PAX lays out full schedule

From Friday, September 4 through Sunday, September 6, the Penny Arcade Expo will take over the Washington State Trade and Convention Center, potentially bringing in 60,000 or more gamers of all stripes. That's a lot of people, and the event's organizers this week have revealed a full slate of activities to keep them busy.

Like previous PAX shows, this year's event will feature an Omegathon multigame tournament, a show floor with exhibitors allowing gamers to try out upcoming releases, and appearances by Mike Krahulik and Jerry Holkins, the creators of the Penny Arcade Web comic that spawned PAX.

Also similar to years past, PAX will feature a full array of panels, lectures, and unveilings, kicking off in earnest Friday afternoon with a keynote address from Secret of Monkey Island creator Ron Gilbert. Other notable developers will also make appearances, including Silicon Knights president Denis Dyack, BioWare CEO Ray Muzyka, and Double Fine Productions founder Tim Schaefer.

However, the Penny Arcade Expo is about more than video games. The show will also see appearances by a variety of gaming culture icons, including Magic: The Gathering creator Richard Garfield, Star Trek: The Next Generation cast member Wil Wheaton, and Fox Trot author Bill Amend. Meanwhile, the show's Friday and Saturday nights will close with "nerdcore" concerts featuring gamer-friendly acts like MC Frontalot, Jonathan Coulton, and Freezepop.

Sunday's show won't have a concert capper, but it will have the first live public demo of BioWare's hotly anticipated massively multiplayer online role-playing game Star Wars: The Old Republic. Organizers advise attendees to line up for that session early, as "there will be exclusives galore for attendees only."

For a full list of the weekend's events, check out the official PAX 2009 site.