Little under two weeks away. It’s the very first time PAX has ventured this far south in the United States, and we are almost blue in the face from excitement. Those of you unfamiliar with PAX, or Penny Arcade Expo, should envision a video game geared convention started by the creators of popular webcomic, Penny Arcade, packed wall to wall with gaming enthusiasts and this is the first time it’s expanded outside of Prime (Seattle), and East (Boston).

In lieue of a string of celebrity guests, PAX conventions center around us, the gamers, with an exhibition hall full of publishers, developers, and creators of video games, table tops, or hey, if you just want to hang out, a BYOC (Bring Your Own Computer) area.

Sub Cultured will be there soaking in the first year of PAX South 2015. Four of us attending are of a varied level of gaming enthusiast, and as such, our excitement levels are all over the board, making it hard to pick just a few things to focus on, as you can tell from our list of “TO DO/SEE” things below! Come soak up some of the panels and be sure to say hi!

THURSDAY – 1/22

This may not be an official event, but on the off chance any of you happen to make it into San Antonio early, we INSIST that if you are of age, you join the bar crawl, aptly dubbed A Shot of Ice and Fire. Please. Do it for us. Pledge allegiance to whichever King, stab people in the back, and get drunk off your Westerosi ass in the name of video games!

Friday – 1/23

2025: When the Grannies Will Play – 10:30am – 11:30am – Armadillo Theatre
Haven’t you wondered what the gaming world will be like in the future? Maybe we’ll end up in a dystopian “Ready Player One” story? Maybe we will be on our proverbial front lawns preaching the ways of NES. Who knows.

Towerfall Ascension Tournament – 3:00pm – 5:00pm
Self explanatory, but it will be fun seeing people lose their utter shit at this game (think Smash Bros., but 8-bit, and with arrows!).

Take This: When to Step Away from the Screen – 5:30pm – 6:30pm – Bobcat Theatre
Tons of us live attached to our feeds, so it’s important to know when to take a breather! This panel will discuss how to recognize when being connected is doing more harm than good and provide practical advice on what to do when things get too intense.

Women in Geek Girl Media – 7:30pm – 8:30pm – Armadillo Theatre
Our very own Mia will be on this panel with a slew of wonderful, kick-ass ladies discussing the future of media.

Video Game Jeopardy – 8:30pm – 9:30pm – Bobcat Theatre
Rumored to be more difficult than those in the years past, sweet Colby is basically peeing himself at the thought of being there. (The rest of our team will mostly be yelling “Canada!” as any and all answers. Feel free to join us.)

CONCERT – 8:30pm – 12:00am – Main Theatre
Musical acts include Freezepop, MC Frontalot, and the Minibosses!

Saturday – 1/24

Video Game & Anime Music with NateWantsToBattle – 10:30am – 11:30am – Armadillo Theatre
YouTube sensation/musician Nate will wow us with his prowess in music as we all stumble sleepily to the early morning panel and serenade those of you willing to crawl out of your hotel beds at this ungodsly hour.

The L337 Life of YouTube Gamers – 12:00pm – 1:00pm – Armadillo Theatre
Top YouTube gaming stars reveal how to become a massive gaming channel, what it’s really like to play video games for a living, and what it takes to stay on top!

Polaris Presents: FriendZone Live – 1:00pm – 2:00pm – Bobcat Theatre
The popular weekly stream will go LIVE, and the gang will struggle to stay on topic.

CONCERT – 8:30pm – 12:00am – Main Theatre
Musical acts include Returners, OneUps, and Paul and Storm.

Sunday – 1/25

Love of Crafting -Texas Edition! – 10:00am – 11:00am – Bobcat Theatre
Video game related cosplay usually includes making a bunch of props, and we have no idea how to make them. Hopefully, this panel will help us out.

Inside Gearbox Software – 10:30am – 11:30am – Main Theatre
Texas natives Gearbox Software will be showing a special behind-the-scenes look at Borderlands and other upcoming Gearbox titles!

Games & Film: Bitter Enemies, Playful Friends – 3:00pm – 4:00pm – Armadillo Theatre
Not sure if we’ll ever recover from some truly bad video game movie adaptations, but with the announcement of the game heavy Ready Player One, this panel can shed some light on hopes and dreams for future big screen endeavors.

There’s yet to be much in the way of publisher booths announced, but with PAX East a mere two months after PAX South, there’s no way of knowing what is in store.

Are you guys planning on attending PAX South? There are still tickets available for the show running January 23rd through January 25th at the Henry B. Gonzalez Convention Center in San Antonio, Texas. We hope to see you there, and if you’re so inclined, check us out on our Twitter feeds, where we will be updating as much as possible! Be sure to follow the main hub, @Sub_Cultured, for a little bit of everything! Leia (@ladyvader99) will be attending every panel she can fit into her schedule. Want to play an Instagram challenge? Go lurk Mia (@xomiamoore) and Kimmie (@killerr_queen) while they play the challenge on the con floor under the hashtag #PAXSoufSC!