On October 10 and 11, I and 15,000 other video game geeks made a pilgrimage to Anaheim, Calif. to attend the third BlizzCon, a convention held by one of the most successful computer game developers, Blizzard Entertainment. Some came for the game design panels hosted by Blizzard developers and some for the live tournaments featuring pro gamers from around the world, while others just wanted to play.

Blizzard is set to launch the “Wrath of the Lich King” expansion to their mega-popular online game, “World of Warcraft,” on Nov. 13, 2008. “StarCraft II” and “Diablo III,” both sequels to best-selling franchises, are also on the horizon, though Blizzard hasn’t announced release dates yet.

All three games were playable for the public on the convention floor, and each had its own kiosk that consisted of rows and rows of computers, enclosed by low metal bars. During the worst parts of the day, the lines for “StarCraft II” and “Diablo III” could extend for hours, though I was able to play both with a minimal amount of waiting in the morning and late evening.

I was never a big “StarCraft” fan, but I enjoyed playing “StarCraft II.” It felt like a prettier version of the previous game, with some adjustments to incorporate some of the modern conventions of the real-time strategy genre. I could say the same about “Diablo III,” though the new destructible environments made the game feel far more visceral.

The lines for “Wrath” weren’t bad at all, considering that it was coming out in a month, and most of the attendees were already playing the work-in-progress beta version from home. I lined up to play it anyway, and spent most of my limited time trying to figure out how to use the new Death Knight class and all its max-level skills.

The problem with playing these games at a convention is that Blizzard’s games, specifically “World of Warcraft” and “Diablo,” are most fun when you’re personally invested in your character. Twenty minutes of gameplay can’t convey the feeling of exploring a world and growing your character over the course of weeks or months or even years. I certainly had fun, but what I got was only a quick glimpse of the most basic gameplay mechanics.

For that reason, BlizzCon was much more about the panels and the people for me. As a passionate gamer who follows the industry closely, I love learning about the design process and development effort that goes into making games.

At the World of Warcraft class discussion panel, I learned about the difficult tightrope that Blizzard has to walk between making each character class unique, but not better than the others. At the Diablo III lore and art panel, I learned how the story informs the game design and vice versa.

But the most exciting part of BlizzCon was that I got to exist in a world of geeks and nerds for two days. The convention was like one big inside joke that we were all in on. Yes, there were plenty of stereotypical gamers—sweaty, socially awkward and maladjusted—but most people were remarkably normal and outgoing.

I even met up with several online friends—people I play with online in World of Warcraft whom I’d never met face-to-face. One was a doctor from Orange County, another was a high school senior from Pennsylvania and another was an animator at a major film studio in Los Angeles. None of us would have known each other if not for World of Warcraft. Despite age differences, BlizzCon was the ultimate common ground, and it was so much fun meeting and hanging out with all these new friends over the weekend.