Penny Arcade Expo: PAX Prime

If you are a nerd and like the latest and greatest gaming experiences the industry leaders have to offer then this is it! The lines are a little long but if you happen to be a vendor then you are pretty much treated like gold during this event.

Somehow got dragged into PAX this year by my boyfriend… It was okay, definitely not as bad as I was expecting.
As I expected, there were a lot of questionable people. A lot (and I mean a LOT) of questionable smells as well. Despite all that, it proved to be a fun day.
There are loads of games for everybody to play, lots of booths to see (some not even all about games — lots of tech-​centric stuff here too!) which made the day whiz by!
Not sure I would personally pay to come back — and definitely would not go crazy and buy a full 4-​day pass like some people do… But it’s worth a couple hours of perusing.

Too many of the games my boyfriend wanted to play had capped lines. There was one I wanted to play and lucky for me, it wasn’t capped. But I did stand there for almost an hour. I really think this event needs more days or an additional weekend. Because it’s impossible to play popular games with capped lines. And my boyfriend noticed that people who be allowed to keep playing as long as they wanted, leaving people to wait longer. I think gameplay should have been limited to half an hour then you had to go to the end of the line if you wanted to okay more. That way more people could have chances to play. It was just way too crowded and I wasn’t able to enjoy anything SK we won’t be coming back.

Oh dear… The one time a year where geeks under different banners unite!!! PAX is one of the most attended gaming conventions in the USA. Pax Prime is the original pax starting out in the Bellevue convention center, and now growing to the hot mess it is today! If you’re a newbie a word to the wise 4 day passes sell out in minutes. So be prepared to buy individual passes to enjoy all days of the convention. Now the main hall has all the massive AAA titles with the long lines, the cool demos and the theatrical sneak peaks but a word to the wise? Lines are LONG as in 2 hours average line for the big games, but don’t fret just time your stay throughout the days you go and you’ll have fun. There is so much to do at pax. Free play in the console rooms with every console imaginable to every game ever created by many masterminds. Panels are held everywhere in nearby theaters and I would suggest attending at least one (favorite game preferred). There is cos play and a computer area, and countless raffles where you can win some pretty epic loot. Fan of some tabletop games? Check we have that! Maybe you want to experience your retro side with some arcade games? Check… PAX is a must do for any gamer of any fashion, take it from a 8 year veteran. Go!!!

This event is the highlight of my summer, for reals. From having to follow the twitter account around may to spending hours in the queue waiting to get tickets and watching the highly desired 4 day passes disappear. Oh but this is a taste of the convention you see, lines are a plenty. You will be spending a lot of time in line, but that is okay. Be social able, make friends with the enforcers, the geeks next to you and the video game designers. Go to panels that sound fun but avoid ones put on by drunk women.
Enjoy the cosplay, and the games, and the crowds. Its only a few days and then you’ll be going through withdrawal something fierce. This was the first year I tried the computer free play which was really fun!
Also, watch your stuff. I had a really expensive camera stolen from my bag while I was playing a demo, which broke my heart. It won’t deter me from going through all the highs and lows next year.

This part year was my first year attending this event. I never thought I ever would because tickets are retarded to try to get. Being a first timer here, I wasn’t really sure what the big deal was. Unless you have been here before and know what’s going on, this event is pretty boring.
The cosplay is great. There are a lot of people roaming around but mostly there are lines for everything. Being a noob, I had no idea what the big deal was for the games that were up for testing. Most of them weren’t anything I didn’t already know about or were lame. I wish there was more information at the event for what you’re supposed to do…
After the event I went on Facebook and joined some groups to find out what the big deal is. So for those of you who don’t know, you’re there to stand in line for hours to try a video game for a few minutes, then you get a t-​shirt or some other gift for trying that game. It seems the first day is the biggest for the give aways because many vendors run out of stuff quickly. There’s also some contests you can do but from what I could tell you have to either know ahead of time for it or stumble across it. And if you do try for a contest, be ready for more lines.
I wasn’t too impressed with this event. My favorite part was seeing the cosplay. But otherwise, there’s not many retailers or cool stuff to buy. And omg lines are evil! Maybe I’ll feel differently about this event after I attend it again, now that I know sorta what to do.

