These last few days have been the absolute best few days I’ve had for a very long time, representing not only some much-needed rest and relaxation but also an opportunity to meet some beloved friends face-to-face for the first (or, in some cases, second) time, hang out and talk shit about video games for hours on end. That was a very long sentence but it pretty much reflects how my mind is racing right now; I’m stoked to have met all these awesome people and I’m more convinced than ever that these long-distance friendships are not just “an Internet thing”, they are very much real relationships that many of us have built up without, in some cases, having any idea what the others really look like – not that that should matter.

So I’d like to say a very public thank you to the following people for making this weekend a huge success from my perspective: Mike Minotti (because he’ll complain like a bitch if he’s not first), AJ Minotti, Chris Minotti, Chris Whittington, Mark Whiting, Lynette Terrill, Christopher Bowley, Chris Person, Jeff Grubb, Derek Lavigne, Brett Bates, Eric Majkut, Chris IforgotyourlastnameandamverysorryandamnotsureifIknewitinthefirstplace, Lik Chan (sorry we didn’t get more time to chat!), Joey Chiu, N’Gai Croal, Shawn Elliott, the other guys I went to lunch with and can’t remember your names (sorry!) and, of course, my awesome brother John Davison.

I may have missed someone inadvertently. If so, I apologise profusely, and it wasn’t deliberate. Give me a slap in the comments and I will correct the above list forthwith.

I missed Wil Wheaton’s keynote speech on Friday, but he was good enough to post an excerpt from it on his blog, summing up the way I think most of the 60,000 nerds who descended on Boston this weekend feel. “Games are important. Games matter. PAX is where we come together to celebrate that. Gaming is the foundation of the best friendships I’ve ever had, and it’s the mortar that has held my group of friends together for almost 25 years.”

The Squad has only known each other for a fraction of that time, but already it’s clear that we’re a tightly-knit group of people despite being scattered to the seven winds. (Are there seven winds? I just made that up, I think.) Meeting this weekend for the first time (in most cases) cemented that relationship and it makes me feel good to know that I’ve got friends that I trust and respect, friends that I can share what’s important to me with – even if they’re all thousands of miles away. Thanks to the Internet, we’re always close enough to chat or play something together, and I know these friendships will continue for years to come.

I have a ton of awesome photos to share but haven’t unloaded them from my camera yet. That will probably have to wait until I get back home on Tuesday, but rest assured there are some gloriously nerdy things to share.

One more time: PAX has been the most awesome time. If you’re a nerd reading this and you’ve never been to a gathering of this magnitude, take the next opportunity to do so that you get. You won’t regret it.

Sentimentality over. Flying back home tomorrow evening, arriving back in the UK early on Tuesday morning.