What To Do at San Diego Comic-Con Without a Pass - Day 3

My dear friend and fellow GeekTyrant writer Drew Lawrence has been helping all you fellow geeks understand all the joys you can experience here in sunny San Diego if you don't have the cash to afford a pass. Well, the guy earned himself a day in good ol' Hall H, so today I'll be telling you the joys of the geekiest week in California.

I started my morning by grabbing a cup of coffee and high-fiving Gotham's Robin Lord Taylor. Then I made my way towards PetCo Park to see the spoils. But we talked about that yesterday and touched on how awesome Battleborn is earlier. So instead, it was off to Zachary Levi's Nerd HQ!

After a short wait in a very friendly line full of amazing cosplayers, I had my wrist band that let me come and go as I pleased. While the Nerdist's Conival at PetCo Park felt like a tiny version of Comic-Con, Nerd HQ is more like hanging out and playing video games with your friends. There are a handful of panels you can pay a small fee to attend, and a good chunk of those fees go to the charity organization Operation Smile that helps children born with a cleft palate enjoy a healthy and normal life. But if you're really doing SDCC on a shoe-string budget, there are a handful of things to do for free. Along with just hanging out and mingling with fellow geeks and stars alike, there were demo stations of EA's up and coming blockbuster game Star Wars Battlefront, with lines exponentially shorter than those I waited in at E3! (The crew and I got in a solid couple of rounds together in less than an hour!) There was also a bar and an army of food trucks to keep you energized and geeking for hours.

All in all, I learned a very valuable lesson: if you plan correctly and make sure you don't get stuck in long lines that end in disappointment (cough, the Heroes Reborn 4-D Experience) then it is very easy to have a great time at San Diego Comic-Con without spending a single dime. Of course, splurging a little for drinks doesn't hurt.