I’m an Omeganaut! (What the hell does that mean?)

Caller: Hi, this is Gabe from Penny Arcade. You’re an Omeganaut.

Me: ohmigod can I tweet about this?

I got a call from a private number today. I’m going to PAX, and while there I’m going to be an Omeganaut. Some people wonder what that means. That post is to explain this thing.

First, allow me to share my reaction. You may quote me:

So, what is an Omeganaut? It is someone who is participating in the Omegathon. What is the Omegathon?

The Omegathon is a game tournament held at PAX each year. And it’s not specific games. It’s games. Period, end of sentence. If it’s out there, it can be in the tournament. From Halo to Tetris to claw machines, if it’s a game, you might have to play it. Twenty go in, one come out.

The way you get selected is simple. When you register for PAX, there’s a little checky-box of if you’re willing to be an Omeganaut. I’d been wanting to for years, but never had the guts. This year, I decided, fuck it, I’m going to click the box. And the first year I sign up, I get pinged.

I’m already fairly certain I’m going to fail out of the first round. At best, I’ll make it to whatever PC-shooter game they have (there’s always one) and that’s the round that will take me out. That’s just not my genre. Never has been. But honestly, if I even make it that far. I’m expecting I’ll look like this:

But still! It’ll be fun! I’m really excited and looking forward to it!

ETA: If you have a game you think I should play to train, drop your suggestion here.