As the COVID-19 pandemic begins winding down, physical gaming events like PAX West 2021 are slowly starting to return. The organizers behind the annual video game convention had remained hopeful that their live event could return as far back as last December when several coronavirus vaccines had first started to be made available.
Last year, the COVID-19 pandemic put many entertainment events on hold, and the video game industry was no exception. Major showcases like E3 were cancelled outright, and as a result, online livestreams like the Summer Game Fest were held in their place. Even in 2021, with the advent of the COVID vaccines, gaming events have remained virtual due to the slow process of actually getting the vaccines to people over the past few months. It has been a long wait, but thankfully it looks like things are slowly starting to revert to normal.
As reported by Polygon, PAX West convention host ReedPop recently announced that PAX West 2021 will be held at the Washington State Convention Center in Seattle from September 3 to 6, making it the first physical video game showcase since the COVID-19 pandemic began last year. ReedPop stated that “detailed health and safety guidelines" will be unveiled before the event. However, July's PAX Online East 2021 will remain virtual, with that particular show already set for July 15 to 18.
PAX West 2021 being the first gaming showcase to return to a live venue is fitting in a way, since last year's PAX East was the last such event to be held before COVID. As a result, PAX West 2020 was online only, with dozens of free Steam demos being offered up to compensate for the lack of an official show floor for players to try out the many indie titles featured there. So far, not much is known about what titles will be shown at this year’s PAX West, but it has always been considered one of the industry’s biggest gaming events aside from E3.
While no one wants to rush back into massive indoor crowds just yet, hearing that gaming events like PAX West 2021 are slowly starting to ease back into the social atmosphere of a live showroom is a welcome sign that things are beginning to return to how they were before COVID threw the world into uncertainty. Hopefully, most people are fully vaccinated by the time Seattle’s PAX West 2021 takes the stage on September 3, so everyone can get the chance to experience a major gaming showcase safely.
Source: Polygon