The Penny Arcade Expo in Seattle, Washington

The Penny Arcade Expo, or PAX, is an annual weekend-long gamer and gaming festival. It's held at the end of August in the downtown area of Seattle, Washington. The Penny Arcade Expo originated in the fertile minds of Mike Krahulik and Jerry Holkins, the writers of Penny Arcade, the gaming webcomic from which PAX got its name. PAX was a success when it was started in 2004 and has increased in popularity every year since. For the first few years, PAX was held in Bellevue, Washington. The Expo then moved to Seattle in 2007.

PAX stands out in the crowd of gaming gatherings because it gives equal time and attention to players of console, tabletop, and computer games. In fact, it's the only conference on the West Coast to take this approach. PAX also stands out because of its massive growth - the conference has nearly doubled in size every year since its inception. PAX now takes up the 130,000 square feet of floor space provided by the conveniently-located Washington State Convention and Trade Center.

There is good reason for this gaming festival's popularity. The schedule is action packed, with events going up until 3AM on Friday and Saturday, and starting up at 10AM on Saturday and Sunday. There are over one hundred separate events, not including the exhibit hall, packed in between Friday afternoon and early Sunday evening. Many of these events are panels and keynote speakers. These typically cover a wide range of gaming topics, including various aspects of the history of gaming, reviews of new games, discussions about gaming and society, and game design and development.

Other popular staples of PAX include a vendor-packed exhibit hall, concerts on Friday and Saturday night, and open gaming rooms for console, tabletop, handheld, and computer gaming. There are also several rooms focused on popular console and computer games like Halo and World of Warcraft. Friday and Saturday night also have several movie events that show everything from documentaries to popular geek cult classics.

One of the best features of The Penny Arcade Expo is its balance. PAX is careful to keep its gaming festival fun while being informative and the type of event that promotes serious conversation about gaming. It also does an excellent job spreading the attention equally between all the gamer and gaming types. This really is the kind of event that has something for everyone. If you have any sort of interest in any kind of gaming, you'll find something you enjoy.

Source:

http://www.pennyarcadeexpo.com/index.php