PAX West stepping up security following Florida shooting
Aug 31, 2018, 7:19 AM
Gamers attending Seattle’s PAX West convention starting Friday will have stepped up security, both seen and unseen, following a recent deadly shooting at a Florida video game tournament.
The Seattle Police Department is assigning undercover officers to the event over the weekend, The Seattle Times reports. Uniformed officers will also be visibly present.
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“I go to these tournaments a lot, I go to these conventions, and honestly the security was lacking,” gamer Austin Etue told KIRO 7. “They really needed to step up their game and it makes me feel safer.”
Seattle’s PAX West is the first major gaming event following a mass shooting at a Florida video game tournament. The gunman killed two and wounded 11 others at the tournament before turning the gun on himself. The tragedy heightened concerns over security at such events.
On its website, the convention details the safety precautions its taking. It includes tagging costume weapons and props, so that security personnel can tell that the accessory has been checked to be safe. This practice is known as “peace bonding.”
Following the shooting, organizers Penny Arcade and Reed Pop released this statement saying that it has increased security measures in recent years, but won’t reveal exactly what those measures are:
First and foremost, our hearts go out to all of those impacted by the horrific, senseless act of violence in Jacksonville, Florida on Sunday. The entire gaming community is affected by this tragedy.
The safety of our attendees, exhibitors, and staff is paramount to ReedPOP and Penny Arcade. As PAX has grown in popularity, we have responded with the addition of increased private security, law enforcement, and other personnel, each of whom are on-site at all times during our events.
As a rule, we do not publicly announce or discuss the details of our security program in order to maintain its effectiveness, however, we work closely with the Washington State Convention Center, private security, the Seattle Police Department and federal law enforcement authorities to identify risks, assess them and develop our comprehensive security protocols for PAX West. We have in place extensive proactive measures; some that are visible during PAX events and many that are not. We are always working to improve our security plans and, if need be, adjust them, to ensure that we are doing all that we can to make PAX West, and all PAX events, a safe and secure environment for the community.
Across the fifteen years of PAX events we have provided a safe and welcoming environment for more than a million attendees to come together for their love of gaming and we are ensuring that we adhere to that tradition at PAX West 2018.
-THE PAX TEAM
PAX is an international gaming convention that grew out of Seattle and is the largest convention of its kind. A similar convention takes place in Boston. PAX Australia is in Melbourne. Seattle’s is known as PAX West. The events host a variety of video game and board game tournaments, as well as promotional booths for the gaming industry.
The last attendance number reported for Seattle event at the Washington State Convention Center was in 2011 — 70,000. That number is expected to have grown considerably over the past seven years.
