# PAX (event) > Mediated Wiki article. Canonical URL: https://mediated.wiki/source/PAX_(event) > Markdown URL: https://mediated.wiki/source/PAX_(event).md > Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/PAX_(event) > Source revision: 1355064283 > License: Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/) For other uses, see [Pax (disambiguation)](/source/Pax_(disambiguation)). Series of gaming culture festivals PAX Status Active Genre Gaming (video game, tabletop, CCG, role-playing) Venue Various Current PAX West: Seattle Convention Center PAX East: Thomas Michael Menino Convention and Exhibition Center PAX Aus: Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre PAX Unplugged: Pennsylvania Convention Center Former PAX South: Henry B. González Convention Center PAX East: Hynes Convention Center PAX Aus: Melbourne Showgrounds PAX West: Meydenbauer Center Locations Various Current PAX East: Boston PAX Aus: Melbourne PAX Unplugged: Philadelphia PAX West: Seattle Former PAX South: San Antonio Country United States Australia Inaugurated PAX West: August 28–29, 2004 Other PAX(s) PAX East: March 26–28, 2010 PAX Dev: August 24–25, 2011 PAX Aus: July 19–21, 2013 PAX South: January 23–25, 2015 PAX Unplugged: November 17–19, 2017 Most recent PAX East: March 26–29, 2026 Other PAX(s) PAX Unplugged: November 21–23, 2025 PAX Aus: October 10–12, 2025 PAX West: August 29 – September 1, 2025 PAX South: January 17–19, 2020 PAX Dev: August 27–28, 2019 Next event PAX West: September 4–7, 2026 Other PAX(s) PAX Aus: October 9–11, 2026 PAX Unplugged: December 4–6, 2026 PAX East: April 22–25, 2027 Organized by Penny Arcade RELX Website www.paxsite.com **PAX** (originally known as **Penny Arcade Expo**) is a series of [gaming culture](/source/Gaming_culture) festivals involving [tabletop](/source/Tabletop_game), [arcade](/source/Arcade_game), and [video gaming](/source/Video_game). PAX is held annually in [Seattle](/source/Seattle), [Boston](/source/Boston), [Philadelphia](/source/Philadelphia), and [Melbourne](/source/Melbourne). Previously, it was also held in [San Antonio](/source/San_Antonio). PAX was created in 2004 by [Jerry Holkins](/source/Jerry_Holkins) and [Mike Krahulik](/source/Mike_Krahulik), the authors of the *[Penny Arcade](/source/Penny_Arcade_(webcomic))* [webcomic](/source/Webcomic), because they wanted to attend a show exclusively for gaming.[1] The shows include speeches from industry insiders, game-culture inspired concerts, panels on game topics, exhibitor booths from both independent and major game developers and publishers, [LAN party](/source/LAN_party) [multiplayer](/source/Multiplayer_video_game) setups, tabletop gaming tournaments, and video game freeplay areas. ## History The first Penny Arcade Expo was held on August 28–29, 2004 (2004-08-28 – 2004-08-29), at the [Meydenbauer Center](/source/Meydenbauer_Center), and was attended by about 3,300 people. Renamed PAX, it became an annual event. Attendance grew rapidly, topping 9,000 in 2005 and 19,000 in 2006. Outgrowing the Meydenbauer Center, the event moved to the [Washington State Convention and Trade Center](/source/Washington_State_Convention_and_Trade_Center), where it drew some 39,000 in 2007;[2] 58,500 in 2008; 60,750 in 2009; and 70,000 in 2011. The show stopped reporting attendance numbers in 2011, citing difficulties in tracking attendance in a multi-day event.[3] In 2009, Penny Arcade partnered with ReedPOP.[4][*[better source needed](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Verifiability#Questionable_sources)*] PAX Prime 2013, the first four-day PAX, was held on August 30 – September 2, 2013 (2013-08-30 – 2013-09-02); passes sold out in six hours. ### Expansion to more cities In 2010, the first PAX East was held at the [Hynes Convention Center](/source/Hynes_Convention_Center) on March 26–28, 2010 (2010-03-26 – 2010-03-28), drawing 52,290 attendees. The first PAX Prime drew 67,600 attendees in 2010. PAX East moved to [Boston Convention and Exhibition Center](/source/Boston_Convention_and_Exhibition_Center) in 2011; a 2012 agreement cemented Boston as the home of PAX East until 2023.