Game On

The Sights of PAX Prime 2015

From cosplayers to convention center–destroying monsters, there was plenty to see at the annual gaming expo.

Photography by Ryan Russell Edited by Seth Sommerfeld September 1, 2015

A mighty warrior from the tabletop game Warmachine stood guard near one of PAX's entrances...

Photo by Ryan Russell.

Photography by Ryan Russell

...but he was soon overtaken by the unrelenting swarm of attendees.

Photo by Ryan Russell.

Photography by Ryan Russell

Perhaps the most anticipated title on the show floor, Star Wars Battlefront offered gamers a chance to blast stormtroopers on Tatooine.

Photo by Ryan Russell.

Photography by Ryan Russell

While video games are the biggest draw at PAX, there's plenty of intricate tabletop and card gaming to be had. The Geek Chic booth featured high-end gaming tables like this one to play Dwarven Forge.

Photo by Ryan Russell.

Photography by Ryan Russell

Despite being released in less than two months, the lines were long to get a hands-on demo of Assassin's Creed Syndicate.

Photo by Ryan Russell.

Photography by Ryan Russell

While cosplay isn't super prevalent at PAX (compared to events like Emerald City Comicon), the ones who do dress up take it very seriously. Don't cross this Dragon Age cosplayer.

Photo by Ryan Russell.

Photography by Ryan Russell

This Lego rendition of Portal protagonist Chell at the Lego Dimensions booth was a triumph. I'm making a note here, huge success...

Photo by Ryan Russell.

Photography by Ryan Russell

Nintendo has found a way to eliminate the need for level designers, as gamers can create their own in the upcoming title Super Mario Maker.

Photo by Ryan Russell.

Photography by Ryan Russell

Sweet and sour: fans of the off-color party game Cards Against Humanity lined up for popsicles that came packaged with a new card.

Photo by Ryan Russell.

Photography by Ryan Russell

I'm gonna pass on a hug, stabby Dishonored 2 robot. It's not me, it's you...

Photo by Ryan Russell.

Photography by Ryan Russell

With video game streaming becoming a massive entertainment medium, Twitch made sure it had a large web broadcast presence at PAX.

Photo by Ryan Russell.

Photography by Ryan Russell

The three video game console manufacturers—Sony, Microsoft, and Nintendo—all had typically large presences at PAX.

Photo by Ryan Russell.

Photography by Ryan Russell

Bethesda brought an talking Mister Handy robot to Seattle to promote the much-hyped Fallout 4.

Photo by Ryan Russell.

Photography by Ryan Russell

It's not all about the big boys. Indie tabletop and video game makers also have room to find their niche at PAX.

Photo by Ryan Russell.

Photography by Ryan Russell

Minecraft Story Mode came to PAX with a fittingly boxy fortress to house its demo.

Photo by Ryan Russell.

Photography by Ryan Russell

Oh right, an Eldrazi from Magic: The Gathering destroyed part of the Washington State Convention Center. Did I bury the lead on that?

Photo by Ryan Russell.

Photography by Ryan Russell

Card gamers were super chill about the whole "monster crashing through the glass" thing.

Photo by Ryan Russell.

Photography by Ryan Russell

Oh what a day! What a lovely day (to play the new Mad Max game)!

Photo by Ryan Russell.

Photography by Ryan Russell

Not all the cosplayers were video game-centric, as this superb Bob's Burgers family displayed.

Photo by Ryan Russell.

Photography by Ryan Russell

Thanks to this towering display, attendees didn't even need to play Battleborn to get a sense of its cartoonish action.

Photo by Ryan Russell.

Photography by Ryan Russell

Not all card gamers are camera shy.

Photo by Ryan Russell.

Photography by Ryan Russell

Checking out what's under the hood of Xbox's racing game Forza 6

Photo by Ryan Russell.

Photography by Ryan Russell

Terror on the escalator.

Photo by Ryan Russell.

Photography by Ryan Russell

Good luck sleeping soundly after seeing their horror from Doom.

Photo by Ryan Russell.

Photography by Ryan Russell

Congratulations! You made it through another PAX. The Vault-Tec mascot from the Fallout series knew you could do it!

Photo by Ryan Russell.

Photography by Ryan Russell

The gaming world set up shop in the Washington State Convention Center this past weekend for PAX Prime 2015. Moving off its typical Labor Day weekend time slot, the four-day celebration of video, card, and tabletop games delivered the usual blend of demos, exclusives, panels, cosplay, maddeningly long lines, and extravagant booth showpieces. We documented the action in photographic form.

Photos by Ryan Russell. Text by Seth Sommerfeld.

Pax, Slideshows, Microsoft, Video Games, Nintendo

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The Sights of PAX Prime 2015

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