Stumbling on PAX West: A Gamer's Paradise in Seattle
Stumbling on PAX West: A Gamer's Paradise in Seattle
I accidentally was in the right place at the right time. Here, I give my impressions of PAX West, 2024.
I spent half of August in Seattle, and by pure coincidence had taken off a Friday to explore the city – the same Friday as day one of PAX West. I came into town for my cousin’s wedding, and arrived a week early to catch Jeff Lynne on his final tour. On day one in Seattle, I experienced the Seattle Freeze. I hadn’t planned to go to PAX, and it was my first, so I really stepped into the PAX universe without realizing entirely what it was, how it operated, and what the fuss was all about.
So, I bought a ticket for a single day, jumped on the bus, and spent all of Friday checking out every single booth and notable mention PAX had to offer this year. I was pleasantly surprised, and came away from the experience extremely bullish on gaming as we head into the second half of this decade.
This article is oriented towards the expo experience, and the future of gaming as it relates to technology, particularly nascent tech like VR and foldable phones. It briefly touches on web3. I will go into detail on every aspect of PAX, from vendors to major first party booths. It will end with observations on industry trends and what I believe is in store for the future.
What is PAX?
PAX says it best: “PAX West is a celebration of gaming and gaming culture featuring thought-provoking panels, a massive expo hall filled with the best publishers and studios, new game demos, musical performances, tournaments, and a community experience unlike any other.”
Despite this description being on their site, it is true. It is a gaming expo for gamers, by gamers – essentially gamer paradise. The story of how PAX started is best explained here. Penny Arcade started from humble beginnings, and has led to an unbelievable organic gathering of people who all love the same thing. Since its formation in 2004, PAX has spread to other cities including Boston, Philly, and Melbourne. This year’s event in Seattle had over 130,000 attendees.
This has been stated in a few other overview and recap videos, but compared to 2022 there has been a substantial resurgence in attendee count. This dipped significantly during the pandemic, but we’re back to pre-pandemic levels. This more or less proves that despite many changes in how we live, people want to experience everything these expos have to offer in-person.
Arriving and Exploring the Expo Hall
I stayed in the Queen Anne neighborhood in Seattle, and took the bus down to the Seattle Convention Center. Check-in was a breeze – I have also never seen so many people using Steam Decks while waiting in a line before. After taking the escalator to the first floor of the gaming expo hall, I was immediately overwhelmed with options. Endless booth after booth, with titles that I often wasn’t immediately familiar with. I took a ton of photos, with the intention of looking up projects after getting home. I’ve created a list of games, studios, and projects at the end of this article.
Make no mistake, this expo is meant to be slowly consumed, rather than chugged like a maniac in a single sitting. But, since I didn’t have the luxury of time, I was destined to become more of a tourist than a local at this event. Walking through the entire thing and taking photos took almost the entire Friday, stopping frequently to stare at arrays of Pokemon plushies and bizarre D&D dice.
Notable Wormholes: Games, Booths, and Projects
The first major wormhole I got sucked into was courtesy of Pink Gorilla Games, based out of Seattle (in Chinatown). I ended up enjoying their booth so much I visited their store the next day. Countless imports adorned the walls of the mini shop within the hall, and I walked out with two Japanese N64 titles (Mario Kart and Party respectively, original cartridges not in-box).
After checking out more merch from Glitch Gear, I stumbled upon Limited Run’s booth. With the rise of increasingly all-digital content, Limited Run’s success is proof that there is still a major market for the nostalgia factor when it comes to physical games. They’ve published over 1000 games (including a ton of retro re-releases) since their inception in 2015. As OG gamers continue to get older, they’ve got money to burn, and want to show off their collections or build out basements filled to the brim with nostalgic merch. The retro re-release market is booming and shows no sign of slowing down.
After I checked out Plaion’s booth showcasing Kingdom Come: Deliverance II, I turned a corner and saw a photoshoot villa with immediately recognizable characters from Baldur’s Gate III. I suck at Baldur’s Gate, and that’s probably because I’m not an incredibly adept D&D player, but I knew I had to get a photo with the crew.