[5] The first international event was PAX Australia, first held July 19–21, 2013 (2013-07-19 – 2013-07-21) at the [Melbourne Showgrounds](/source/Melbourne_Showgrounds). The following year, it moved to the [Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre](/source/Melbourne_Convention_and_Exhibition_Centre), where it remains.[6] The first PAX South was held in [San Antonio](/source/San_Antonio), [Texas](/source/Texas), at the [Henry B. Gonzalez Convention Center](/source/Henry_B._Gonzalez_Convention_Center) on January 23–25, 2015. It set a PAX record for highest attendance for an inaugural year.[7] But the event saw little growth in later years, and was cancelled in October 2021.[8] ### Specialty events From 2011 until 2020, Penny Arcade held PAX Dev, an annual event meant to allow the game developer community to "speak freely and focus entirely on their trade".[9] Unlike other game-developer events like [GDC](/source/Game_Developers_Conference), PAX Dev did not allow press. 750 people attended in 2011. At PAX South 2017, Penny Arcade and ReedPop announced that a new event type, PAX Unplugged, would be held on November 17–19, 2017, at the [Pennsylvania Convention Center](/source/Pennsylvania_Convention_Center). The event focused on tabletop games, a type that was only incidental in other PAXes.[10] ### Name of PAX in Seattle PAX was originally known as the "Penny Arcade Expo", but quickly became known by its acronym "PAX". Seattle's PAX was renamed PAX Prime in 2010 and PAX West in 2015.[11] ## Activities PAX consists of the following activities:[12] - Freeplay, further broken into: Console, Classic Console, Handheld, PC, VR, and Tabletop. - Tournaments, further broken into: Console and Tabletop. Some PAXes feature additional tournaments hosted by vendors. - "Bring Your Own Computer" or BYOC, a [LAN Party](/source/LAN_Party). - Panels, talks, signings, and similar events. - Concerts. - PAX Arena, an [eSports](/source/ESports) tournament. - The Omegathon. - An Exhibition Hall, which includes game studios, merchandise, and the [Indie Megabooth](/source/Indie_Megabooth). ### The Omegathon Each PAX features an event called the "Omegathon", a festival-long tournament consisting of a group of randomly selected attendees competing in a game bracket for a grand prize (which has varied from a large game bundle, to a trip to Japan, to a trip to any PAX in the world). The final round of the Omegathon makes up part of the closing ceremonies of PAX. Past games for the final round of the Omegathon have included *[Tetris](/source/Tetris)*, *[Pong](/source/Pong)*, *[Halo 3](/source/Halo_3)*, and [skee-ball](/source/Skee-ball). ## Events Main article: [List of PAX events](/source/List_of_PAX_events) ### Active events - PAX West (formerly Penny Arcade Expo, PAX, and PAX Prime) has been held annually in [Seattle](/source/Seattle), Washington, United States, since 2007 (formerly in [Bellevue](/source/Bellevue%2C_Washington), Washington from 2004 to 2006). - PAX East has been held annually in [Boston](/source/Boston), Massachusetts, United States, since 2010. - PAX Aus has been held annually in [Melbourne](/source/Melbourne), Victoria, Australia, since 2013. - PAX Unplugged has been held annually in [Philadelphia](/source/Philadelphia), Pennsylvania, United States, since 2017. ### Former events - PAX South was held annually in [San Antonio](/source/San_Antonio), Texas, United States, from 2015 to 2020. - PAX Dev was held annually in [Seattle](/source/Seattle), Washington, United States, from 2011 to 2019. - PAX Online was held virtually in 2020 and 2021, during the COVID-19 pandemic. ### Timeline PAX PAX Prime PAX West PAX East PAX Dev PAX Aus PAX South PAX Unplugged PAX Online │ 2004 │ 2005 │ 2006 │ 2007 │ 2008 │ 2009 │ 2010 │ 2011 │ 2012 │ 2013 │ 2014 │ 2015 │ 2016 │ 2017 │ 2018 │ 2019 │ 2020 │ 2021 │ 2022 │ 2023 │ 2024 │ 2025 Timeline of PAX events, 2004–2025 ## See also - [DreamHack](/source/DreamHack) - [E3](/source/E3) - [ChinaJoy](/source/ChinaJoy) ## References 1. **[^](#cite_ref-1)** ["PAX East History"](https://web.archive.org/web/20160301014352/http://east.paxsite.com/what-is-pax). *PAX East*. Archived from [the original](http://east.paxsite.com/what-is-pax) on March 1, 2016. 