PAX Power

PAX Prime, a downright massive gathering of gamers and game developers in Seattle, rivals the mighty E3 in influence.  It has become more difficult to acquire passes with every passing year, yet it has always been worth the trouble.

New games are often announced at PAX, and many more are playable years before their release. Games like “Titanfall,” “Watchdogs,” and “The Elder Scrolls Online” created waiting queues so long that gamers were turned away from the back of the line to avoid blocking walkways. The Regional “League of Legends” Championship was the main event for a large fraction of those in attendance, and in spite of utilizing a massive auditorium, it drew an immense line which at times required a commitment to multiple hours of standing in place.

It was almost like Disneyland. But in spite of being somewhat frustrating to one who could not get in line for some of these attractions, it was quite uplifting to see how passionate so many attendants were about their favorite upcoming games.

Some fantastic fan cosplay (fan costumes) was on display for characters from franchises like “Portal” and “Fire Emblem.” There was also a crap-ton of cool official merchandise on sale. (I couldn’t help but pick up a “Bastion” T-shirt and an N7 “Mass Effect” hat for myself.)

The entire event was extremely high-energy and it was well worth the trouble. For those who may be interested in attending next year, passes go on sale at an undisclosed time after PAX East ends in March. You may want to religiously camp their website, (prime.paxsite.com), as passes will start selling out before the hour ends.