Published on January 23rd, 2017 | by Kyle V. Hiller

PAX South 2017 Preview

PAX South arrives Jan. 27-29, bringing its celebration of gaming culture to San Antonio, TX. This is PAX South’s third year, and its participation is swelling. With a collection of classic games for attendees to play, engaging discussion panels, and publishers and developers putting new, unreleased games onto the floor for the world to see, PAX South is a can’t miss event.

PAX is known to put the stories of niche gamers and developers on the stage, highlighting them as the rockstars that they are. Friday opens strong with a discussion with Chris Perkins, principal story designer of Wizards of the Coast, the legendary home of Dungeons and Dragons. The keynote might bring some big news, perhaps a new D&D game, a video game tie-in, or movie news. It’s all speculation circulating without confirmation, but D&D kicking off PAX in 2017 is exciting for fans.

This year’s PAX South features a lineup of panels with insight on the importance of narrative in games, how to perceive success, and how gaming ties into our personal growth and health.

Various discussions include “From Rags to Nicer Rags: The True Measurement of Success,” “Level Up Your Craft: Get It Out There,” and “Please Don’t Punch the GM: More Adventures in Gaming Therapy.”

Saturday and Sunday continue the trend with “Queering up Misconceptions: LGBTQ Game Industry Life,” “Let’s Really Talk Diversity: LGBTQ, Women, & Nerd Culture,” and “A Place at the (Gamers) Table: Native American Nerd Culture and the Rise of the Indigenerd!” PAX South is filled with opportunities for diverse voices to connect with others in the gaming community, and also stresses the significance for indie developers to mind their health, understand their market, and find their place in a saturating industry.

Attendees will be able to get their hands on the Nintendo Switch. A post on Penny Arcade’s site confirmed the news last week, marking its first public appearance outside of the Nintendo Treehouse events.

Penny Arcade released a teaser video, giving fans a taste of what a day at PAX South is like.