PAX, man.

Every year around March or April, gamers and brands from all over the world flock to Boston for PAX East: a convention meant to showcase all of what the world of gaming has to offer. Panels, announcements, exclusive demos, free stuff, you name it, it's probably at PAX.

The news coverage of this event is pretty substantial. Most sites like IGN, GameSpot, and GamesRadar do a pretty good job at covering what the show has to offer. But sometimes they miss a few things. Things we believe to be what make PAX East such a memorable event.

Every year KontrolFreek sets up a booth, and we talk to FreekNation about performance thumbsticks. But we also get to experience the show from a perspective than the big guys. So we decided to do what we do best here on the KontrolFreek blog, and list some stuff out.

Here are the 5 things that we think made PAX east such a great event:

The Banana Cosplay Guy

Yes, we took a screengrab from an IGN video for this picture, but YOU try finding this elusive maraca-shaking cosplayer. He's a tall tale; something that you need to see in person to experience, and who brought smiles and laughter to everyone around him.

Also props on the dedication to shaking those maracas, bro. We heard them all day...

The Concession Stands

Depending on your mood, the PAX convention food could be the last thing you want to eat or it could be exactly what you need. Either way, it's still something to behold. $10 will get you a heaping pile of mac and cheese or a tray of mashed potatoes topped with chicken nuggets, cheese, gravy, plus your choice of drink (we recommend water).

Hey, it's PAX East not PAX Eat Healthy.

Tabletop Extravaganza

PAX isn't just about video games either. There's a whole section of the convention center dedicated to tabletop games. And they're all just as awesome as you would think. Better yet, each tabletop booth has staff standing by to sit down and play their games with you. It's an extremely friendly, communal environment that starkly contrasts what's going on over at the video game side of things. If you're looking for a more quiet and relaxed environment then the tabletop area of PAX East is where you should head to.

The Crazy Parties

Believe it or not, there are still a TON of brands that don't have a booth at PAX every year, but they still make sure that they're present. They do this by throwing parties all around town. And let us tell ya, Boston is a great place for that.

Personally, we attended the Acer Predator After Party, and it was insane! Nonstop Rocket League during a DJ set, and playing PUBG in the middle of the dance floor was a brand new experience for us, and we totally dug it.

So if you're looking to party while you game, or game while you party, PAX East is seriously where it's at.

The Enamel Pin Economy

One thing we didn't even think about before we showed up with some of our KontrolFreek pins was that people all around the convention center are constantly trading their pins for other pins, and sometimes even other unrelated-to-pin goodies! This year we discovered this whole underground trading game that happens at PAX, and were totally amazed.

When it comes to enamel pins, one gamer's trash is another gamer's treasure. So if you have a collection that you think has some duds, you can totally take them to PAX and see what you can trade up for! Who knows? Maybe you'll be walking out with some free SWAG.

(and also let us know if you find one of our KontrolFreek pins out in the wild)

Did you attend PAX East/Watch any of the live coverage? Lets us know what your favorite part was in the comments! Also be sure to check out our list of crazy uses for Octane's Jump Pad in Apex Legends!