I’ve by no means labored so exhausting to earn a t-shirt.
The plan was easy: Arrive at PAX as a gaggle as early as potential on Sunday, its quietest day. Make a beeline when the doorways open at 10am for the Ultimate Fantasy XIV stall. Get to the entrance of the queue. Beat the boss, win a shirt.
The execution nevertheless was fraught.
Early, 9am on this occasion, wasn’t early sufficient. The queue corridor into the occasion was already three-quarters full with 1000’s of individuals. What ensued might finest be described as a fever dream.
A collage of repeated adverts for Dungeons & Dragons: Honour Amongst Thieves, combined in with trance music. A DJ was employed to entertain the 9am crowd whereas they waited for the gates to open.
This was all topped off by the looping soundtrack of John Denver’s Take Me House, Nation Roads; a tune that’s been co-opted by the occasion to spruik its recurring theme of PAX being a “home” for Australia’s gaming group.
The wrinkle: Many others had the identical thought. In hindsight, it was hilarious watching a swarm of avid gamers — together with my mates and I — energy stroll to this stall when the gates opened. No working is allowed at PAX, a rule enforced by a military of volunteers for the occasion.
We simply managed to squeeze into the top of the queue earlier than the cutoff. What ensued was an almost three hour wait to beat a boss we problem nearly weekly at house anyway. By noon, we have been donning our extremely prized t-shirts – and maybe questioning our life decisions.
The T-Shirt in query.
This is likely one of the extra obscure reminiscences I’ve in attending PAX Australia as a part of the broader Melbourne Worldwide Recreation Week (MIGW) for the higher a part of a decade. It launched again in 2014, and is anticipated to attract a crowd of over 125,000 this yr. To place that in perspective, that’s greater than this yr’s AFL Grand Ultimate which pulled in just below 100,000 spectators to the Melbourne Cricket Floor.
It’s an extremely numerous week of occasions. It begins with the area’s main sport developer convention, GCAP. A variety of different trade talks and occasions run all through the week, together with Excessive Rating – a sport audio centered occasion – and the Australian Recreation Developer Awards proper in the course of the week. Lastly, it’s topped off with PAX Australia, the nation’s largest gaming expo over the weekend.
And that’s excluding so many different smaller occasions, developer talks and pop-ups in between.
For loads of Melburnians, it’s maybe essentially the most complicated and misunderstood week of the yr. 1000’s of individuals, together with many from abroad, descend on the town sporting all types of gaming paraphernalia.
Some are in full costume (or cosplay because it’s identified), others merely donning a t-shirt or accent sporting one among their favorite video games. Although many gown plainly. You couldn’t inform they have been heading to PAX or most of the different occasions scattered throughout the town.
I’ve been requested numerous occasions throughout a number of years: So what character are you dressing up as? And whereas cosplay is big – and rising yearly – it’s not the explanation why everybody goes to those occasions. Neither is it concerning the giveaways. Although it’s true: If you’re on the proper place on the proper time, you may stroll away with an costly gaming PC or bag of equipment.
I like to think about Melbourne Worldwide Gaming Week as an occasion that actually brings collectively the nation’s gaming group, in all of its types. It’s the place builders meet with followers, the place the trade shares concepts that spur on the following era of video games. It’s per week that unites what’s a disparate group of those who wouldn’t work together in any other case.
Gaming itself is a really broad church. Some could also be into esports, others into roleplaying, some might solely vibe tabletop video games.
Name it kitschy advertising and marketing, however PAX Australia maybe has finished their homework with their positioning of the occasion. It does in reality really feel like “home”, being amongst my folks. A spot the place you meet others with a easy query: What are you enjoying?
However one factor is for sure: I feel I’m finished attempting to earn any extra gaming t-shirts.
Everybody has their very own story with Melbourne Worldwide Video games Week.
So to underscore simply how numerous and attention-grabbing it’s, I reached out to quite a few folks within the video games trade or who usually attend its occasions.
I requested what they’re most wanting ahead to in the course of the week and why.
Right here’s what they needed to say:
Elliot Lamb, Composer and Musician
Among the many myriad occasions that make up Melbourne Worldwide Video games Week, the sport audio convention Excessive Rating is a specific favorite of mine, a potent collision of all my pursuits in a single jam-packed weekend.
As a musician, a composer and a gamer, the bringing collectively of innumerable sound designers, composers, builders, voice artists and audio professionals makes for an enlightening and galvanizing occasion.
The convention, hosted by the legendary Angharad “Rad” Yeo, and happening this yr at ACMI, is loaded up with keynotes, panels, masterclasses, demos – countless alternatives to choose the brains of among the unbelievable artists working within the sport audio house on subjects from composition, to implementation, to networking and improvement.
