We’re officially halfway through PAX West 2024, and as Popverse’s boots on the ground at the Seattle event, it’s time for my shameful confession: I… am not a gamer. Wait, I’m going somewhere with this.

It’s not that I’m anti-gaming or anything like that; I’m just not wired that way, for whatever reason. I get fascinated with the mythology and lore of everything, and then by the time it gets to the actual gameplay, one of two things happens to me: my eyes glaze over in some mix of confusion and inability to pay attention, or I try and I am exceptionally bad at whatever game I am playing. (I remain surprisingly proud of the fact that I once made a nine-year-old ragequit a co-player because I was that bad at the game.)

I share all of this as context for the actual point I’m about to make: despite being pretty much the definition of 'not the target audience' for this show — and, therefore, a purposefully counterintuitive choice to cover it, which was kind of the point — PAX West has made me a believer. In just the two days of the event, I have been utterly convinced by the love, dedication, community, and, yes, obsessive fascination with minutiae that makes no sense to outsiders (this is fandom, after all; that’s kind of a prerequisite) to the point where, even though I couldn’t even begin to claim that I’m a gamer, I can at least confess that I am now a fan of gaming culture.

PAX West 2024 has proven to be the perfect gateway for all of this; it’s not just that it’s been a demonstration of the best of game culture — the expo floor, overwhelming in the best way with everything on offer! The panels, where developers pull back the curtain to explain the level of thought and planning that goes into everything onscreen, or on the cards or the board! The surreal wonder that is the gaming tournament the Omegathon, where crowds cheer strangers play through their favorite games! — but that it’s been so in a way that’s been surprising and effective.

For all that he’s a controversial figure in the industry, Microsoft boss Phil Spencer’s keynote on Friday was the ideal opener to the show, as it demonstrated that he remains a gamer and a fan at the core of things, with his own history as such and an outlook that felt as if it could almost be a mission statement for the show as a whole. PAX West 2024 has been a demonstration in the very best way of gaming as a community, and a supportive, curious, gloriously nerdy one, at that.

(Sitting next to a fan in the Magic: The Gathering panel, overhearing him tell his girlfriend about how excited he was about the particular art style on one particular card, because it reminded him of another card from a set years ago, was one moment of such niche fandom that I couldn’t help but be charmed. That’s a level of devotion that is genuinely impressive.)

(Another parenthetical: I remain tempted to talk about just how well organized and run PAX West 2024 is as a convention, but I’m aware that — as the show is produced by Popverse’s parent company ReedPop — that might appear too self-serving; nonetheless, it’s easily one of the most well-organized, smoothest convention experiences I’ve ever had in 20+ years of attending conventions.)

With half the show remaining, I find myself looking forward to whatever’s next — the next discoveries of games with weird and wonderful concepts that I want to find out more about, the next conversation with fans or exhibitors that are filled with excitement and enthusiasm, the next chance to uncover a nascent new fandom for myself to explore. Even with two days left in this year’s show, I’m already looking forward to the next PAX West, even.

PAX West 2024 continues through September 2, at the Seattle Convention Center.

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