Without question, the place to be if you're a video game fan is the Penny Arcade Expo. Unlike venues such as E3 and GDC, which is mostly geared towards professionals in the industry, PAX caters towards the consumers.
It's a great chance for the everyday gamer to not only play games before the rest of the world, but actually interact with game creators. Sure there's plenty of the hype and hyperbole you'll find at other shows, but your average PAX attendee is a tad bit smarter, more discerning.
In addition to the triple AAA studios, you'll find a large abundance of indie game developers. To be honest, the indie section is where the real action is at, which not only contains games that are much more fun to play than what the big boys are pushing, but the wait is not nearly as long.
You'll also find plenty of panels, filled to the bring with experts and other notable personalities from the gaming space, and don't forget the music, which has been a corner stone of the proceedings since PAX's inception. Everything from chiptunes to good old-fashioned rock and roll (video game cover bands).
It's also a great chance for pen and paper game players to conjugate. And that's the key word: you will find virtually every kind of gamer imaginable; no matter how obscure or esoteric your tastes, you are guaranteed to make new friends that weekend.
So, are you sold? Feel like finally taking the dip and checking out PAX Prime 2013, taking place in Seattle this summer, August 30-September 2nd? Well it's too late; you've officially missed your chance.
Tickets went on sale earlier today, and they're seriously all gone. What was normally a three-day affair was expanded to four this year, in hopes of meeting the demand. One that is still outweighing supply by a considerable degree.
Four-day passes were all gobbled up first, and within six hours, every single day pass was already accounted for. Damn. So, what are your options? The usual: eBay, Craigslist, and StutHub.