This event is getting so big that it’s both good and bad. PAX is a great way for people with like-​minds and shared interests to get together and celebrate all things gaming. Board games, RPGs, video games, you name it — PAX has it. But because if it’s popularity it has, for some, become less fun from year to year. It’s crowded, ticket prices are always on the rise or they’re sold out, and lines to meet celebs or to get into readings or even rent games or get a table in a gaming room are crazy long. It’s all about patience, I suppose. Still fun to check out, but maybe not for all three days. I was in/​out in about 5 hours and decided I had waited around enough and seen as much as I’d wanted.

I did two days at PAX this year and that was enough.
I spent about half the time at panels, and half the time fighting my way through throngs of people around the rest of the buildings and trying not to get stabbed in the face with pointy prop weapons. PAX is also now spread across seven buildings, so having prior knowledge of that part of Seattle (and where surrounding food places are) is REALLY useful.
The panels were interesting, and I found myself wanting to go to more of them than I could. But they’re REALLY woefully disorganized, and it’s frustrating. Because of how scheduling works, there are hour-​long panels that start every half hour. Why? That just means people are walking in and out of panels while the discussion is going on, and since you might need to travel between buildings which also takes up precious time. And then because they’re hour long panels, if you go overtime then you run into the next panel, and then you’re also late for the next session – assuming you hadn’t already ducked out at the half-​hour. Also, moderators should also be more vigilant with the Q&A sessions – if you have limited time for questions, don’t let the first person at the microphone ask three questions AND follow up questions, when there’s a line of 15 other people. That sucks. And then of course on Monday they didn’t even let people into PAX until 10:20, when everything was supposed to start at 10. People had been lining up since about 8:30. I’m honestly surprised that nobody got trampled on the escalators up to playtest Hyrule Warriors or whatever.
The staff (enforcers) were super cool and helpful even up until the last day, and I’m sure they had to deal with a bunch of crap over the weekend. Several of the panels I wanted to go to got canceled (one because NOBODY on the panel knew about it and so they didn’t show up… fail) and they did well to keep us informed and entertained with giveaways and trivia, and they just made the experience a little less frustrating.
The expo floor was okay, but I’m not a huge fan of being armpit-​height with dudes that decide they’re going to be unwashed and shirtless. That’s so not cool. I’m also not a huge fan of lining up for 2+ hours to play a game where you might play for something like 7 – 10 minutes. That just seems like an inefficient use of time to me. The Indie Megabooth was really cool though; lots of fun devs who were willing to talk to you about the game that they had made, and you could play demos of really fun, compelling games for way longer.
There were some amazingly wonderful parts of PAX that I had a great time at, but those were tempered by the crappiness of scheduling and just being ragefully overwhelmed and packed into seven buildings with 60,000 other people.
P. S. The League of Legends playoff room totally freaked me out. 200+ people watching 10 people play one round of a game? What? :/

Yeef… has it been seven of things for me already???
A lot has changed since that first PAX back in 08. It’s become a lot more popular and mainstream and consequently has succumbed to the same pitfalls that befell SDCC many years ago: buying badges when they first become available is a complete fiasco and scalpers have become a permanent fixture outside the WSCC. I remember the good old days when you could buy a full weekend pass at the door.
The lines for a 10 — 15 minute demo have only gotten worse. A 2-​hour wait is now the average for a game from a major triple-​A publisher, and swag has become scarcer and scarcer, to the point they’re being sold and not given away.
Yet, for all the changes, some things have managed to get better. The indie gaming scene has only grown stronger and in many cases eclipses the attention that the major publishers gets. It is a genuine pleasure to talk with the creators of so many innovative and fun games and see the vision that brought their projects to life.
Tabletop gaming has also expanded, with Cards Against Humanity leading the charge.
I always enjoy seeing the cosplayers strut their stuff.
So yeah, PAX Prime isn’t the same great show it used to be. But there’s still a lot of fun to be had. As long as you focus on the people and the spirit and not the demos and swag, you won’t be disappointed.

