegetarian & gluten-free variety. [Boston Herald]
  • The weekend's gamer convention was literal too big for the Hynes Convention Center, so they'll return to a bigger venue next year. [Boston Globe]
  • more ›

    Photographer and longtime Allston resident hbp_pix has today's photo of the day. We're digging the supersaturated blood-red wall and drippy blue graffiti. Very vivid and abstract. Kind of reminds us of John Lennon's sketched self-portrait. Taken during yesterday's March photo walk in Allston. more ›

    Rainpocalypse, Part Deux: Massachusetts Flood Watch Continues

    It rained a fair amount last week, but it rained like a bastard the week before that, too. Now, meteorologists are forecasting up to a foot of rain over the next three days. That's floodwatch all over again, not to mention the possibility of setting a record: we've already received 9.97" of rain in March, close to the record of 11 inches set in 1953. (For comparison, March has already brought us more rain than Arizona or Nevada get in a year.) The good news? April is forecast to arrive with over 60 degrees of warmth, even hitting 68 over the weekend, with (hopefully) enough sunshine to dry us out. Let's hope the sunshine forecasts don't prove to be April Fool's jokes.

    We may have let the literary listings slumber through March (and February before that), but March is morphing into a lamb and leading into April with a mind invigorated by spring and concentrating on books. Or something like that. Our terrible mixed animal metaphors aside, April is set to come in with sunshine and balmy temperatures, tempting us with the promise of reading outside. In the hopes that we'll be reading outside on lawn chairs and beach blankets soon, here's a listing of literary events this month. more ›

    Three power play goals in the first 26 minutes? Who were those guys in Bruins jerseys yesterday? more ›

    When your opponent is 7-30 on the road as part of a 24-49 record, you can still win a game without actually trying to win for 48 minutes. Boston beat Sacramento, 94-86, thanks in large part to a 57-37 first-half lead. Doc Rivers didn't even know the win clinched the team's third straight Atlantic Division title but insisted he'd remember it 20 years from now. more ›

    Note to Rep. Stephen Lynch: Fox News Channel's business guy Neil Cavuto isn't interested in doing you any favors even if you voted against the historic health care reform bill that was signed by President Obama on Tuesday. Cavuto hosted Lynch on his 4 p.m. show on FNC on Thursday to delve into possible political threats levied against Lynch for voting against health care reform. Think of it as a rematch of Eric Massa vs. Glenn Beck, minus the tickle fights. more ›

    -- Ginger Dilworth, 37, and her 3-year-old autistic son, Andrew, were found dead Thursday in their Fall River apartment. The mother and son were out of touch with family for eight days. Bristol District Attorney's office said no charges have been filed, and the deaths are "suspicious." [Globe] more ›

    Concert review by guest contributor Anthony Baldor more ›

    • Starting Saturday, Orange Line riders using AT&T; or T-Mobile will have complete cell coverage. Red, Blue and Green are next in line. [Universal Hub]
    • New MBTA general manager Richard A. Davey confirmed three T bus drivers will be terminated for allegedly violating the year-old ban on cell phones. [Boston Herald]
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    Thanks to This Week's Advertisers

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    • American Apparel, with its 3 Boston area locations, you can look your best at anytime.
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    Jerry Seinfeld's new show, The Marriage Ref, may represent his downfall as a comedian, but it doesn't just deal with freaky Floridians who love Mariah Carey and make out with cats (really). The Marriage Ref takes a panel of comedians and allows them to (not-as-hilariously-as-you'd-like) serve as judges in marital conflicts that range from aspiring rap careers to obsessive devotion to motorcycles. more ›

    You know what's awesome? A cat named Harry Potter with a lightening bolt on its nose! (A226621) more ›

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