At 100xp. we’ve been going to the convention formerly known as Eurogamer for many years and hopefully we can use some of my experience to make your visit a better one. In the above video I identify some of the pitfalls that inexperienced convention goers tend to fall into and hopefully, in watching it, you can avoid. Alternatively, you can read the article here and avoid hearing my caustic tones with your ear holes.
Tip 1, Transportation:
Your first challenge in attending EGX London is of course getting there.
EGX London is in London, which is in England, which is in the planet Earth. If you are unsure of how= to get to London, England or Planet Earth, you may wish to pack with you a London Underground Guide, a map of London itself, a map of England, a map of planet earth and your local star system holocube.
I personally recommend taking the train into London, it’s a lot easier to get around when you’re not dealing with traffic or trying to find a parking space for your UFO.
Tip 2, Eating:
Food is required for your sustained survival so it is logical that you might seek some out when attending this year, however, food is extremely expensive in and around the Earl’s Court area. Anything as simple as a sandwich can set you back four or five pounds. Pounds, for those of your travelling from abroad, are the English word for dollars.
We advise taking a packed lunch to save cash and if you really want to keep those doubloons you could even bring a cooked dinner for later too.
Tip 3: Toilet Use
A while after eating some species may require to evacuate waste product from their digestive systems. It’s common at EGX to do this in the toilets provided and leaving your waste around the show floor is generally discouraged.
As well maintained as the toilets at Earls Court are, there are a lot of people attending and you can expect queues as long as the games being demonstrated. I must stress my next point very strongly. Do not eat Indian Food. Do not eat Mexican food. Just… Don’t do it to yourself. Don’t do it to everyone else.
You may wish to pack with you a spare toilet roll, this can be used as a rudimentary bartering tool during your visit.
TIP 4: Sanitation
Last year at EGX somewhere near fifty thousand people attended the convention and at least twelve of them played the demo games. That’s a lot of hands touching the public controllers and this can be a sanitary risk. I personally contracted syphilis last year and I’m almost 50% sure it was from touching an unsanitary xbox controller. With this in mind, you may wish to bring sanitary wipes with you and potentially gloves and a first aid kit.
Tip 4, Cosplay:
Cosplay is encouraged at EGX London and can be very confusing for first time attendees as seeing fictional characters walking around can make you question your grip on reality. Please be assured that these are merely normal people dressed up and not the actual characters.
Here’s a great tip; bring an Xbox or Playstation controller. if you are unable to control them with the thumbsticks or buttons, they are most likely just cosplayers.
If you wish to cosplay yourself, we suggest you keep your outfit in a stow bag, wearing it while travelling to the convention runs a risk of making you look insane.
Oh, and if you want to cosplay as Deadpool. Don’t. Just don’t.
Tip 5: Queues
One of the hardest experiences for someone newly attending an exposition like EGX is the queue length. Queue’s can last up for four days and during such times inexperienced queuers have been known to suffer from many hard to bear symptoms, such as loss of sanity etc.
We advise bringing some reading material, a game boy, a PSP or a board game. As well as this, a portable chair is a lifesaver.
Remember, this is a portable chair. This is not a portable chair.
Tip 6, Accomodation:
Some of you may be planning to stay for more than one day. If this is the case, you will most likely require warmth and shelter during the night cycle when the convention is closed. Though this is tip 6, it’s probably best to arrange accommodation before you have followed the advice in the previous tips and arrived in London.
A hotel is a sensible option for accommodation and rooms can be bartered for ahead of your arrival. Alternatively, you could pack a tent as there are many suitable pitching grounds local to the exposition.
If you are already in London you may have to fight with a local tramp for his box or murder a family and take their house for your own.
TIP 7: WEAPONRY
Fighting a tramp and murdering a family are both difficult things to do without the correct weaponry. On top of that, demand in the expo for top tier games can be very high and occasionally fights break out in the queue and gaming areas. We recommend bringing an axe or large polearm like weapon so you can engage in this violence with some breathing room. Knives are effective tools but remember, you have to get close to your opponent to use them.
If you are carrying beans on you, do not let anyone know.
Those were our best tips, and please – if you have any tips you want to share you can do so in the comments for this article. Good luck in your trip to EGX London, we’ll see you there.