Our team has traveled to hundreds of game industry events from all across the world, and have to say that the inaugural PAX South was special for several reasons. 2015’s event was obvious our first year attending this local Texan convention. We came away fulfilled that a weekend was well spent, and still admiring the great art statues, game key cards, and t-shirts that now fill our office.
What happened at PAX South 2015? A lot! Here’s our take…
THE SHOWFLOOR
We can’t avoid starting with the most obvious presentation at the event – the sprawling show floor and cosplay. We managed to sneak in a few minutes early before it started, so got a good look at what was on display. It may just be our imagination, but the entire convention was packed with games, games, and more games. There was also a vendor presence, extravagant cosplay roaming around, and developers ready to answer questions by eager fans.
We’ll describe one end of the vendor hall and then move to the other, starting at where the bulk of the food vendors resided on the halls outside. Any event attendee knows that a meal at the start of the day is required for the energy to walk all day long. There was a sufficient selection of snacks and dinner menu items to satisfy even the most ravenous comic fanatic. There’s nothing like snacking on healthy pile of fries as you shop for a Pop! character, or randomly running into a Deadpool cosplayer.
The main hall proper was filled with row upon row of gameplay booths. One of the most prominent right at the entrance beyond the t-shirt tables was the Grey Box booth. A massive 50×50 booth that contained two of their latest games; Grey Goo and Dreadnought. Just around the corner was the Twitch booth. These two mega presentations greeted you to so many more interesting PC, console, card, board, and more type of games within.
While computer games dominated most of the showfloor, there was everything from card and board games, comic books, Pop! characters, and of course an amazing array of trinkets and art pieces on display. Star Wars, Star Trek, and Dr. Who memorabilia were sprinkled throughout. We even happened across several interest booths promoting regional LARP events and tournaments. Did we mention Pop! characters? Yes, we’re a fan…
COSPLAY & GUESTS
Whether it’s comic, anime, or computer game themes, cosplay costumes were all across the board this year. Cosplay isn’t just for showing off on the showfloor either, as anyone can do that with a little bit of string, duct tape, and a can of spray paint. There was also a cosplay promotions and a couple of events where judges evaluated your costume and awarded the top winners some hefty prize money.
A PLETHORA OF GAMING AREAS
If you didn’t read the extremely prominent signs upon entering the main floor area, or the well designed guidebooks handed to at registration, you may have missed all the other cool activities that PAX South, and all other PAX events, tuck away in the bowels of the San Antonio convention center. The space itself is so large, it’s a bit daunting to get around.
Unlike with PAX Prime and its multiple floors, PAX South is mostly on a single ground level. A vast area that had way more room than was actually used, but perfect for space hungry events like League of Legends tournament, Dungeons & Dragons outings, and virtual reality glasses combat.
The Omegathon is also a special part of the event. It’s a three-day elimination tournament between randomly selected attendees who compete in games from any and every category (tabletop, console, PC) culminating in a live championship match on the big stage during PAX closing ceremonies. The final round is always out of left field and is completely insane.
SHOULD YOU ATTEND PAX SOUTH 2016?
In a word with a large exclamation point after it… YES! As we’ve already shouted out, PAX South is for all types of game fans. From PC, console, to card and board games, there is so much to see. We can confidently say that even if you dislike a certain type of games, there’s enough to enjoy elsewhere to appease you for the entire weekend.
Look for more about PAX South from us in January as next year’s event ramps up. We were so excited by this year’s turnout, that we plan to cover next years event in all its PAXY details!
