Three years later and PAX South is still going strong. By adding new booths and inviting more streamers, and creators, PAX is giving more people a reason to attend. Even with minor problems, attendees won’t regret the experience.

PAX South’s first year was not it’s best but with three years under it’s belt there have been many improvements. Bigger games and retailers are now gaining floor space catching the eye of their players.

While the floor space wasn’t utilized the best as it could have been, the booths that took up the space were big names in the gaming industry. With games like Resident Evil 7: Biohazard and the Nintendo Switch making appearances PAX South is gaining the credibility it needs. Twitch’s presence is also rapidly growing with each convention, inviting more and more streamers making PAX a more personal experience. The chance for attendees to meet their favorite streamers and take pictures with them makes the $35 ticket price even more worth the cost.

The big names aren’t the only ones on the floor. Indie games such as tinyBuild Games and smaller retailers also share the space, drawing in large crowds. By not having just the behemoths PAX is becoming more diverse and showing that the little guys can share the limelight.

Artists put their creations on paper and sold them to those who appreciated their hard work. Some vendors sold prints and others sold sculptures.

Although PAX is centered around video games, board games drew in a tremendous crowd. Tables were full of people either playing the games they bought or painting figures they bought for their games.

Cosplayers reigned supreme when it came to creativity of the attendees. Overwatch characters like McCree and Soldier 76 were seen everywhere. Other costumes from Fallout, Mario, and TMNT also seemed to be everywhere you looked.

Even if someone’s costume wasn’t perfect there was no judgement. Those who wore costumes showed support for their favorite games and caught the eye of everyone around them.

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Some costume pieces were purchased from professional manufacturers, but those who made everything themselves gained the recognition they deserved.

Twitter, Instagram, and other social media outlets put the costumed attendees in the spotlight, highlighting their creativity for all to see.

Most of the noise was downstairs, but the upstairs area was busy, too. Conference halls filled with people waiting for panels. An old school arcade was also upstairs allowing fans to play games they haven’t played since they were kids. The next floor up also showcased older video games allowing fans to bring their own games or play the ones the convention offered.

I would definitely recommend PAX South for not only gamers but those who want experience something new. PAX isn’t just for gamers and even if you don’t enjoy video games you may find yourself something new to enjoy.

PAX South’s was a enjoyable event, running much smoother than some other cons.

Though this was only the third year of PAX South, held at the Henry B. Gonzales Convention Center in downtown San Antonio, there was a lot going for it. Indie games made by everyday people such as Attack on Kitten were featured alongside big name games like Resident Evil 7: Biohazard and Hyper Universe. There were several affordable art/gaming design schools showing off and trying to recruit. The booths had items from a wide selection of games and were all friendly and open. The panels were fairly informative. There was even an area dedicated exclusively to tabletop gaming.

Even though PAX South quite a few things going in its favor, there were still problems that could have been easily fixed that seem like rookie mistakes.

By far the biggest most glaring problem was the poor use of space on the main convention floor. From the entrance there was a large area sectioned off for the lines to get onto the main floor in the morning that never had the rope sections cleared out. As soon as you entered where the booths began, the booths were stacked close enough that some spaces were hard to navigate. However, as you got further and further away there were more empty spaces, leaving the impression that the placement was not well thought out.

The Nintendo Switch was such a highly anticipated attraction that everyone wanted to see it at some point. I assumed that it would be one of the largest booths, but in reality the booth itself was not only too small for large numbers to really experience it, but the entire display was squeezed in against the Hyper Universe players area, making the whole experience cramped and uncomfortable. People waiting in line for the Switch and Hyper Universe could touch elbows without much difficulty, leaving little space for anyone to navigate through. The crowded space made the display uninviting,turning people away from the whole area around the two booths.

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The tabletop gaming area had nearly a quarter of the total convention floor, but the tables themselves were pushed close enough together that two people could barely push out their chairs without running into each other. This left huge areas of nothing but clear floor in odd patches around the convention floor. The tabletop gaming area being so large it pushed the stage where games such as Overwatch were being played into the farthest corner away from the entrance behind a section of partial walls that made finding it difficult.

The panels being almost exclusively about the making of games seemed to exclude anyone who didn’t want to make games. Having a broader stroke of different panels will attract more guests.

These problems distracted from the overall experience, but they did not make going to PAX regrettable. Usage of space is an easy problem to fix when you have as much open area as it did so my hopes are even higher for next year.