Yup, Still Not Going to PAX
I get why people like PAX. There are huge game announcements, cool panels, tons of merch, lots of chances to play upcoming games, they even have a series of collectible pins! I’m a sucker for pins. But I still can’t support Penny Arcade, much less support them by attending their convention. Elizabeth Sampat has a great explanation why we should all just stop going until Penny Arcade actually shows some signs of changing, but what really sucks is how LGBT positive developers are put into an awful position by PAX.
Take Christine Love, for example, who smartly explains why, despite her reservations, she can’t afford not to go to PAX. The exposure, the connections, and even the generated sales from merch at events like PAX are the difference between life and death for many smaller developers. But how much must it rankle to be stuck in a convention that thinks the people you’re making games for and about don’t exist?
If we stop going to PAX then it’ll free up these developers from all that pressure, and maybe make Penny Arcade actually think about their position in the gaming community instead of acting like the frat boys they seem so intent on being.
Ha.