The other side of this floor of the expo hall was dominated by Nintendo IP. Pokemon’s ownership structure is kinda odd – it is jointly owned by Nintendo, Game Freak, and Creatures. But wherever Mario is, Pikachu is sure to follow. The Pokemon Play Lab was one of the biggest areas of the expo, with people waiting a couple hours in line to get inside. This video showcases what it was like inside (but it was way crazier when I was walking through!). I didn’t see any new games – just people playing the card game and doing playthroughs of the most recent titles on Switch.
Nintendo’s mega-booth was nearby, which this year showcased Star Wars Hunters, Nintendo World Championships NES Edition, Super Mario Party Jamboree, and Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom. I scanned a QR to get a free Zelda pin that will probably sit in a junk drawer for the foreseeable future (DM me if you want it). It almost goes without saying, but Nintendo was probably the most popular section of the expo. The wait time (when I asked) was about 2 hours to get in and play. In the case of Star Wars Hunters, this game is already available to play today – for the other titles, they come out in a couple of months (Zelda leaked yesterday).
What else was worth mentioning in this section of the expo? PAX Arena was dead, apparently nobody wants to watch streamers while there’s new games to try that won’t come out for a while. Path of Exile II’s section was insanely packed, which was shocking given that PoE is a free-to-play online RPG. If you’re not familiar with PoE, it’s like Diablo. Diehards might cringe if you say that, though. People are drawn to PoE because of the constant expansions and updates, keeping the game essentially evergreen. This reminds me of WoW, but Blizzard was not at PAX, despite BlizzCon 2024 being canceled.
For the naysayers or non-believers when it comes to folding-phones, let me say this: try one out. Hold one in your hands and take it for a test drive for a couple of minutes. The ability to have a near tablet-sized device in your pocket is a gamechanger. I have no doubts that in the near future these devices will drop in price and become increasingly popular. The latest gen models from this year have largely resolved a majority of the original problems (bumps, weird creases, poor performance). Or, if you have large hands, this is a much better option for someone who constantly struggles to type on a smartphone. In any event, I am bullish on foldables. Once the cameras get better, I’m in.
A clear pattern I’ve seen, that I’ll touch on more later, is that popular IPs just stay popular and stick around and iterate forever. The top games at PAX are all from IPs that have existed for 20+ years. Think Final Fantasy, Dragon Ball, Monster Hunter, Pokemon, Mario. These are Japanese IPs, and they have clear staying power year after year. Indie games fight for eyeballs and space at these venues, while the power players simply cannot be dethroned.
Some people show up just for a single game, and that’s all they do at PAX the entire time. I know it sounds a tad nutty, but it is true. I walked by a guy that was playing and recording Dragon Ball Sparking Zero at 11am, and he was still there, standing, when I left at 5:30pm. Some people are just built differently.
LCD and IPS displays are gone from these expos. If you don’t have OLED or AMOLED displays, your games are going to look like trash compared to everyone else. Ambiance, set, and setting are major factors for keeping people in your booths and making your game look popular and cool.
Having that said, it is a cliche in the industry, but it is true: if games aren’t fun, nothing can save them. If people don’t like playing the game, no amount of marketing and fancy booths are going to keep player count/retention high. You can have complicated game economics, but the games ultimately have to strike that balance between difficulty and reward within gameplay for player retention. The most popular franchises in this space recognize that, and it shows.
Beyond Video Games: Tabletop, Card Games, and Nostalgia Dens
PAX is a bit like a labyrinth. You think you’re near some endpoint, only to discover there’s a lot more. I spent a great deal of time just in the main vendor area, before realizing there was an entire other building to explore. Whoops!
While the first building within the Seattle Convention Center complex was dedicated solely for video games and some related vendors, the other building housed a tabletop mecca, endless card games, and a basement chock full of every possible console that could possibly entertain you.
