Ten years ago Jerry Holkins and Mike Krahulik began a small webcomic a small by the name of Penny Arcade. First published on the site looneygames, then in its own space, Penny Arcade soon became the go to site for satirical commentary on the world of videogames. Now, ten years later, the Penny Arcade Expo (PAX), a gaming convention held in (and around) Seattle, WA, seems to be the go to site for actual gamers.

Over 58,500 people attended PAX this past weekend, a good 13,000 more than initially predicted, and nearly 20,000 more than last year. With ticket prices ranging between $30 (single day pass) and $50 (three day pass), it's fair to say Jerry and Mike have been more than successful with their little online venture. It also suggests to me that E3 made a mistake in closing off its expo to the general public.

While the news of a packed house is quite exciting for the Penny Arcade team, and for those of us who wish good things for the Penny Arcade team, the 13,000 people beyond what was predicted, led to several complaints of overcrowding. Of course, in true Penny Arcade form, the team has promised to fix such problems for next year's PAX, which should be the last uber-crowded event, as PAX Boston will open up in 2010, diverting some of the traffic east of the Mississippi to Beantown.