Celebrating its 11th Anniversary in Australia and its 20th anniversary overall, PAX AUS 2024 was a joy to attend for long supporting and new fans alike of the inarguable largest gaming get together in the southern hemisphere. Thousands of gamers happily trekked from all sides of the country to be a part of the event. It didn’t matter if you had been to PAX AUS before, or whether this year was your first time, as every PAX year is different.
Queue Hall actually had a game show that patrons in queue could participate in this year, and it is arguably one of the most fun and best interactive things in the hall in recent years, if not ever. Willing participants had to spin a wheel filled with challenges, including dance challenges, and I absolutely adored how literally everyone who played knew the dance moves to Tina Turner’s ‘Nutbush’. Colour me impressed.
In the Exhibitor Hall, there were new additions to the gaming festival which included RedBull Gameball Royale, a fun and competitive dodgeball tournament amongst content creators, Disney Lorcana which dominated the Tabletop area in a big way with teachers on standby to teach you how to play the latest craze in tabletop card games, plus Valve was in Australia for the very first time, happily allowing Aussie gamers to have a hands-on experience of the Steamdeck which is finally being released here this November. The Valve team were equally excited to be in Australia and see Aussie gamers play on their handheld gaming computer as we were to see them and try it!
Returning exhibitors included Ubisoft, and while Assassin’s Creed Shadows was originally planned to be showcased at the event, unfortunately the game’s release date was pushed back, so patrons were disheartened that they couldn’t try the demo this time around. However, Ubisoft had plenty to offer including Star Wars: Outlaws, Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown, The Crew Motorfest, and Just Dance.
Square Enix had a massive Dawntrail: Final Fantasy XIV booth that allowed patrons to try out their latest campaign and also score sought after Moogle pins and a fine looking bucket hat. I adore Final Fantasy but I am more of a solo player, so I admittedly was a little overwhelmed trialling the MMORPG on PC, but I was relieved to still score my Moogle pins and bucket hat in the end. Square Enix had a massive team but all on hand to help you try their online game.
One of the prominent exhibitors on the showroom floor was Sega’s which summoned movie edition Sonic for fans to be able to take photos with! Continuing with the Sonic theme, you could try out Sonic X Shadow Generations ahead of its October 22nd release date. The Sega booth also had Two Point Museum to try ahead of its release date in February 2025, as well as the recently released and praised ALTUS JRPG game, Metaphor: ReFantazio.
Homegrown developers Playside Studios also had an impressive booth where patrons could snap photos with either the Beans or the Kill Knight from the game of the same name, try out the latest and great Dumb Ways To Die games or purchase their hilarious rare plushies, play a carnival game to win a pin for the upcoming noir game Mouse, or try your best to defeat the aforementioned Kill Knight in which was released earlier this month. Actually, all three titles had Pinny Arcade pins available for collecting which added to the popularity of the Playside booth.
Crunchyroll had a mysterious dome on the showroom floor. I lined up not knowing the context of what was inside. Turns out, it was a Solo Levelling themed game where players had to work together to make gestures and movements to survive. Understated on the outside but damn cool on the inside, and that experience also makes me want to watch the anime!
Not everyone was on the showroom floor. Gamer favourites Bandai Namco had an activation area on the concourse area which consisted of a Life Is Strange: Double Exposure themed photobooth where attendees could get a printout of their picture taken at the photobooth, collect a lovely Life Is Strange badge and the possibility of winning prizes including a Polaroid camera and the game itself!
Alongside Bandai Namco on the concourse were photo opportunities for Electronic Arts’ The Sims, Blizzard had one for Diablo IV: Vessel of Hatred, and Bethesda had some for various games including the highly anticipated Indiana Jones and the Great Circle, due to be released this December. If you got a photo at this activation, you got to keep your own Indiana Jones hat too!
PAX Rising has grown immensely and had great games to offer from independent developers this year. Some of the indie standouts this year included Melbourne-based indie developer ShawnTheMiller’s game Omochapon, published by Rainmaker Productions which is a newly released wholesome Japanese inside 3D puzzle adventure themed on gashapons. Fellow Melbourne indie developer Too Many Teeth had their sci-fi mystery visual novel and puzzle game Artificial Nexus available to play and I wish I had more time to curl up and play it!
New Zealand indie developers Mischief Makers Studio and their addictive food truck simulator game Burger Bois, Western Australian indie developers Echidna Studios had their fast-paced multiplayer battle-on-top-of-a-moving-train free-for-all Ricochet Rodeo. Fellow Western Australian indie studio Hungry Sky and their super cute penguin driven Snow Cone, with main character Pedro happy to assist. However, a standout was the appropriately titled Australian solo-developed rhythm game and adventure RPG, Game Over (A Musical RPG) which gathered a lot of viewers in the indie section of the showroom floor.
When not roaming the exhibitor floor, patrons had the opportunity to do some pin trading, with the latest Pin Chicken version, the Paper Chicken pin available for trade at a certain time every day of PAX, check out the Speedrunning section where you are floored by how quickly some gamers ace a run in a variety of games, and the Classic Console area is always great to visit for a throwback. Plus, if you wanted to follow the game to end all games, Omegathon is a staple at PAX AUS every year, with the finale this year being a game of Pokémon Stadium 2.
