“In 2004, the folks at Penny Arcade decided they wanted a show exclusively for gaming. Sure, comics, anime, and other nerd hobbies were cool, and those activities all had their own shows… so what about games? From that idea spawned a small 4,500 person event in Bellevue, Washington, focused on the culture and community that is gaming.
Since then, the show hasn’t looked back. Doubling in size each year until venue capacities were reached, in 2010 the show expanded into Boston for PAX East, drawing tens of thousands of attendees in the inaugural year. The shows in Seattle and Boston represent the two largest gaming events in North America!” – PaxSite.com
F1 Consultancy were excited to be at PAX East supporting our client, Even though gaming shows are really great to work on and can be a lot of fun, there is a lot to cover, and the pressure is on! Starting with all the pre-event preparation, to set up and support on the live show days, right through to packing up and heading back to base. Here’s an insight into our role at PAXEast:
Pre-Event preparation:
- We have to image and prepare all the gaming PC’s
- Flash, prep and prop builds to the Demo consoles
- Design the network topology for the event
Arrive on site and straight to it:
- Configure the network – both Intranet and Internet
- Setup and configure all consoles and PCs, plus assisting the 1st and 3rd party game Developers in propping their builds onto the Demo consoles.
- Audio Visual setup of the gaming & display screens
- Troubleshoot EVERYTHING
On-Site Support throughout the event included:
- Monitoring and managing the internet connectivity for the booth
- Technical support for all the consoles throughout the show.
- Provide general support and assistance for technical aspects of the event.
The 3 day show was full on and exciting, if you didn’t make it here are a few things you missed:
- Gamer & actress Felicia Day (Supernatural, The Guild, Eureka) made her way to PAX East to talk about her latest endeavor Geek & Sundry, a new premium YouTube channel featuring original web-shows that showcase the best of indie geek culture. On Friday and Saturday, Felicia signed autographs, showed off her channel and challenged fans on Xbox LIVE.
- The first public hands-on for Steel Battalion Heavy Armor, the Kinect Sports: Season Two basketball DLC
- Estimated 70,000+ people attended.
- Announced they have locked in for 10 years at the Boston Convention & Exhibition Center
- 1st PAX East held in the Hynes Convention Center but the extremely successful inaugural year had an estimated 60,000 attendees (twice the number originally planned for), which led organizers to move the show to the BCEC.
Block out your diary – Pax is returning next year! 22nd – 24th March 2013.
Senior Technical Consultant
f1consultancy 