From painting Warhammer 40k figurines to TCGS, the second building had a lot. This building was mostly dedicated to chilling out and just doing whatever with your homies. It was hard to capture with my camera just how massive the operation was. We’re talking floor and floor of computers, consoles, and arcade cabinets. When there’s a row of 20 gaming computers with PowerWash Simulator ready to go, you know you’ve reached peak civilization. It is only downhill from here.
The console section of the basement had about every conceivable variant of every console released. Hell, there was even a row of Sega Saturns! Attendees can rent out games and play them there, and then return them same-day.
While less popular overall, the tabletop and card game sections were still quite busy. What I’ve noticed is that lots of IPs that were originally video games are slowly navigating their way to becoming TTRPGs (this is an obvious observation for any tabletop diehards). The reverse already happened years ago, with D&D games like Baldur’s Gate becoming immensely popular at the turn of the century.
Where’s web3?
After the 2021-2022 hype of NFTs, many projects turned their attention to becoming web3 gaming studios (with the idea of your character being the PFP you purchased for the price of a car back when that made sense). 2024 is here, and the only game I recognized from the expo that had any web3 ties was My Pet Hooligan. The game is built using UE5 and you can play it for free on Epic Games.
In what feels like a bit of a blink of an eye, the gaming space has simply moved on from considering blockchain transactions in-game, and there remain only a few games that have crypto-economics baked in that have reasonably-sized player bases (like Shrapnel). This may change, but gamers seem to be perfectly content to pay with fiat or strongly dislike microtransactions to begin with. This is less so with mobile gaming, but to date none of the most popular mobile games use crypto in any capacity.
VR: Stuck in a Corner Eating Glue
The space I was most disappointed with this year was definitely the VR/XR/AR space. Relegated to a corner in the basement, I saw a few kids playing Gorilla Tag and that was about it. For tech that I am so bullish on, it was beyond dead. Now, play-testing and setup for VR and AR headsets definitely takes more work, and adjusting IPD per player is a PITA – I get that. Still, the VR space is advancing slower than we might have hoped. With Vision Pro being a bit of a drag as far as a release, and Quest 3’s adoption slowing, there just isn’t as much to be excited for in the space.
My prediction: the next major headset leap will push this space forward. Discomfort is the biggest obvious constraint: I can only use my Quest 3 for about an hour and a half before I’m dying to take it off. Pro gamers (OG, the real gamers) want setups where they can play without getting up for 7+ hours. Comfort is key. Until the headsets have this, we’re not going anywhere. Quest 3 ain’t it, and neither is Vision Pro. The tech is incredible, but complicated. We’re still in our mainframe computer phase for VR (intriguing, but we’re not even at the NES-phase yet).
Meta is paying big bucks to have first party titles developed on the Quest 3. That’s great, but it still constitutes a small fragment of gaming as a whole. Based on the pace of development, I seriously doubt we’ll get to mainstream adoption by 2029. Meta is rumored to be releasing new AR glasses soon, so we’ll see what (if anything) that unlocks for gaming. AR needs its Pokemon Go moment.
Overall Trends and Impressions
So far, I’ve covered my day at length at PAX West. The good, the strange, and the disappointing. Before I give my big list of games, vendors, and projects to be on the lookout for in the space, I’ll briefly touch on overall trends and impressions from the expo.
Trend and Impressions
These expos aren’t going away anytime soon, if ever. They are popular, and they are truly by gamers for gamers. PAX is pure, like a golden retriever. Some parts might be rough around the edges, but the gaming industry gives back to its consumers unlike any other. This is a lesson to be learned for other industries that often make these sorts of things dull and a drag to bother attending.
People love merch. People love buying plushies, re-releases, and crave nostalgia in every conceivable form. If you make a toilet in the shape of Mario Warp Pipe, someone is going to buy it. The cultural feedback loop from these brands and products are powerful, and they suck you in and lead you to an endless ball-pit of dopamine.
