Doomcutie
Before this I had never been to Melbourne and I was extremely excited to be visiting, not just as an influencer but also part of the amazing GOA team. From the time I landed I had the most overwhelming sense of belonging, and the anxieties that I carried from not only travelling but seeing thousands of people dissolved – I was in the exact right place and the right time. Connecting with my team and the gaming community was spectacular. The online community that myself (and many others I’m sure) have cultivated over the last two years came to fruition over PAX and the feeling was indescribable.
I believe after this event, content creators will be reinvigorated and inspired to produce their best work ever. I also really enjoyed attending the panels, there were so many fascinating topics and if I could have attended them all I would have.
As a first time PAX attendee I was mostly impressed but the sheer scale and people power this event took to undertake. However some things did stand out to me. Firstly, I hope that some improvements are made to the layout of the convention floor, it seemed disjointed at times.
Also I found the waiting time for the games on the floor extremely long with some lines not moving for over 20 minutes, so perhaps shorter gameplay timers would improve this. Next year marks the 10th anniversary of PAX Aus which will no doubt draw an even larger crowd. So let’s hope after getting back into the swing of it this year so it can have it best year ever!
Str8JacktJim
It’s incredibly hard to pick one thing for me. The indie section was amazing. So was getting to watch some live esports (well done Piglet in the Starcraft 2 tournament). And the panels were brilliant as well, even the one I was a part of if I do say so myself.
But I think the highlight for me was the PAX community. Everybody was so happy and will to have a chat. From random in my hotel elevator, other tram passengers or fellow queue members. And that’s before we talk about the legendary GOA community. Meeting people I’ve been working with for the last two years and getting to know them better outside of Discord calls and seeing the wider GOA community come together for our charity panel and community meet up was the best feeling. Thanks to everyone that I met and caught up with over the weekend!
Big studios have come up a lot but I wouldn’t be disappointed if they weren’t there. I love that the focus was on Indie games this year and seeing them again next year would be a treat.
Honestly I loved the mix of exhibits at PAX Aus 2022. I think there was a good mix of panels I wanted to see, esports entertains and games to try out. The only thing that really comes to mind is MORE INDIE GAMES but that’s because I love them so much.
Mikeey
I think this year was about getting everyone back out to the conventions as it was great getting there and meeting the GOA community, as well as meeting newer people and being able to just chill around some old arcade games and tell war stories.
I echo what Arlentic says further down – more big name companies would have been good; the biggest there this year in my opinion was Street Fighter 6 (which I only found at the early moments of the Sunday) and Sonic with the Sega booth. I have gone every year since Pax’s inception and missing Xbox, PlayStation and Nintendo, along with not having the top brass there (with the exception of industry veteran Shuhei Yoshida), PAX was relying too much on influencers to man the panels.
Natalie
There were so many highlights for me this year at PAX Aus 2022! Meeting the GOA community and crew after working online with the team for over two years was an unreal experience. Getting to record and co-host the Nuts and Bolts podcast in person with Darren (Str8jktJim) at Fortress Melbourne was unforgettable.
I was in awe of the amount of Aussie and New Zealand devs that have been able to create amazing tabletop and video games over the last few years (considering the disruptions caused by COVID), that I was able to play at PAX – and fall in love with. Special shout outs to Tinker and Spell and Rooftop Renegade.
I was blown away by the two esports stages, hosted by ESL Australia and Intel. There were loud crowds cheering on the competitors most of the weekend. Esports felt like it was part of the fibre of PAX this year.
I absolutely loved getting to see two Call of Cthulhu live play sessions, run by Chaosium and Acquisitions Inc, in the large theatres at PAX Aus 2022. At the moment I am in the middle of a Vampire the Masquerade campaign, and I would have been ecstatic to see some World of Darkness TTRPG live plays as well. I hope World of Darkness can host some live plays next year (I may start a petition).
Stormie
It was incredible to see the gaming community come together at PAX. It was so surreal to meet people we’ve known online for a long time, and it was like reuniting with old friends. It really is the people who make the experience as amazing as it is!
I loved getting to check out the indie games, both video games and tabletop. To have the opportunity to chat to the talented minds behind these titles was amazing.
I also got to meet people I have worked with within the gaming industry at booths and events over the weekend as well, which was sensational. Having a lot of the GOA team and community meet together over the weekend was such a beautiful thing to be a part of – thank you to everyone who came to the community meet up!
Rephl3x
The energy in the hall was something out of a fairy tale. The amount of people who were absolutely dressed to the nines in their favorite cosplay (Yes even Kiwi Master Chief!!) right the way through to seeing a number of people in wheelchairs or crutches being supported and helped out so the experience could be shared equally. We all have a common like when it comes to events like this and seeing the amount of community out there (including our own GOA Community Meet up) was a very heartwarming experience!
When it comes to events like PAX (or any major shows/events) I believe placement is key. If you enter the area via the 10am gate as per their design then you all queue up and get pushed through as the crowd moves in. With the massive influx of excited people, what can only be described as a violent surge of shoulders and elbows, forcing you through the indie section very quickly and almost feeling like you need to make an effort to come back, while the big guys with the big budgets who can afford lights/signs/speakers and Influencers in blonde wigs and aviators get literal centre stage. More focus on the little guy! Also, why were the open play sections jammed down the very end of the building in the corner? Massive hike to get there!
Arlentric
Without a doubt, my favourite part of PAX was checking out all of the Indie titles. Being able to have the unique opportunity to chat with developers on their pride and joy, and get a real sense of understanding on the entire development process and final outcome was truly inspiring.
There needed to be more of a presence from larger studios. There was a clear lack of ‘large’ game showcases throughout the exhibition hall, and I found it odd that Bethesda ran their own event entirely separate from the actual expo.
The Game On Aus team thanks everyone for saying hi and coming along to both our panel and community meet up. We look forward to seeing what PAX Aus 2023 has in store for the gaming community. See you there!
