Last year's Penny Arcade Expo (PAX) saw 9,000 hardcore gamers gather just outside Seattle for an over-the-top, game-oriented fun fest. Attractions included an exhibit floor packed with playable game demos of titles that were still a good six months or more from being available in stores, game-industry conference panels, big name music concerts in the 'nerd core' rap and rock genres by artists such as MC Frontalot and The Minibosses, and plenty of gaming tournaments including the Survivor-style Omegathon: a gaming Olympics where participants' names are drawn from the pre-registration list to compete in multiple game formats. Last year's Omegathon prize was a collection of every product ever made for the Nintendo Entertainment System, as well a state-of-the-art limited-edition Star Wars-branded Alienware computer. This year's Omega Collection prize will be announced in June. If you missed PAX 05, you can view show content in a five-DVD set available at www.thinkgeek.com/pa.

"Now that we have some distance from it, I am able to look back at PAX 05 objectively and say that it was the greatest gaming event ever held in the universe," said Penny Arcade's Gabe. "The honest truth is that we would have to be idiots to think that we could top it. So...that's what we intend to do!"

This year's PAX will include an expanded tabletop gaming experience as well as attendees' favorite elements from previous years. PAX 06 is designed to be the epicenter of pure gaming pleasure for three straight days.