What is PAX?

The gaming industry often holds festivals to celebrate video games and gaming culture. Among the most popular festivals that celebrate gaming culture is PAX. It takes place in the United States and in Australia. So, if you are ever in those countries during a PAX event, you should drop by and make some new friends who share similar passions. Come along as we explore the meaning of PAX, the activities that usually feature at the events, and the dates for the upcoming festivals. 

What is PAX?

PAX is a series of festivals that celebrates gaming culture, including tabletop, arcade, and video gaming. The festivals usually take place annually in Seattle, Boston, and Philadelphia in the United States and Melbourne in Australia. 

The name “PAX” came from “Penny Arcade Expo,” coined by Penny Arcade, a webcomic exploring video games and gaming culture. The webcomic was written by Jerry Holkins and illustrated by Mike Krahulik. 

Holkins and Krahulik later started the PAX festival in 2004 with the goal of launching an event that focuses purely on gaming. 

Activities

At the PAX festival, among the items on the agenda are:

• Casual gaming areas
• Tabletop tournaments 
• Competitive eSports gaming 
• Panels that expound on gaming 
• Concerts that are gaming-oriented
• A keynote speech from a gaming expert
• Exhibition booths that market upcoming games, from indie to Triple AAA games, and much more

History

The first PAX event, the Penny Arcade Expo, occurred in 2004 at the Meydenbauer Center. Roughly 3,300 people were in attendance. Afterward, the event was renamed PAX and began to take place annually. 

Every year, the number of attendees snowballed, so much so that the event was moved to the Washington State Convention and Trade Center in Seattle. By 2011, PAX stopped keeping track of the number of people who attended the multi-day event.

The main PAX event in Seattle was renamed PAX Prime in 2010. In 2013, the event ran for four days, with tickets sold out in six hours. Later, PAX Prime was renamed PAX West in 2015. PAX West has been held in Seattle, Washington, United States, from 2004 to date.

In the meantime, PAX expanded to more cities, with the launch of PAX East taking place at Hynes Convention Center in 2010. It moved later to the Boston Convention and Exhibition Center, which has now become the primary home of PAX East. PAX East has been held in Boston, Massachusetts, United States, from 2010 to date. 

On the other hand, PAX Australia first took place in 2013 at the Melbourne Showgrounds. It later moved to the Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Center, which has become the primary home of PAX Australia. PAX Australia, shortened to PAX Aus, has been held in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, from 2013 to date.

Meanwhile, PAX South took place in San Antonio, Texas, United States, at the Henry B. Gonzalez Convention Center in 2015. However, the event didn’t grow in the number of attendees, leading to its cancelation in 2021.

Special PAX Events

In the past, PAX has held special events, including PAX Dev and PAX Unplugged. The former, which started in 2011–2020, focused on gaming development, while the latter, which started in 2017, focused on tabletop gaming. 

PAX Unplugged continues to be held at the Pennsylvania Convention Center in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States, to date.

Omegathon

Among the most popular activities at the PAX festival is the Omegathon. It’s a tournament that runs for the entirety of the festival. In the tournament, a group of gamers competes for a grand prize, which can range anywhere from new games, international all-expense paid trips, or free tickets to a PAX event. 

The games you play at Omegathon vary, too, with some of the past games that have been featured being Halo 3, Tetris, and more. On the last day of the festival, the last round of the Omegathon takes place, crowning the winner. 

Upcoming Dates

If you’d like to attend future PAX events, be sure to mark the following dates in your calendars for the upcoming events: 

PAX East

The upcoming PAX East event will run from May 8, 2025, to May 11, 2015, in Boston, Massachusetts, United States. Although the registration has been closed, you can still keep track of the panels, exposition booths, Omegathon, and more. You can click here to learn more about PAX East at the event. You can also check out the previous PAX East events on YouTube.

PAX West

PAX West will run from August 30, 2024, to September 2, 2024, in Seattle, Washington, United States. At PAX West, you’ll be able to interact with some of the most renowned gaming developers and publishers. You’ll play demos of upcoming games, learn from gaming-oriented panels, and more. 

PAX Aus

PAX Aus will run from October 11, 2024, to October 13, 2024, in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. It’ll be the perfect opportunity to meet other gamers. But it’s also a chance to interact with developers, publishers, and brands, learning about their processes. PAX Aus is the biggest gaming annual festival in Australia and attracts the best gaming experts in the industry. 

PAX Unplugged

This time, PAX Unplugged will take place from December 6, 2024, to December 8, 2024, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States. While PAX Unplugged started a little later than the other PAX events, it has quickly picked up pace. Today, it features experts from tabletop games, including board games, RPGs, and deck-building games. 

As with other PAX events, PAX Unplugged features gaming-oriented panels, massive exposition halls, upcoming game demos, tournaments, and more. It’s the place to meet with gamers who share the same passion for tabletop gaming and learn new strategies all around. 

You can also follow the official social handle here to keep track of any new updates about the upcoming PAX events.

So, what’s your take? Will you be attending the upcoming PAX festivals? Let us know over on our socials here.