myPAXblog.com

Avid:
Hello Kristin, how long have you worked with Penny Arcade and what has your experience been like?

Kristin:
I’ve been a Penny Arcade fan since 1999, and started volunteering at the Necrowombicon fan convention in 2002. From there, I moved on to volunteer at the first PAX in 2004. Working with the Penny Arcade crew has been, and this is going to sound corny so I apologize in advance, but it has genuinely been one of the best experiences of my life.

Many people recognize Penny Arcade as a very humorous voice of gaming culture, but lesser known is that the people behind PA are incredibly fun, generous, gifted and a joy to work with. I don’t know many people who can say that it’s hard to tell the difference between their job and their play, and they get to work with their best friends all day.

Avid:
How big is PAX 2008 expected to be and what is the average growth rate of the event?

Kristin:
I’m terrible at guessing the numbers, I have to confess. I’m always on the losing end of our office ice cream pool every year. I’m thinking 50,000…. and I’ve always been on the low end. I think I’m scared to face the reality.

We started out in 2004 with over 3,000 attendees, which seemed almost overwhelming at the time. In 2005 we roughly tripled that with around 9,000 people, and 2006 was just under 20,000. Last year, we moved to a larger convention center and had about 37,000. You can see why I have some denial issues regarding the attendance. Luckily the operations team has a firmer grasp on the reality, and we always seem to be ready.

Avid:
Can you tell me about the PAX Enforcers and how many of them will be working during PAX 2008?

Kristin:
The PAX Enforcers are the hardest working volunteer team I can imagine finding anywhere. We’ll have just under 400 Enforcers on the floor of the WSCTC this year, most of them are veterans now and they keep coming back for more!

They are the lifeblood of the show. Enforcers do everything from stuffing the attendee bags before the show, to selling tickets, running tournaments, assisting speakers and VIPs, setting up rooms, helping attendees, working with exhibitors… Enforcers are everywhere and involved with everything!

Avid:
What sort of advantage do volunteer PAX Enforcers get?

Enforcers get free enhanced access to PAX, a free shirt and other assorted benefits during the show. They also have a very robust, almost family-like community that is active all year round, and there are other perks we’re able to offer them throughout the year. They also really look out for each other, there seems to be a party or activity every weekend, and they help each other out with things like job postings. It’s a very tight community.

Avid:
How many people at Penny Arcade work on the expo? Does everyone have their hands in it to some degree?

Kristin:
That’s exactly how it is, yes. We’ve all got our hands on deck for PAX, particularly in the summer months. There are two people who have PAX pretty much as a full-time job, year round, but we’re all heavily involved.

Avid:
What happens when someone loses their wallet and ID at the event?

Kristin:
Hopefully the wallet is turned in to the Lost and Found, either by a thoughtful attendee or by the room manager who finds it. When we have credit cards or IDs, we call them out over the public address system and ask the owner to come to the info booth. No one would want to lose them! If they aren’t claimed during PAX, they are brought back to Penny Arcade HQ and someone tries to contact the owner directly after the show closes.

Avid:
What is your most memorable moment working on PAX?

Kristin:
It’s difficult to pick a single moment. The first one that leaps to mind would be the final round of the Omegathon from last year. The curtains opened and the Minibosses were on stage, rockin’ the Halo anthem, and the audience just exploded. The roof pretty much came off the building. I was standing near the front of the stage with Robert Khoo, and we looked at each other, and I think we almost started crying. Well, I did, anyways. It was an extremely visceral experience, it felt like coming home.

Avid:
Can you explain to us the partnership between Penny Arcade and Childs Play?

Kristin:
Penny Arcade founded Child’s Play in 2003, as a way for the gamers and the gaming industry to give back to their communities. While originally intended as a fundraising drive for Penny Arcade’s local children’s hospital, we quickly realized that it had the potential to be so much more, so it was spun off into its own registered non-profit entity.

Currently, Child’s Play has fifty partner hospitals worldwide with more enrolling every year, and over 3.4 million dollars in cash, video games, books and toys donated through the gaming community for those partners since its inception. This is something that every gamer can be proud of!

Avid:
Is there anything gamers should be really excited about at PAX 2008?

Kristin:
Everything! PAX 2008 is going to be even bigger this year, the Exhibition Hall alone has doubled in size. So there is going to be a lot more for people to see directly from the gaming industry. We’ve also got jam-packed panel, concert and tournament schedules, and the Omegathon Events are always thrilling… especially the final round! New this year will be the PAX 10, a showcase for indie games where the attendees will be able to vote for their favorites.

Avid:
Any tips for first time PAX attendees?

Kristin:
Bring your DS and get ready to meet lots of new friends! Be sure to have a look over the schedule in the program, and plan out what events and panels you want to catch, there is a lot going on so sometimes it might be a challenge to chose between activities. If you’re nervous before going, I recommend stopping by the PAX Forums (http://forums.penny-arcade.com/…isplay.php, which are full of info for both veteran and new attendees. If you need a hand while onsite, be sure to visit the Information Booth and talk to the Enforcers there. And finally, say hi to us! We love to hear about everyone’s PAX experience.

Avid:
Thank you for taking the time to do this interview with me, I appreciate all the support PA has shown myPAXblog. Good luck to the whole PA staff!

Readers, if you enjoy this interview please let us know in our comments and make sure to subscribe to the blog for instant updates.

-Chris “Avid X” Erickson
www.mypaxblog.com

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