The 10th anniversary of PAX Aus has already ‘welcomed home’ thousands of gamers, cosplayers and pop culture fans to the Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre where the theme of stories and memories made was apparent throughout, and there’s still a few Sunday tickets available!
So, what happened on Day 1 and Day 2 of the PAX Aus gaming festival?
Well, not only did PAX Aus trend in the No. 1 spot on Twitter, nowadays known as 𝕏, but clearly, the event continues to inspire and excite Australian audiences, of whom many no doubt call Melbourne home, but to Australians across the country who travelled to Melbourne to experience the wonders of PAX Aus for themselves.
Renowned voice actor, Erika Ishii, the Storytime Keynote speaker for PAX Aus 2023 said in her keynote, “You need to live life to the fullest and experience everything as all those experiences make you a better storyteller.”
Day 1 and Day 2 of PAX Aus 2023 have so far has delivered lots of new experiences ensuring the PAX Aus visitors have lots of stories to tell – and there’s still one more day of fun to be had!
Whether it’s learning to become a One Shot Dungeon Master, taking part in a Live Action Roleplay (LARP), being the first to play Super Mario Bros. Wonder or Star Wars: Unlimited, trying out the latest and greatest local games at the PAX Indie Showcase, PAX Rising and PAX Collaboratory, PAX Aus is still abuzz with new experiences and shared stories, so if you’ve been wanting to get there over the past couple of days but missed out… you still have a chance on Sunday, otherwise you’ll have to wait another year – or travel to PAX events overseas.
So, what’s in store for Sunday? There are still a stack of panels to attend, the Expo Floor that so many love to explore, to see and to be seen, as well as the Mario Kart 8 Deluxe AU/NZ Championship live final, and the Cosplay Central Crown Championship Finals – Sunday will clearly be a ton of fun!
There are also opportunities to see well-known streamers, The TOS Girls at a panel and Meet and Greet, enjoy a Fireside chat with Tenchu creator and President of Acquire Games, Takuma Endo, and see a preview of Plucky Squire, a game being developed by All Possible Futures (part Aussie team) and published by Devolver Digital.
PAX Aus 2023 also features huge interactive and ‘very slick’ installations from the likes of Nintendo, Aftershock and SEGA and a much larger representation of Aussie devs and their games than the 2013 version, demonstrating the continued growth of the Aussie gaming industry.
PAX Aus. It really is a legendary gaming convention, and clearly, it has come a a heck of a long way since its first event at Melbourne Showgrounds, having levelled and powered up massively since those early days.
But the one thing that has clearly stayed the same is how the community feels about this event with visitors and panellists explaining that PAX is where they feel like they ‘belong,’ where they realise their passion for games, discover new games (and friends) and genuinely feel like they are being ‘Welcomed Home.’
As Erika Ishii said, “We have a deep need to be with each other, share stories and share in something bigger than ourselves.” If you want to know what PAX feels like, PAX feels like that.
You can check out the PAX Aus site and still buy tickets here!