1. **[^](#cite_ref-2)** Magrino, Tom (August 29, 2009). ["PAX 2010 descends on Boston"](http://www.gamespot.com/news/6197016.html). *Gamespot*. [CBS Interactive](/source/CBS_Interactive). [Archived](https://web.archive.org/web/20091124114641/http://www.gamespot.com/news/6197016.html) from the original on November 24, 2009. Retrieved September 7, 2009. 1. **[^](#cite_ref-3)** Ellis, Tim (May 13, 2015). ["How Penny Arcade manages PAX ticket sales – and why your crazy idea to fix them won't work"](https://www.geekwire.com/2015/how-penny-arcade-manages-pax-ticket-sales-and-why-your-crazy-idea-to-fix-them-wont-work/). Geekwire. [Archived](https://web.archive.org/web/20201209004348/https://www.geekwire.com/2015/how-penny-arcade-manages-pax-ticket-sales-and-why-your-crazy-idea-to-fix-them-wont-work/) from the original on December 9, 2020. Retrieved July 11, 2019. 1. **[^](#cite_ref-4)** Venables, Michael. ["How Pax Became The Biggest, Greatest Fellowship Of Gamers, Geeks And Civility in the World"](https://www.forbes.com/sites/michaelvenables/2013/09/02/how-pax-became-the-biggest-greatest-fellowship-of-gamers-geeks-and-civility-in-the-world/). *Forbes*. Retrieved September 5, 2021. 1. **[^](#cite_ref-5)** Herald Staff (February 15, 2012). ["PAX East commits to Boston for 10 more years"](https://www.bostonherald.com/2012/02/15/pax-east-commits-to-boston-for-10-more-years/). *[Boston Herald](/source/Boston_Herald)*. [Archived](https://web.archive.org/web/20201209004704/https://www.bostonherald.com/2012/02/15/pax-east-commits-to-boston-for-10-more-years/) from the original on December 9, 2020. Retrieved December 8, 2020. 1. **[^](#cite_ref-6)** ["PAX Australia on Twitter"](https://twitter.com/paxaus/status/1500984673018990592). [Twitter](/source/Twitter). March 8, 2022. [Archived](https://web.archive.org/web/20220308000014/https://twitter.com/PAXAus/status/1500984673018990592) from the original on March 8, 2022. Retrieved March 8, 2022. 1. **[^](#cite_ref-7)** [PAX South Attendance Breaks Records](https://www.ign.com/articles/2015/01/26/pax-south-attendance-breaks-records) [Archived](https://web.archive.org/web/20190404230640/https://www.ign.com/articles/2015/01/26/pax-south-attendance-breaks-records) April 4, 2019, at the [Wayback Machine](/source/Wayback_Machine). [IGN](/source/IGN). January 25, 2015. 1. **[^](#cite_ref-8)** Rodriguez, Megan (October 30, 2021). ["PAX South gaming convention in San Antonio canceled for 'foreseeable future'"](https://www.expressnews.com/news/local/article/PAX-South-cancelled-San-Antonio-16577453.php). *San Antonio Express-News*. [Archived](https://web.archive.org/web/20211031022547/https://www.expressnews.com/news/local/article/PAX-South-cancelled-San-Antonio-16577453.php) from the original on October 31, 2021. Retrieved October 31, 2021. 1. **[^](#cite_ref-PAX_Dev_FAQs_9-0)** ["PAX Dev FAQs"](https://web.archive.org/web/20120331161611/http://dev.paxsite.com/faqs.php). dev.paxsite.com. Archived from [the original](http://dev.paxsite.com/faqs.php) on March 31, 2012. Retrieved April 7, 2012. 1. **[^](#cite_ref-10)** ["PAX Unplugged - Philadelphia, PA Nov. 17 - 19, 2017"](http://unplugged.paxsite.com/). *unplugged.paxsite.com*. [Archived](https://web.archive.org/web/20170315000507/http://unplugged.paxsite.com/) from the original on March 15, 2017. Retrieved March 14, 2017. 1. **[^](#cite_ref-auto_11-0)** Khoo, Robert (November 18, 2015). ["@skelevader b/c if i make an announcement people will read too much into it. Besides, press releases are lame. PAX WEST FOR LIFE"](https://twitter.com/rkhoo/status/667122653820542976). *Twitter*. [Archived](https://web.archive.org/web/20160226054359/https://twitter.com/rkhoo/status/667122653820542976) from the original on February 26, 2016. Retrieved February 26, 2016. 