I attended a few panels this year which included Creator Trivia Slam – 3v3 Gaming Trivia at the GenerOzity Wombat Theatre which made for a hilarious time, hosted by Game Train and Zombieslvsbacon with panellists Stack Jemma, Universeapart, Middleton, Teegstah, Njayrassic and Thylacxne which consisted of a lot of fun chaos, opponent team sabotage and custard shoeys. I had never heard of custard shoeys before and now I will not forget such a creation. I was also thoroughly impressed by how great Zombieslvsbacon was as an MC, although I shouldn’t be surprised since he’s a great streamer, and how the event made sure to include many dinosaur related questions at the expense of the game but it was still hilarious, so that Njayrassic was affectionately included.
The highly informative How To Be A Content Creator Without Streaming panel at the Dropbear Theatre where Dantics, NorZZa, EllytheGeek, Charlotte Marsh from Electronic Arts, and last but not least Dudi/Dame_Dudi_Dench discussed how being a content creator is so much more than just live streaming. I loved this panel as it deeply discussed the sustainability of evergreen content as apposed to finite live streaming content. Anyone can be a content creator and the panellists, led by Dantics, weren’t afraid to share what helped them get to where they are today. Shout out to Dudi for sharing that writers can be content creators too and are!
New Zealand company, Wētā Workshop had their panel The Custodians of Lord of the Rings ringing Hobbit lore to Tales of The Shire where they discussed their upcoming cosy Lord of the Rings game Tales of the Shire, due to be released March next year. I was a little disappointed there wasn’t even a screen to showcase imagery or even just the logo, or a photo of the panellists and their names during this panel, but it was still good that they came to PAX AUS regardless.
Scuff: The Chaotic Game Show Panel About Being A Streamer also was a fun time, hosted by ShellBunny and K0R8Z, consisting of panellists DopeyDyl, MDVAaron, Nicktacula, azmadedus, Meviriel and MoonlitCharlie which had fast fashion challenges, much hilarity, and an abundance of shoeys. I also must mention, I adored ShellBunny’s fairy wings and want a pair for myself!
If you wanted to rest your feet, the Handheld Lounge was a popular location, nicely sandwiched between Jackbox and Devolver Digital’s booths. Jackbox have become a PAX AUS favourite of mine over the years. Ever since their first appearance to our shores, I have always visited Jackbox during the gaming festival and they always have something new and exciting to share! Much more interactive than the Handheld Lounge but equally as comfy with beanbags to spare, and if you so desired, you could play (if you’re quick enough to enter) to win yourself a Jackbox Pinny Arcade pin!
If you don’t win, you can buy them too, so there were plenty of chances to get your hands on one, as well as say ‘Hi!’ to the American video game developers themselves in the process. They’re super friendly too. Jackbox Games Inc. are a big studio, so it was lovely to see Allard Laban and Andy Kniaz, the Chief Creative Officer, and the Vice President of International and Business Development at Jackbox Games respectively, return. For the past few years, the company has been sending out other team members, so it was nice to see Allard and Andy again. Plus, I am super keen now for The Jackbox Survey Scramble which is released this month on October 24th!
The Devolver Digital booth this year was next level. Titled The Cult of the Lamb Temple, the booth was popular on the final day of PAX AUS due to holding not one, but two weddings! Yes, REAL weddings! In a PAX AUS first, patrons were gathered from various vantage points to attend the special events.
The first wedding consisted of Jasper and Tanner, who are part of the Furry community in Australia, had the lucky couple appropriately dressed in their character counterparts complete with sweet wedding attire. I had heard some patrons were in disbelief that it was a real wedding, but it was! In the temple, guests were adorned in long red velvety Cult of the Lamb cloaks, which made for fitting wedding attire despite the heat of the day.
The second wedding was by far my favourite as it brought me to tears, especially during the part where Blake and Shania shared their speeches that they had lovingly prepared for each other. There wasn’t a dry eye in the house!
It is impossible to see everything at PAX AUS, even when you attend all 3 days. However, PAX AUS 2024 was special and felt more community based this year. It was about the people, their love for each other (quite literally, I mean there were two weddings!), and for gaming. Highly recommended for all ages, regardless of whether you’re a hardcore gamer or a casual gamer, PAX AUS 2024 was super welcoming, more inclusive than ever, and a fun time for all. It was great seeing friends happily bump into each other, and I too was reunited with many wonderful friends that I usually see once a year wandering around at PAX. PAX AUS 2024 is sure to be a fond memory for many.
I have loved attending this annual gaming festival since it began here in Melbourne in 2013 and PAX AUS 2024 is sure to be one of my favourites. I can’t wait for the next one.
PAX AUS 2024 was held at the Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre (MCEC) in Melbourne from Friday October 11th to Sunday the 13th.
For more information, visit:
https://aus.paxsite.com
https://www.instagram.com/paxaus
Photography by Grant Alexander.
