I expected Wil Wheaton’s opening keynote to be pretty good. Really good, even. I didn’t expect it to be utterly fantastic! He spoke about his experience being a gamer, growing up playing D&D, and how it all impacted his life. It was interwoven with brilliant humor, some digs at Jack Thompson, and lots of gaming references for the enjoyment of the hundreds of geeks in the audience. By the end of his speech, I felt more proud than I ever have to be a gamer.

It was fairly entertaining to watch dozens of people in hoodies and black jeans file into the fancy hotel lobby today. There are gamers everywhere! I didn’t think so many of them would look like the stereotypical gamer, but I can’t help spotting them from a mile away. Amongst all the hipsters on the streets during the day, the tourists on the Freedom Trail, and the business people leaving work at 5:00 PM, the gamers stick out like a sore thumb.