You might go the whole convention without realizing that the booths on the show floor are actually inset from the perimeter of the convention hall. Outside, there is a wide channel where exhibitors can push carts of equipment, where attendees use the restroom, and where the expeditious or agoraphobic retreat to when they don’t want to deal with the shoulder-to-shoulder crowds.

When you dive out from the sea of people, like a dolphin gasping for air, your whole perspective on PAX changes. It feels small, having taken a step back, watching the throng from afar. It’s not the same endless expanse of encompassing geekiness. You see the wires and cables holding everything together, the curtains closing you into the world they’re creating for you. You see the man behind the screen.

And occasionally that man is a Palace Guard from Gears of War, waiting to demolish you with his Cleaver and Boomshield.