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Boston Scores PAX East Through 2023; Mass Gaming Industry to Get the Shot in the Arm That it Needs

Lt. Gov. Tim Murray and MCCA Executive Director Jim Rooney (left) announced PAX East's commitment to the BCEC through 2023.

The massive PAX East gaming convention has a home at Boston Convention and Exhibition Center through 2023, Jim Rooney, Massachusetts Convention Center Authority’s executive director, announced this morning alongside a Lt. Governor Tim Murray and several representatives from the state’s video game industry.

Started in 2010, PAX East quickly developed into one of the city’s biggest attractions, while shining a spotlight on the state’s gaming industry. More than 70,000 people are expected to attend the event this year, scheduled for April 6-8.

“This is an event that’s helping making Boston and Massachusetts a center of the gaming universe,” Rooney said at the 10 a.m. news conference at the BCEC.

Speaking to the crowd alongside Rooney, Murray and MCCA Board Chair Michelle Shell were Becker College President Robert Johnson, also the board chair of the Massachusetts Digital Games Institute. MassDiGi’s executive director, Tim Loew, was also in attendance, along with Massachusetts Technology Leadership Council president Tom Hopcroft and Vice President of Operations at Turbine Games Ken Surdan.

All of the speakers representing the state’s government, entertainment, education and technology sectors made it clear they’d like PAX East’s 10-year commitment to Boston to be the shot in the arm for Massachusetts’ burgeoning gaming industry.

“This is where America began. If you think about the human spirit of building from the ground up, why not have PAX East here, right here in Boston?” Johnson said. “Why not have an industry that can grow and thrive in the commonwealth?”

MassDiGi was presented with a check for $325,000, to be paid for over the next decade, by PAX East

Johnson said he wants the institute to play a role in getting gaming companies, from startups to big firms, growing and thriving in the area. As part of its commitment to the BCEC, PAX East pledged today to donate $25,000 per year for the next 10 years to MassDiGi.

“Massachusetts is unlike a lot of other states,” MassDiGi’s Loew said. “We have that educational infrastructure, entrepreneurial spirit and the history of innovation that makes our state uniquely suited for game development. We are a brains and innovation state and this is a brains and innovation industry.”

There was no question PAX East would continue to draw thousands of visitors and boost the economy of the city during the convention. But in order to draw companies to not just New England, but Massachusetts, Lt. Gov. Murray said it would take state legislation to accelerate growth and keep outfits like Curt Schilling’s 38 Studios leaving for neighboring states. Turbine is owned by Warner Bros. and Zynga’s Boston offices are a legacy of its 2010 Conduit Labs buyout.

“PAX East is coming home to a state with growing companies like Turbine and top-ranked video game education institutions like Becker, WPI and MIT,” Murray said. “And it’s coming home to a state that wants to nurture and grow this industry.”

He said state legislation filed and led by Worcester representative John Mahoney could give tax breaks to gaming companies.

Greg Topalian, senior vice president for Reed Pop which helps put on PAX East, said the Boston community has welcomed the event since it was held in 2010 at Hynes Convention Center. Projected attendance figures for the three-day event are pegged at 70,000 people this year, although some would like to see that grow to 100,000 by 2023. Already, three-day passes are sold out.

While Massachusetts’ goal is to keep more gaming companies within its borders, Topalian, who also spoke at the news conference, said the goal isn’t to boost PAX East’s mass appeal for the sake of attendance.

“The show has never been about mass appeal, it’s for the gaming community,” Topalian said. “It’s a celebration of the gaming community.”

Photos/Zac Estrada

from BostInno http://bostinno.com/2012/02/15/boston-scores-pax-east-through-2023-mass-gamin...