Penny Arcade Expo Announces 2008 Dates

Penny Arcade Expo (PAX) has announced its dates for the 2008 convention season. The fourth annual event will take place August 29th-31st, 2008 at the Washington State Convention and Trade Center in Seattle, Washington. Exhibitor packets are now available; attendee pre-registration will launch in January 2008. Last year the show drew 37,000 attendees, up sharply from 19,000 in 2006 and 9,500 in 2005, making 2007's Expo the largest video game show in the U.S. Projected attendance numbers for 2008 were not released, though a joking "forty-seven million bajillion people" was mentioned, perhaps as a playful dig at the recently held E for All Expo. Following in the footsteps of this year's conference, PAX will again feature booths from popular publishers, panel discussions, talks, and tournaments, but the initial press release has not given any hint about what they might entail. This year, speakers ranged from popular blogger and actor Wil Wheaton, who delivered the keynote speech, to reviled filmmaker Uwe Boll, as well as serious development-oriented panel discussions, like this talk with Sam & Max developer Dave Grossman, former LucasArts creator Ron Gilbert and Nate Fox from Sucker Punch. "PAX has always been about community," said Robert Khoo of Penny Arcade, "and I think that was really reflected in the overall vibe of the show. PAX celebrates what it means to be a gamer, and walking onto the show floor gives you this sense of kinship... it just feels right."