Over 40,000 people converge on PAX in Seattle each year and I’m proud to have been a part of that for two years running. Lets make it three, shall we? Yep, it’s time for the next evolution of my Gaming with Children speech and I’ll have a 1500 seat theater to fill on Sunday August 31st at 2:30 PM.  Can you make it?  If so, today is the last day to pre-register, as seen in this Press Release from the folks at PA. Sorry for the short notice, see you there? Hey, tell a friend, whydoncha?

PAX 2008 PRE-REGISTRATION CLOSING

THURSDAY

Further Content Details Revealed to Tempt Procrastinating Gamers

SEATTLE – July 28, 2008 – The organizers of the fifth annual Penny Arcade Expo (PAX) today issued a reminder that July 31 is the last chance to pre-register for the gaming festival at the Washington State Trade and Convention Center in Seattle Aug. 29-31. Based on current pre-registration numbers, attendance is expected to break 45,000, guaranteeing a packed house for this year’s PAX.

The keynote speaker for 2008, respected screenwriter and developer Ken Levine, will kick off the festivities, including gamer-themed music concerts, an Exhibition Hall crammed full with over 70 companies, console and PC tournaments, the Omegathon competition and a wide variety of industry panels. Significant panels and presentations will include:

–  History of Harmonix: THE ROCKENING

–  How to Make the World Notice Your Video Game Blog

–  The Mega64 ‘Panel! At The Expo’

–  The Power of Gaming Communities

–  GamerDad’s “Gaming With Children”

“We’re definitely running into space issues this year” said Show Director Robert Khoo. “Despite adding another building for tabletop and an additional 120,000 square feet overall, our numbers right now say it’s going to be pretty insane.”

About Penny Arcade Expo: Penny Arcade Expo (PAX) is a three-day celebration of games and gamer culture. The festival includes an exhibition floor filled with playable builds of upcoming tabletop, console, and computer games; a conference program of game industry speakers; music concerts; freeplay areas; industry parties; an independent games showcase; game tournaments and more. Since its inception in 2004 the show has doubled in size year-over-year, growing from 4,500 attendees to 37,000 in 2007, making it the largest gaming festival in North America. For more information visit www.pennyarcadeexpo.com.

About Penny Arcade: Equal parts online comic and commentary, Penny Arcade (www.penny-arcade.com) keeps its finger on the pulse of the gaming industry, prompting conversation and controversy alike from community members and industry experts. What started as a hobby in 1998 for Jerry “Tycho” Holkins and Mike “Gabe” Krahulik has grown into an online phenomenon serving 70 million page views a month to millions of readers worldwide. In addition to the comic strip and PAX gaming festival (www.pennyarcadeexpo.com), Penny Arcade has expanded its reach to include a growing line of merchandise, a video game and management of Child’s Play (www.childsplaycharity.org), a gamer-driven charity for children that spans the globe.

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