Penny Arcade Expo first impressions

Geekier and less corporate than Comic-Con.

After just a few hours exploring PAX last night, before the real fun begins today, that's my first take. For those who don't know, Penny Arcade Expo (or PAX) is the annual convention in Seattle put on by the folks behind Penny Arcade Expo, the hit Web comic for gamers (for more on them, see our profile from the Videogame Impact issue and tie-in Q and A).

Yesterday I got the lay of the land in exhibit room, which looks more like the old E3 than E3 does anymore, and is most certainly bigger and more full of games than E for All was last year. I also enjoyed the wornderful examples of proud geekdom, including the guy (above right) who's bald with long blue hair and was wearing a kilt. That's my kinda crowd.

There was also some fantastic street music that, once again, could only happen at a convention like PAX: Some young musicians using their old GameBoys with new software to create electronic music. It's the first live example I've seen from the ChipTunes, or 8-Bit, scene, and it was pretty awesome. There was a nice crowd around the guys taking pictures and, in a few cases, dancing on the streets of Seattle with abandon. (that's them on the left)

Not quite as exhilirating was last night's Cryptic Studios party at the Seattle Public library, which, at least when I was there, had fewer than 100 people, with nobody getting into the spirit by wearing "City of Heroes" costumes. Maybe everyone was off seeing Jonathan Coulton in concert or at the geek movies festival instead. This may just be a crowd that isn't into corporate parties. Which is kinda cool.