If you want to make a franchise that people will love forever, study Japanese gaming studios. You don’t just want a game that is addictive and enjoyable, you want IP you can sell and re-use (Mario can be a plushie, he can also be in a movie, or a comic book, toilet, etc).
There’s no shame in liking any of this. Post-covid, we’ve rocketed past any sort of guilt in enjoying the culture here. Video games are an ingenious blend of art, computer science, music, and design. Chances are, you like one of those things. Welcome to paradise.
Streaming is more popular when you’re not in-person at an Expo focused on showcasing new games. If you want to see gaming live, go fly to South Korea and watch some Starcraft tournaments.
If you’re personable and like gaming, just start talking to vendors and people working the booths. The space is hungry for people that are extroverted and can effortlessly evangelize their games and studios. The space is expanding, not shrinking.
If AI can be used to make games more enjoyable, or make game development faster, great. Consumers seem to care more about the end product, than how something was created. If the end product is high quality, and the genAI was used for prototyping, it doesn’t matter.
The gaming space doesn’t care about blockchain technology. The people that do care are fringe, and I don’t see this changing too much in the near future. Simply put, NFTs gave the space a bad rap, and this can be hard to shake. Better luck next cycle.
Tech has seemingly maxed out. You can buy a decent gaming laptop for 1.5k and play just about anything. Gaming is overwhelmingly focused on PCs, and consoles are dying or becoming increasingly irrelevant. It doesn’t matter. Console-exclusive games are annoying (we want the option to play anywhere), and Microsoft owns Xbox, so the only companies that are even doing this anymore are Nintendo and Sony.
Some people are sick of screens, and already work 9-5 jobs that require them. They enjoy spending their downtime playing board games, card games, or reading. This is a significant portion of the population. Lots of people don’t like playing video games.
Retro consoles are back, and retro gear (games, consoles, vintage stuff) is like collecting vinyl now. It has been that way for a while, but the vendors have gotten seriously professional and the market is nuts. Just try buying Panzer Dragoon Saga.
As a distraction, video games can help someone just as much as they can ruin someone. In our attention economy, games compete with literally everything else. You’ll often meet people who are lost in the sauce. Don’t get lost. Remember you’re a person that needs to move around.
Games and Companies to Check Out
There were a ton of interesting things at PAX. Here, I’ve consolidated what you could consider checking out.
Games
Infinite Nikki - Cool booth, cool graphics, people are stoked for the ‘coziest open world game ever’
Yield! Fall of Rome - Game has been in development for a while. Similar to Civ
Kingdom Come: Deliverance II - RPG that looks cool
Path of Exile II - If you like Diablo, check it out
Dragon Ball Sparking Zero - Just because Dragon Ball
Sonic Roll - dice rolling board game
Fallout: Wasteland Warfare - Fallout board game
Mighty Morphin Morphin Power Rangers: Rita’s Rewind - Similar to the old Genesis MMPR games. If you like 2D beat-em-ups this is it.
Mr Sleepy Man - included purely because of the name, who knows, could end up good
Companies
Glitch Gear - Fun merch, lots of vault boy and TF2 stuff
Pink Gorilla Games - Import vendor based out of Chinatown in Seattle
Limited Run - Reprints of classic games, a must see
VZR Audio - Insane audiophile headphones geared towards gamers
Envy Modular Armchair - Pricy, but cool project
StageTop (themed 3d-printed tables for gaming)
Byowave Proteus Controller - A very cool company making accessible controllers for everyone
とりあえずさようなら！
PAX was a treat. If you’re into video games, card games, or board games, this is for you. If you’re just into technology, CES might be more up your alley. But, just like with everything in life, having a friend or a crew to hang out with during something like this makes it much sweeter. Games, like life, are meant to be enjoyed with other people. If you have any direct questions, feel free to post them below!
Lastly, if you made it to the end, I realize this was a somewhat untraditional post on my part. I’ll be back soon with more direct technology posts. There are lessons to be learned from every avenue of life, and this is no exception.
- Chris