oh my god! SENSORY OVERLOAD! this is my second time going to PAX and i seriously don’t know how people can do it for all 4 days! yowza…
my kiddo and cousins all bought 4 day passes (goddam kids!) but i wasn’t planning on going this year til my sister hit me up and said she had extra vip passes that she wasn’t going to use over the weekend. free is a powerful motivator for me (free food and booze and i’d do just about anything… ANYTHING) so me and a pal rolled downtown on sunday so he could see what all the fuss was about (he’s a n00b to PAX but does play games).
upon arriving downtown on sunday, you could immediately sense something was up. was it the folks in cosplay as characters from The Last Airbender (cartoon, not the horrible live action movie) and Legend of Korra nonchalantly crossing the street? of course it was! the streets downtown was looking like a who’s who of cartoon network and as you get closer, we saw more and more cosplay characters. some were better done than others (though i didn’t see my future-​ex-​wife VampyBitMe) but all were a work of passion and dedication. nerds rule!
my pal was a bit overwhelmed by the spectacle. the lines were long and the free swag was less free. still it was pretty fun for a couple hours. we stayed and watched some esports action at the TWITCH booth. i wish my mom had let me play more streetfighter 2 as a kid for real! now mofos are making a living at it. wtf!!! hadouken indeed. walked around and looked at demos of upcoming games but didn’t play any. the lines were bananas — 1.5hr+ waits to play 15min. ain’t nobody got time for that… well, at least i didn’t. matter of fact, we peaced out after about 3hrs and it was not a second too soon.
i probably won’t be going again unless someone’s got free tix for me but if you’ve never been and enjoy games (board and electronic/​video) then you definitely should peep this out once in your life. it’s one of the biggest on the west coast and a great way to see what’s coming next.

PAX is fun! but I can deffenatley say that it has been going a little downhill. Less of a variety of games League of Legends seems to be the focus lately.
But its worth it. My advice only go one or two days any more isn’t needed

I love PAX. That could be my entire review, and it would be completely accurate and legitimate.
It’s a good (possibly the best) place for gamers — PC, console, handheld, boardgames. Whatever your poison is, it’s here. Sometimes hiding behind a two or three hour line (but that’s part of the experience, right?) Haven’t really met anyone rude, just very intense people intensely playing PlayStation All Stars… har har, just kidding. Nobody plays that: D I’ve been going since 09, and each year it gets larger and larger… pretty soon it’s going to just take over the entire city of Seattle (sorry Bumbershoot!)
It’s also a good place to watch people play Just Dance on a big stage in public (just like that nightmare we all secretly have… wait, is that just me?).
It is, however, not a good place to ignore your daily hygiene régime (even if that’s just spritzing yourself down with Purell — come on, guys! You know who you are…)

Boy… Pax13 was quite something…
So for the first time ever I cosplayed, (and with my sister) as characters from Borderlands 2. I was Salvador while she was a killer Tiny Tina.
I went with my dad on Friday and Saturday in regular civilian clothes.
I will review day-​by-​day.
Friday: Friday is the first day, nobody knows what’s going on, the vets are prepared, the noobs are clueless, but everyone is excited. I went straight to Watch Dogs and saw a nice demo, walked over to The Crew and customized a car on a tablet and then raced it through Miami. Warner Brothers set up a bat signal so I waited a half-​hour for Arkham Origins (great game) then went to AC IV because the line had died down. Then I saw them. Anthony Burch (lead writer of Borderlands 2 and Hey Ash, Whatcha’ Playin?), Ashly Burch (star of HAWP and voice of tiny Tina), and Davis (a member of HAWP) I was so nervous! I got them to sign a tee shirt and then went into the AC theater and sat of uncomfortable barrels. Had to try Next-​Gen stuff so played Forza on Xone and was amazed. Finished the day waiting for 2 hours for AC IV panel.
Saturday: the busiest day of Pax. You have the people from yesterday, and people who couldn’t get off work. So we went to Battlefield 4 and played (solid multiplayer) and then spent a few hours at sony playing all their AAA and indie games. Went back to WB and played Dying Light (waited 2 hours!) probably my 3^rd favorite game. Then ended the game with some co-​op Ryse: Son of Rome. If like killing tons of barbarians in Zach Snyder fashion (SO MUCH SLO-MO!!!)then you will love this game! Brutal Violence, Flying limbs, and Blood everywhere (2^nd favorite game)
Sunday! Dying down… 1^st cosplay day! Before we event got into the Queue line had tons of photos and compliments. Won a limbo contest in line, then while sister went to Elder Scrolls Online, my father and I played it… TITANFALL!!! Game of the show! The parkour, guns, and mechs all flow together beautifully. Waited for 2 ½ hours. Worth it. Walked around, explored, good day.
Monday: noticeably less people. Went to the HAWP panel and discovered Cards Against Humanity. The most disturbing yet, fun totally «I am going to hell» card games. Think of it like an X rated Apples to Apples. That passed the time for two hours then we walked into the HAWP panel and had a fantastic time, after that and a meet and greet we hurried over to the Gearbox Panel (had VIP Tickets for cosplaying) and has a great time there! Also got a free diamond loot chest for cosplaying. Totally worth all the effort.
So all in all, Pax 13 was a success!
See you next year!

