Post-PAX Love & Farewell to Destructoid (for now)

It's been more than 24 hours since PAX ended, and by this point I probably can't say anything that hasn't already been said. But naturally I have a lot to say, so hey, I'll givitashot.

PAX was the last of five total conventions I attended this year (GDC, WonderCon, E3, Comic-Con were the first four), and by leaps and bounds my favorite of them all. While the clusterfuck of folk at these cons will always overwhelm me, PAX is the only convention that, for me, makes the clusterfuck of folk actually what's worth going for. As the future leads to me to a divergent path from where my former game journalist self would travel (I'll get to that in a sec), I am pretty sold on the fact that I will be returning to PAX annually for the very reason that PAX and its people are for the fucking win.

This of course is largely in part to you all, the Destructoid Community. I had an incredible time meeting a *ton* of you this past weekend, and although I've met many from the Dtoid army before, I'm *always* impressed at how consistently great the people are who contribute to this community. Aside from asking the initially awkward "Hi...uh...Whats your screenname?" that typically follows with an eventual hug-attack (or drunken Katamari roll, as it were), there was never a moment where I second guessed that we all hadn't been friends forever. That's quite a bizarre, unique, and wonderful sentiment to have towards a bunch of gamers who met each other through a blog started by some Cuban dude, one that I would have never guessed I would be privileged to be a part of.

That unique experience has colored my entire time at Destructoid, from the moment I got know Colette as a friend, and my game journalist idol about a year and half ago, to my final showing as a Destructoid editor at PAX this last weekend. Unfortunately the time has come for me to focus my powers more specifically on making the blogocube a better place at my day job, and sadly leave moonlighting as a game journalist aside in the meantime. While attending PAX was somewhat bittersweet for me this year, knowing that I'd be hanging my editor's (bear) hat upon returning home, after leaving you all I was convinced that this community wasn't going anywhere, and naturally, neither am I! I might not be contributing to Dtoid's front or getting harassed weekly by the Podtoid cast, but Dtoid's for life and I'll be hanging around here forever.

So, until the next PAX comes around and I have a more successful run at rolling you all up into a star for my own selfish devices, Destructoid has been, is, and always will be unlike anything else out there, and I can't wait to see all of you (and more) at community events in the (near?) future. Till then I'll leave you all with a large photo mosaic of me attacking various Dtoder's faces (not everyone, unfortunately...but there is always next year).

Harts, farts, and multi-layers,

.tiff

(P.S. I'll try to keep blogging on my c-blog about my gamer-like habits and whatnots, but I'll probably be blogging at my personal blog more often now. Also, I'm always down for pillow forts. ALWAYS. <3]