The Penny Arcade Expo

[Alan Au]

The Penny Arcade Expo

"Enforcers harness the power of numbers and boundless enthusiasm to create a prefect storm of volunteer energy. 'They're the backbone to PAX, in my opinion,' says Robert Khoo, Penny Arcade's Director of Business Development. 'We're talking about a self-sustaining community that happens to have the common ground of this annual event, PAX. There was no way to 'plan' that sense of community, but it's a group of people that take an unbelievable amount of pride in their work, and when you've got that common passion for something, I suppose it makes sense.'"

Alan Au looks into the secret world of the PAX Enforcers.


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[Ironmaus]

Nice work, Alan. (And I'm not just saying that because I'm quoted in the article.) I think it's good to let people know the inner workings behind PAX. That kind of open communication engenders the feeling of community that I think is part of what makes the event so successful.

 

[lunacite]

Agreed, very well done, even though I'm not in the article. This was my first year as an Enforcer, but it felt like I'd known everyone for ages. Thank you all.

 

[Lance Icarus]

I have been an Enforcer for the past two years (Would have been three had there not been scheduling issues) and I look forward to being an Enforcer for years to come. I wear my Black during the entire convention. Even though it's not 24 hours anymore, it doesn't mean you still aren't completely drained after each day. You'll be sore, you'll be tired, and you'll smell like dried camel fat, but you'll love every aspect of the experience (as long as you take a few moments to enjoy it).

This is because the Penny Arcade staff is among the best in the world. Jerry and Mike (aka Gabe and Tycho) make sure that the convention is for the fans, not a weekend long business conference for people trying to pitch their game. Robert Khoo is the brains behind everything though, and he should be given a lifetime achievement award. He took up Penny Arcade after they'd accidentally sold of their comic rights and turned it into what it is today.

Lets not forget PrincessRedDot and crew. Everyone of those Enforcers loves what they do. Even my Console Tournament boss Zig, despite his infamous no sleep grouchy attitude, can have no replacement when it comes to doing tournaments.

Okay, this has turned into a bit of a shout out to all the great people who run PAX, but they all deserve it. To anyone reading this who hasn't ever gone to PAX, go at least once. You will not regret it. You'll come to the convention hall, see all the shiny booths, and be greeted by our tired but always upbeat Enforcers, because every Enforcer will tell you the same thing.

Being an Enforcer at PAX is the best three day job in the world.

 

[lunacite]

Yet again I would like to say that it was awesome that there were roughly 300 of us. By my research we should be good with this number up to roughly 1 million attendees.