PAX is officially coming to the 'dork population' capital of Texas with new tabletop show
In 1998, Jerry Holkins and Mike Krahulik created Penny Arcade, a webcomic based on their experiences and passion for video games and the gaming industry. In 2004, the two authors decided the world (or more accurately, the U.S. West Coast) needed a convention dedicated exclusively to gaming. And so, Penny Arcade Expo was born, later rebranded as PAX.
Show organizers ReedPop and Penny Arcade welcomed tens of thousands of attendees from around the world at PAX West this weekend, with even more fans joining the festivities through Twitch, YouTube, and other online platforms. Highlights from the weekend include a storytime keynote with Marc Merrill, the Co-Founder of Riot Games, the prolific games publisher known for League of Legends and other titles beloved by millions. Several high-profile panels also took place, including new looks at Final Fantasy VII Revelation from Square Enix and Castlevania: Belmont's Curse from Konami.
The show featured packed expo halls with the biggest names in gaming, tabletop, and hardware. Attendees cheered on competitors in gaming tournaments such as the Almost Pro $10K Marvel Tōkon: Fighting Souls Open, attended meet-and-greets with the voice actors behind Blizzard Entertainment's Overwatch, joined community meetups, and cosplay gatherings. Relive the annual celebration of gaming and pop culture with uploads of the recorded content on the official PAX YouTube channel.
The Houston show will include an expo floor for tabletop exhibitors, along with panels, tournaments and community programming. Exhibitors, floor space, expected attendance and badge pricing haven't been announced yet, though badges are expected to go on sale later this year.
This is also PAX's first Texas show since PAX South, a hybrid video game and tabletop convention that ReedPop and Penny Arcade ran in San Antonio from 2015 to 2020. That show closed after stalled growth and the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic; PAX Unplugged Houston will focus solely on tabletop gaming.
“I remember the very first PAX, when we had like 1,300 people in attendance,” Mike Krahulik said in a video interview with Polygon. “And Jerry and I were sitting and this guy comes up to us and says, ‘I didn’t have a very good time.’ And Jerry and I felt horrible. And we still feel that way. There's no reason we should feel personally responsible for this show anymore! But if I see somebody who isn’t having a good time, I still feel bad. I think it’s important to have two people who feel a responsibility that you have a good time at their party.”
Among all the shows, PAX Unplugged has a different energy, according to Holkins. “I always feel so energized after it that I immediately want to do another one.”
“And that’s the point of the country where we don’t have a PAX,” Krahulik added. “The weak point, where we need to strike for maximum damage.”
The organizers chose Houston based on infrastructure capacity, airport size, hotel availability, and favorable demographics, including a large, young, tech-savvy population. “We think the dork population is quite high in Houston,” Krahulik said.
PAX Unplugged Houston is scheduled 12 days after Origins Game Fair 2017 in Columbus concludes. Exhibitors attending both shows will need to plan for two US tabletop events within less than two weeks of each other, along with the added travel, staffing, freight and booth costs each one carries.
'
'
'
'
'