1. **[^](#cite_ref-12)** ["PAX West 2017 Guidebook"](https://web.archive.org/web/20190711083622/https://guidebook.com/guide/102681/). Guidebook. Archived from [the original](https://guidebook.com/guide/102681/) on July 11, 2019. Retrieved July 11, 2019. ## External links - Media related to [PAX (event)](https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Category:PAX_(event)) at Wikimedia Commons - [Official website](https://www.paxsite.com/) v t e Penny Arcade Key people Jerry Holkins Mike Krahulik Robert Khoo Other projects Child's Play PAX events Video games Penny Arcade Adventures: On the Rain-Slick Precipice of Darkness Episode One and Two Episode 3 and 4 Poker Night at the Inventory PATV partners CheckPoint Minecraft: The Story of Mojang Strip Search Related articles MC Frontalot v t e RELX Elsevier Imprints Academic Press Butterworth-Heinemann Cell Press Churchill Livingstone Masson Medicine Publishing Morgan Kaufmann Publishers Mosby Pergamon Saunders William Andrew Woodhead Publishing Selected journals Biochimica et Biophysica Acta Cell Current Opinion The Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology The Lancet Tetrahedron Trends List of Elsevier periodicals Other Bepress Ei Compendex Embase GEOBASE HESI Mendeley Reaxys ScienceDirect Scirus (defunct) Scopus SSRN LexisNexis Legal and Professional CaseMap Law360 Martindale-Hubbell Quicklaw Reed Tech Shepard's Citations Risk Estates Gazette LexisNexis Risk Solutions RX Business conventions Arabian Travel Market Equitana Global Gaming Expo London Book Fair MIPCOM MIPTV Media Market National Hardware Show ReedPop Chicago Comic & Entertainment Expo EGX Emerald City Comic Con Florida Supercon MCM Comic Con London New York Comic Con PAX Star Wars Celebration Category v t e Video game trade shows and conventions Americas Academy of Interactive Arts & Sciences Amusement Expo BlizzCon Brasil Game Show Consumer Electronics Show Game Design Expo Game Developers Conference GameSoundCon MAGFest Midwest Gaming Classic Minecraft Live Montreal International Games Summit PAX Portland Retro Gaming Expo QuakeCon Summer Game Fest TwitchCon Asia China Digital Entertainment Expo & Conference Comic Con India G-Star Japan Amusement Expo Jump Festa Taipei Game Show Taiwan Amusement and Gaming Expo Tokyo Game Show Oceania Freeplay Independent Games Festival AVCon PAX Aus Europe DreamHack EGX Gameday Game Developers Session Gamescom IgroMir Lisboa Games Week Minecraft Live Nordic Game Paris Games Week TwitchCon Europe Defunct Asia Game Show Australian Game Developers Conference Blizzard Worldwide Invitational Classic Gaming Expo Comic-Con Russia Digital Game Xpo EB Games Expo Electronic Entertainment Expo Entertainment for All European Computer Trade Show Gamercom Games Convention GCA Games Convention Asia Nintendo Space World Nvision PlayStation Experience RTX Russian Game Developers Conference X v t e Fan conventions in Washington state Animation/anime 2dornot2d - Seattle Sakura-Con - Seattle Comics/fan/film/multigenre BrickCon - Seattle Emerald City Comic Con - Seattle Everfree Northwest - Bellevue MIFFF - Seattle Gaming Tolkienmoot - Spokane Northwest Pinball and Arcade Show - Tacoma PAX West - Seattle Horror Crypticon - Seattle Science fiction/steampunk Norwescon - SeaTac RadCon - Pasco SFFSFF - Seattle SpoCon - Spokane Defunct 19th World Science Fiction Convention - Seattle 73rd World Science Fiction Convention - Sasquan, Spokane Steamcon - Bellevue Authority control databases National United States Other MusicBrainz series --- Adapted from the Wikipedia article [PAX (event)](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/PAX_(event)) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/PAX_(event)?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.