Ready to hang out with a bunch of unwashed undersocialized geeks and cosplaying attention whores? Sweet! It’s time for PAX.
There are some cool things about PAX:
— People with handhelds, mostly 3DS now, have a thriving social community, contests and giveaways and a giant area full of beanbags to lay around on and talk to your fellow handheld nerdlings.
— The indi game companies are always cool and are just dying to tell you about and show you their work. It is usually pretty great.
— The new hardware loots that people come up with, the boardgame vendors, the people selling cool nerd stuff (I like my triforce cufflinks), and other stuff is neat.
— The Omegathon
— The classic arcade and console areas
The stuff that isn’t so cool:
— Big game vendors and two hour lines. I don’t even understand why people will wait in line for hours. Since this is not an industry con, and you are all customers to be treated with distain by shithead corporate executives and PR stooges, expect to be looked down upon. Fortunately I have the ability to skip all lines. I recommend it.
— Pretty much all of their talks. Unless you’ve actually done something cool, I really don’t care what garbage opinions you have because you have a blog, tits, or twitter followers. Who cares. You are boring.
— No one can have a human conversation in the building. If aliens landed at PAX, they would nuke Earth from orbit. It would be the only way to be sure.
This last PAX was plagued with League of Legends fans. It was like the arsenic cherry on top of the shit sundae.
PAX is cool if you bring your own fun with you. I brought a pair of boys, ages 11 and 13, and they were the most mature and refined people I spoke to the whole of the con.
If you have experienced PAX, I don’t have to explain why I rarely let people know that I know anything about video games, animé, tabletop, or most other aspects of nerd. You already understand.

Über Awesome All Things Videogames & More Expo held in Downtown Seattle for the Peoples! Over the years this event has been getting more Crowded!!! You need to order tickets online ASAP when they are Released!
You can always grab some cool Swag prizes but expect waiting in line for a while!
This past PAX Prime 2013 there were some neat Cards Against Humanity packs that were fun collecting! It was fun trying all the new Next Gen Videogame Systems and playing all the cool Hipster Indie Games! PS4 and XBOX One looked Wonderful.
People watching is priceless at this event! Don’t forget to bring your Camera!
They should hand out Shampoo or Deodorant upon entering the Expo Doors… some Attendees’ just don’t get the Social Interaction part haha…
Heres a link to the PAX Prime website for more info!

Ignoring the ticket fiasco that seems to be getting worse every year, PAX is an amazing experience.
I mostly come for the community, the community hosted events and the indie games. I’ve met some amazing people, got some interesting swag (even though there seems to be less available now) and tried some new games (both console/​PC and tabletop). I typically don’t bother with the panels or waiting in line to try a game for 5 minutes to get a sticker or pin.
Go with an open mind and a smile on your face and you’ll definitely meet some interesting characters!

