In the wake of the execution-style slaying of E3, a peal of protest has gone up from those who really enjoy the temporary sterility, epilepsy and astigmatism that is the result of more than five minutes spent on that infamous showfloor.

Over at Penny Arcade it looks like a new era is dawning, as PAX (pictured at right, being hardcore) and E3 were the two big game conferences and now that the king is dead, long live the king. Says Gabe:

I personally never thought of E3 as our competitor. The two conventions had very different goals. Now E3, at least as we know it is gone but the focus of PAX has not changed. PAX is about gamers not publishers and geek culture instead of multi-million dollar business deals. We have no desire to turn PAX into a new E3 so don't worry about that. The only place I think we might see a noticeable change is in our exhibition hall. It's already quite a spectacle but I think that the lack of an E3 event means our exhibition hall is going to get f***ing nuts.

Hopefully not too nut-f***ing. Although if PAX becomes truly decadent, we can look forward to the tightlipped, impeccably-ponytailed soccer moms that make up 80% of the Bellevue, Washington population being mistaken for booth babes on their breaks at the local Uwajimaya, with hilarious results. Eliza "Crossroads Mall" Gauger

Read more [Penny Arcade]
Official PAX Website! (reg stays open until the 3rd) [PAX]