As E3 dwindles and dies, PAX rises up to claim the throne of Lord High Mighty Game Convention. Yes, much like the duke of the king’s court, biding his time waiting for the old man to become enfeebled and weak before unleashing his coup, PAX is fast threatening to become the game convention where all the movers and the shakers gather to bring their goodness to the masses.

This year’s show topped all others, drawing in 58,500 attendees, above last year’s 37,000. The turnout even exceeded the planners’ estimates, who had pegged attendance at somewhere between 45,000-50,000. Of course, all those extra tickets sold and gamers wowed won’t really bother the folks in charge, not one bit. Why, Robert Khoo, PAX’s director of business development seems pretty pleased:

"Overall [PAX 2008] was a huge success. The challenge each and every year is to keep the community and cultural feel of the show intact, and I really think we pulled it off.

"We finally stopped doubling our attendance, but lord I’m not sure if we could have handled any more people if they showed up. Key learnings for next year? Better line management and more space!"

Khoo realizes the show wasn’t perfect though, and there are definitely things that can be done to improve the experience. The biggest issue this year was the fact that massive crowds caused pretty much every keynote, panel discussion, and presentation to fill to overflowing, causing many poor souls to stand in line for hours only to be turned away at the door.

"Regarding the overcrowding, it was definitely a symptom of the popularity of the show, but not one that can’t be overcome. At two or three of the main theater events three-to-four per cent of the line wasn’t able to make it, but we hear those three-to-four per cent loud and clear.

"We have a few ideas to manage that problem for 2009 including wristbands for popular events or just a straight-up head count of people in line. The worst thing is if people line up for something and end up not getting in."

Wristbands and headcounts are nice, but Khoo is obviously overlooking the most reasonable solution: realistic holographic versions of yourself which you can use to hold your place in line at every single event, ensuring you are first through the door for every session. I mean honestly people, the folks behind PAX can only do so much, time to step up and do a little problem-solving yourselves.

- Via GamesIndustry.biz