Gamer? Cosplayer? Console-​lover? App-​obsessed? This is the convention for you!
I’ve gone the past three years and at the end of every weekend, I was super exhausted. But then I find myself talking about how I can’t wait until next year.
If you’ve never been to a convention before and you live in the Pacific NW, I highly suggest trying this one since it is one of the most highly-​anticipated conventions and it’s so close to home. And lots of people fly in from out of town to see this, too! The tricky part is getting yourself badges because they sell out so fast. But I guarantee if you can at least get a badge for at least a day or two, it’s totally worth it.
At PAX, you can try upcoming games, try out new consoles, and pick up some free swag. So make sure to bring a backpack for all the goodies! Wear comfy shoes since you’ll be standing and waiting in line a lot. Leave your jackets in the car — the AC is on all over the Convention Center, but what it does is balance out how hot it was from all the people and electronics in there. Deodorant is also your friend!!! Don’t be ashamed to use it… it may be weird, but people who stand next to you will thank you later!
This year was particularly special since it was my first time cosplaying… ever! And the difference between going to PAX with and without is that it’s a whole different adventure in itself. When you cosplay, you definitely stand out, and more likely than not, people will stop you to take pictures, so don’t expect to demo a lot of games on the day you decide to dress up! And of course strangers don’t call your name, but they’ll call you by the character’s name you’re cosplaying as… kinda like a Disney character in Disneyland! It was an awesome experience!
I cannot emphasize how cool this event is and that people who love any sort of game, whether it be from Nintendo, Sony, Xbox, PC or even tablet games, should definitely check it out next year. I’m always looking forward to it every Labor Day weekend!

I’ve seen PAX from the point of view of a press member, an exhibitor, and a regular everyday everyman. The three couldn’t be more different, so let me break each of them down:
— As a press member, everybody and their mom is out to impress you the moment they see your credentials. Not only can you pick up your badge in an instant, there’s a special game hour for media only (read: no lines), con-​goers all line up for a picture, and the PR folk running the booths do everything in their power to corral you into their booth. It’s a great feeling!
— As an exhibitor, most of the above apply. Get ready to work your butt off, but also look forward to connecting with people in nearby booths and learning everybody’s stories. Some have some real interesting tales to tell!
— As a regular con-​goer, it’s pretty fun too, but be ready to wait in line for pretty much everything in sight. It’s essentially a mini-​E3 open to the public, so take that for what you will. Just relax, come with friends, and geek out for a few days.

I came, I saw, I conquered.
See you next year, PAX!

2012 Review #246:
Much like PAX East (see 2012 Review #100), PAX is extremely important, and dear to me. Although we attended PAX East as our first PAX ever, we were extremely excited to go to PAX Prime, which is the original location, if you will, of this event.
Like PAX east, thousands of people descend onto a city (East– Boston, Prime– Seattle) and go to nerd-​town. East gets somewhere around 30,000 people, but Prime got around 60,000. Amazingly, it does not feel crowded. Except for the random traffic jam, it’s amazingly easy to get around, in the convention center and in the area in general. Whereas Denver couldn’t actually throw a comic con without having 500 people standing still for 10 minutes, PAX obviously puts a lot of thought into setup, layout, and map configuration. There are very few games on the floor that aren’t insanely popular, but they are put in such a way so that queues and organization are identifiable, joinable, but also avoidable.
Because PAX Prime is so big, it is almost too big. I hope it doesn’t get bigger, because it’s about as big as possible without being inaccessible. There are some panel rooms in the nearby Grand Hyatt and Sheraton hotels, and actually although leaving the convention center is annoying, it’s nice to have those spaces available; it takes the emphasis off the expo area. The queues were definitely better organized than East, or any other con I’ve been to. The queue enforcers did a great job, and although there were always lines, we were able to arrive about an hour early for very popular panels and still got in the front row.
Unfortunately, some enforcers, like at East, are well, idiots. There are enforcers (volunteers that answer questions and help with traffic and lines) that are clearly there for the free ticket, and enforcers that are there to help the environment, and luckily there are more of the latter. There was a nice mix of big games, very high quality vendors, and a nice indie game area. Although I wish that Prime had the same banners that label the expo area, like East, once you walked the floor a few (like 10) times, it began to make sense. More labeling and map avaialbility would help though. We were able to play a lot of games, big and small, and had the same great cultuural experience that we did in Boston. Although there was a bit less feeling of comraderie, the experience was still excellent and extremely reasonable at $ ⁶⁵⁄₃ day pass.