_{Photos: Dawn Lam, Adam Shiroma}

^{Writer: Dawn Lam}

My family and I were lucky enough to win the lottery to attend Nintendo Live 2023 held during the same time as PAX West 2023! I had heard that from many other friends and family that they were not able to get a pass to attend this event, so we were not too hopeful. We attended day 3 of the event and it was certainly an experience to remember. The event took place in the main Seattle Convention Center (Arch buidling) – this was were in the previous years, PAX had their expo hall. This year, a majority of the show moved to the newer Summit building. Nintendo Live was held September 1st – 4th. 

We attended with our 3 year old and the event, in typical Nintendo fashion, was a fun-filled family event. From the moment we entered the queue to enter the exhibition hall, the energy of the staff and the attendees were unmatched. Nintendo fans of all ages, old and young,  gathered and were enthusiactic to see what was beyond the doors. It was sweet to see so many families attend with their little ones. Upon checking in with our QR code, each one of us were provided with an event wrist-band and a canvas tote bag. The tote bag was filled with Nintendo goods (an event  booklet, a special Nintendo Live exclusive event gold coin, patches, pins etc).

With a 3 year old in tow, and now exhausted from several days of PAX activities, I was weary of more lines, but overall the wait for most things was acceptable. We got in line to try out the new Super Mario Bros. Wonder. There were plenty of stations and each station accommodated a group of up to 6 players so there was hardly any wait. At the station, a staff member greeted us and gave a quick run down of what the new game is like. It was quickly shown to us that the game is very family oriented and that younger children can join along the family fun without feeling left out. Our 3 year old was handed a controller and she was able to jump along and match the other players as the rest of the adults demoed the game. At the end, each player received an elephant Mario keychain.

Next, was of course, the mascots. Already realizing that this will be a Nintendo event, of course Pokemon will be part of it. Pikachu, the new 3 starters (Fuecoco, Sprigattito and Quaxly) made appearances and attendees were able to line-up for photo ops. In the background, we could hear one of the many concerts starting, but we were not quick enough to grab tickets for a sit-down experience. The concert was situated near a mini stage where tournaments were to be held so attendees were able to sit down and enjoy the music without a concert ticket.

My favorite part of the entire hall was the Animal Crossings area. They created a part of the Animal Crossings New Horizon area, complete with a tent, fishing area, and of course a campfire. KK Slider, Tom Nook and Isalbell also made an appearance for photo ops. We enjoyed walking through the Animal Crossings setup and a staff was kind enough to help us with photos.

Unfortunately, we did have to cut the event short as our child (even us as adults) were clearly exhausted from the PAX activities in the last 2 days. There was so much to do, and so much to see. I definitely did not have enough time or energy to do it all. The event started at 10am and finished at 6pm. I applaud anyone that is able to stay that long. After 2 full days of PAX activities, I could not muster enough energy to continue. I really hope to see more of these events soon and hopefully, I will be lucky enough to grab tickets for them again. It was such a positive experience that I highly encourage any one who is able to enter the lottery for future events to do so.

Official Nintendo Live 2023 Seattle coverage: Link