A Sneak Peek At Some PAX AUS 2014 Panels

There’s a lot on the cards for PAX Australia this year. After a sellout event, the first ever PAX to leave American shores is coming back bigger than before. If you haven’t already, you should also check out our PAX Aus Survival Guide.

This year in the Melbourne Exhibition Center, PAX Aus 2014 is already boasting more than 100 panels and almost 150 exhibitors over the three days.

According to Yug, there are 6 theatres that PAX will be taking over. With an estimated 3 times the amount of seating space thanks to the Exhibition Center being better equipped than the Melbourne Showgrounds.

• Main Theatre (Lvl 0, Convention Centre)
• Wombat Theatre (Lvl 0, Convention Centre)
• Dropbear Theatre (Lvl 1, Exhibition Centre)
• Kookaburra Theatre (Lvl 2, Convention Centre)
• Galah Theatre (Lvl 2, Convention Centre)
• Fruitbat Theatre (Lvl 2, Convention Centre)

The full PAX Australia Panel Schedule for 2014 is most likely to be announced in October, Until then we’ve asked around to get a sneak peek.

The Realities of Writing About Games

Friday, October 31st at 5pm in the Fruitbat Theatre

What does it actually mean to work on a games publication? What are some of the realities of working on games magazines and websites?

Come for a chat about the realities of the job and to answer some questions for those who are looking to get a foot in the door.

Panelists Include:

• Join Daniel Wilks (Editor, Hyper Magazine)
• John Gillooly (Editor, PCPowerPlay Magazine)
• Cam Shea (Senior Editor, IGN-Australia)
• Stephen Farrelly (Managing Editor, AusGamers)
• Joab Gilroy (Freelance, AusGamers)
• Katie Williams (Freelance, IGN, Hyper Magazine, PC Gamer)

For The Love of Gaming

Saturday, November 1st at 12:30pm in the Fruitbat Theatre 

From the untamed digital wilderness come five brave heroes. Well, maybe not heroes.

But they sure are brave. Hear stories from five folks who stared into the face of videogame journalism and thought “I can do this.” Learn from their successes and failures, take part in an open Q&A, and get inspired to conquer that wilderness yourself.

Featuring the editors of HittinCrits, Save Game, Progress Bar, DigitallyDownloaded and Big Head Mode on 2RRR.

Panelists include:

• Albert Caynes [Editor/owner, Hittin Crits]
• Tash Reyn [Editor/owner, SaveGame]
• Brendan Roberts [Editor/owner, Progress Bar]
•  Matt Sainsbury [Editor/owner, DigitallyDownloaded]
• Ben O’Brien [Presenter/Producer, Big Head Mode]

Building New IP – Pixel by Pixel

Saturday, November 1st at 6:30pm in the Wombat Theatre

Some of the best and brightest minds in-game development are right here at PAX. Between them, these developers have created some of the most rich and diverse game universes.

In this panel our guests will give us a unique insight into the joy, and pain, in bringing life to some of gaming’s best virtual worlds, pixel by pixel.

Panelists include:

Moderated by Bajo [Good Game]

• Siobhan Reddy [Studio Manager, Media Molecule]
• Ken Wong [Lead Designer, Ustwo Games]
• Pete Hines [Vice President of PR & Marketing, Bethesda Softworks]
• Randy Pitchford [CEO, Gearbox Software]
• Barry Meade [CEO, Fireproof Games]

Spiritual Warfare: Religion and Spirituality in Games

Sunday, November 2nd at 3:00pm in the Dropbear Theatre

Why are religious games so bad? It hasn’t stopped the industry from being obsessed with religion and spirituality in general. From Skyrim to Civilization, Diablo and beyond, video games have used spirituality and religions for years as mechanics and plot devices.

But are these “religious” games? Are the spiritual themes stand-ins for common fantasy themes, or is there something deeper going on?

Join a spiritually diverse panel to tackle these and other big religious questions.

Panelists include:

• Patrick Stafford [Contributor, Polygon, Eurogamer, Kotaku, Hyper]
• Nathan Cocks [Freelance Writer, PC Power Play]
• Jason Imms [Freelance Writer, Hyper, Games.on.net]
• Mark Serrels [Editor, Kotaku]

You Can Make Games Too!

Friday, October 31st at 6:30pm in the Fruitbat Theatre

Yes, you can make games too! Game developers can come from backgrounds in writing, psychology, biology, history, theatre–and we believe these perspectives enrich the games space. Hobbyists, hopefuls, students and superstars will learn how to seek opportunities–or create their own.

Panelists, including console, mobile, AAA and indie developers, will share their unique path into the industry, offer advice and discuss how they want to see the industry grow: we want you to make games too!

 Panelists Include:

Moderated by: Ashley Zeldin (Creative Director, Adorkable Games)

• Amani Naseem [Designer/Researcher, Copenhagen Game Collective]
• Josh Caratelli [Gameplay Programmer, Josh “Carrot” Caratelli]
• Liam Esler [Scripting Team Lead, Beamdog/Production Coordinator, Surprise Attack]
• Timothy Best [Lead Designer, Mighty Games Group]
• Tony Parmenter [Associate Lecturer, SAE/QANTM]

We will be updating the full PAX Aus Panel list over the coming weeks as we learn about more.

Some tickets are still available for PAX through the official website.

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