(Mirror Daily, United States) – Every person who ever visited a convention of any sort can say that things tend to get a little smelly when excited people rush in different directions for four days. Add a little chilly weather that makes them sweat in the overheated location, and you got yourself an odor-filled environment. But this year Twitch offered visitors free deodorant at PAX in order to avoid exactly that problem.

Free stuff is always cool. And when you go to a gaming convention, there is definitely a chance of leaving the premises with a gratuity of some sort. Some companies give out demos, posters, figurines, and all kind of gaming-related stuff.

Of course, there are also the sponsors that are giving out free samples of their product. Usually, it’s junk food and energy drinks, but most people don’t say no to a free can of energy drink, especially when there are tons of booths to explore.

But this year, the gratuities offered to the visitors included some surprises. In an effort to keep the stale convention air a bit fresher and spicier, Twitch offered visitors free deodorant at PAX East. The gaming company collaborated with Old Spice and gave out a sample of full-size deodorants to visitors of the convention.

While there always must be a “that person” at every convention that sends you searching for an “anywhere but next to him or her” place, the gesture might be a bit rude. Convention air is indeed stale, and the people that come there are excited, they’re also usually dressed in coats or jackets that make them sweat a little more than normal.

Not to mention the people at the booths that are always running here and there, trying to bring an additional roll-up, or searching for something to hold that poster on the wall. They are carrying the gaming-related gratuities and promotional materials, talking to customers, sweating nervously.

It’s only natural that a place flooded by thousands of people would smell a little off. And the fact that Twitch offered visitors free deodorant at PAX may not that much of a rude gesture. It may be the company’s way of freshening up the air, making the convention a more welcoming place where people can spend more time.

Moreover, most of the people who received the free samples were happy to do so. The gesture might have perpetuated the image of the unwashed gamer, but that certainly wasn’t the idea.

Image source: Flickr