Publisher

In 2004, the folks at Penny Arcade decided they wanted a show exclusively for gaming. Sure, comics, anime, and other nerd hobbies were cool, and those activities all had their own shows… so what about games? From that idea spawned a small 4,500 person event in Bellevue, Washington, focused on the culture and community that is gaming. Since then, the show hasn’t looked back. Doubling in size each year until venue capacities were reached, in 2010 the show expanded into Boston for PAX East, drawing tens of thousands of attendees in the inaugural year. The shows in Seattle and Boston represent the two largest gaming events in North America! When the first PAX was birthed in 2004, live music was one of the core pillars to the show. We were fans of the Minibosses and MC Frontalot, and from there we expanded both our knowledge and lineup of the genre. At the time, having that many people in a room listening to nerdcore music wasn’t “a thing.” In fact, nerdcore music was barely “a thing.” Fast forward a decade later, and we’re excited to see the genre grow along with the sizes of our main theatre crowd, always filled to capacity with thousands of fans listening to and participating in these acts. A big part of PAX is connection, and we’re proud to say we’re a niche show with fans that treat these niche acts like the rockstars they are. Here’s the problem with your gaming setup at home: One, your living room is a mess. Two, you don’t have every game or console at your disposal. Three, you aren’t high on the PAX experience, so everything isn’t nearly as awesome or fun there. In the Console Freeplay area, we bring hundreds of the latest gen (and classic!) consoles along with all the titles you may have missed throughout the year. Utilizing the ShoatEngine5000, we’ve created a free, easy-to-use checkout system for all PAX attendees. ENJOY! Publishers and Developers putting their best foot forward with unreleased games and hardware? What more could you ask for? Before PAX existed, the only place in North America you could see an E3 style exhibition floor was… well, it was E3. Since that show was for industry insiders only, PAX has been the only place the public could see, hear and experience the insanity that is a game industry expo hall. With over a hundred thousand square feet of show floor and all genres, platforms and styles of games represented, this area makes for one of the highlights to the PAX experience.