Stranger things have happened
[Thanks to Dtoid community member Long John for the awesome video production work!]
I’ve made it a habit over the years to ask PAX attendees if they are fans of the actual Penny Arcade comic. With every show that goes by, I hear less and less people state they’ve ever even heard of the strip, let alone enjoy it. Sometimes they don’t even know that PAX stands for Penny Arcade Expo. I can guess that’s in part because after years of putting their collective feet in their mouths, the creators of Penny Arcade have gradually backed away from being the faces of the show. It also probably doesn’t help that PAX is such an inaccurate acronym. ‘PAE’ would make more sense, though it does sound a bit like “pee.”
It all makes me wonder if PAX will remain the world’s premier gaming expo forever. While it hasn’t shown an signs of waning popularity so far, that hasn’t stopped other shows like Screwattack/Rooster Teeth’s Expo and GaymerX from steadily growing in size and prominence. The folks who run GaymerX actually had not one, not two, but three areas of PAX East 2016 under their domain (the Diversity Lounge, the Read Only Memories booth at Playism, and part of the Playcrafting booth).
The key to creating a good convention is to make everyone feel welcome, regardless of your age, sex, orientations, or level of interest in web comics made by cranky old men who don’t understand the appeal of Undertale. I think PAX has done a great job of that so far, but only time will tell if it will continue to be the best at it in the years to come.