Past all these flashy convention parts, nevertheless, is crucial side of the occasion, and the one which retains me wanting to return again every year – the sport audio group in Melbourne is a deeply welcoming, encouraging and supportive group of artists who need nothing greater than to spend a weekend chatting to anybody who’s on this world.
For an aspiring sport composer, there’s by no means a uninteresting second because the delegates bounce round sharing insights and recommendation over coffees and snacks with rising and established artists alike. It’s turn into a staple calendar occasion for me, and I can’t wait to see what’s in retailer in 2025!
Chad Habel, Dangerous Plan Studios
I can’t wait to indicate our sport, that is gonna be nice! I’ve been to nearly each PAX Aus since they began, normally as a punter, often on panels, and typically on the AIE sales space displaying pupil video games, however that is the primary time I’ve attended with a studio to indicate a sport we’re engaged on.
Finish of Ember is within the pre-demo section and though we’ve finished SAGE and AVCon in South Australia (twice), it’s excellent timing to indicate to the general public on the largest occasion within the gaming calendar. The crew is working exhausting on a giant new mechanic (swappable weapons!) and we hope to have this prepared for a construct for PAX.
It’s so thrilling to think about 1000’s of individuals seeing the sport and enjoying it, and we’re additionally hoping to meet up with some buyers and publishers to progress the enterprise aspect of the studio as properly. Lastly, it’s the primary time all three of us (Chad, Dan and Eli) are going to PAX collectively, in order that’s a little bit of a bromance second. Hope to see a number of of us there!
Jasmine Wilson, Nova Video games
PAX Aus would be the first huge occasion the place we showcase our video games, Ooble Gardens and Teeny Tidy, and with each of them going from only some months into improvement to with the ability to showcase at one of many largest occasions in Australia, it’s an enormous milestone for us!
We’re nonetheless wrapping our heads round this chance, all we’ve finished is figure on what we love and put ourselves on the market. It appears like our first actual step into the trade we’ve at all times dreamed of becoming a member of, and we will’t wait to satisfy folks at MIGW and see them expertise the video games we’ve poured our hearts into.
Renee O’Flynn, freelance author and The IndiEXP
Sadly, because of me being a full-time carer I’m solely in a position to attend PAX, though I’d like to go in the future and expertise all of it in its hectic glory. I’ve really managed to attend each PAX since its inception, with the final 4 years being privileged sufficient to go as media!
The factor I like about PAX essentially the most is the indie video video games. You possibly can typically see the big gamers on-line and discover heaps of critiques of them, however it’s these small gems hiding in plain sight that actually excite me.
Seeing the eagerness the builders have for his or her tasks makes them attention-grabbing, even when it’s a style I usually don’t play. It’s right here the actually inventive stuff occurs! In an identical vein, I do take pleasure in tabletop however by no means have the time or (native) mates. PAX is the one time that I get to play a bunch of board video games and uncover small ones that you just’d by no means hear of in any other case!
It’s principally a time of discovery for me.
Briar Francis, Thomson Geer
As a video games lawyer who performs video games, I at all times expend all of my vitality at GCAP (normally within the Native Lounge – no regrets), then my husband drags my weary physique round PAX.
MIGW is usually the one likelihood I get to see my purchasers within the flesh, so I’ll be taking in all that invigorating vitality you may solely expertise by getting amongst trade, and making that feeling maintain me for an additional 12 months!
I’m on a roundtable on GCAP Day 2 discussing AI in video games and actually wanting ahead to getting some completely different views on such a sizzling button subject.
Ben Schuster, Qualbert and Gameloft
Whereas there’s nothing fairly as thrilling as stepping onto the present flooring and enjoying your most anticipated sport, it’s really the sense of group that retains me coming again to PAX.
In an trade that operates on-line, the possibility to genuinely join with many individuals who you would possibly solely work together with over social media or Discord is an extremely particular second.
I’ve had the pleasure of working the #GamersofAUS group meet-up the final three years, and nothing fairly beats the sensation of with the ability to deliver folks collectively from throughout Australia. Few different occasions can obtain that.
Kate Corridor, PlayIndies
I’m attending GCAP, PAX Aus, and a number of other different occasions throughout MIGW. What excites me most is how MIGW brings collectively such a various mixture of indie builders, publishers, and creators.
The networking alternatives are invaluable for sharing concepts and constructing collaborations. I’m additionally wanting ahead to spreading the phrase about my new firm, PlayIndies, and connecting with trade professionals, indie devs, and creators who would possibly profit from it.
As a GCAP speaker, I’m desirous to share my experiences in sport advertising and marketing whereas studying from others tackling comparable challenges.
Harrison Polites writes the Infinite Lives publication. Observe him right here.
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