That's right kids get your tix early, because the sixth annual Penny Arcade Expo will have a limited number of tickets sold. Apparently the 58,000 gamers that stormed the halls of the Washington State Convention Center for three days last year were a burden on the PAX Enforcers. While the expo currently uses all of the WSCC and the Pike Annex Center across the street, last year's expo was overcrowded.
Ultimately, this is the right move. Though we don't know how many attendees the Con will be limited to, one can guess that it wouldn't be much more than the 58,000 and change that mobbed the streets of Seattle last year. And with the East Coast PAX to begin in 2010, these adjustments will hopefully mean that roaming the booths of my nice little West Coast PAX won't feel like waiting for a train in China.
Things weren't bad last year, but at several big time booths - Bungie, Bethesda, and Valve - had so many people waiting for playtime that it congested the pathways; making human traffic jams. Moreover, the Enforcers last year were so outnumbered by the last day of the expo, the stress had turned most into complete pricks. And lastly, getting any hands-on time with a big time games meant missing other panels, and demos.
It's great to see PAX growing, as the attendance grows so will publishers commitments to the Con. But what's even better is to see that the people who make PAX happen are ahead of the game in making sure the expo doesn't become the clusterf$#k Comic-Con has turned into.
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