(This article was originally published in The Under Age on 3 December 2014)
This spring, thousands of gamers came to Melbourne to celebrate their hobby, dozens of developers showed off their pride and joy, and one convention celebrated gaming culture down under: PAX Australia.
Visiting Australia for the first time in 2013, the Penny Arcade Expo’s (PAX) second visit was bigger and better in nearly every way than its previous incarnation.
With a transfer this year from Melbourne Showgrounds to the Melbourne Exhibition Centre, PAX Australia had room for a lot more than a weekend’s worth of activities.
Guy Blomberg, Content and Community Manager for PAX Australia, spoke to The Under Age about hosting the event in Australia.
“Logistically all the shows follow a similar format, so making sure PAX Australia adhered to that was critical,” said Blomberg.
“Perhaps the biggest concern on our end was to make sure a US-centric show had enough Aussie flair in order to appeal to the local gaming community.”
Blomberg also praised the move to the Melbourne Exhibition Centre: “It made such a massive difference to the vibe of the show; it really did feel like it matched the grandeur of the US PAX shows.”
The Exhibition Hall was packed with booths and stages from various exhibitors, with developers and hardware companies making up the large majority.
First time attendee Madhav Fowdar described his time at PAX as “an experience I’ll never forget”.
“To be in a massive room full of exciting games was amazing,” Fowdar told The Underage.
“I would definitely go again.”
Fowdar said he enjoyed the console-freeplay area, where attendees could play any released game on any released console with their friends.
“Being able to play with your friends in so many games is pretty fun,” he said.
Many major publishers attended to spruik their wares, including Microsoft, 2K Games, Electronic Arts and Ubisoft, each bringing demo versions of their next big releases for fans to try.
The main attraction however, was League of Legends, drawing a massive crowd with its display of eSports and cosplayers (short for costume play).
League of Legends is a video game where players fight in lanes to destroy their opponent’s base.
Team Avant Garde was victorious in the League of Legends Oceanic Regional Champions, with the final taking place at PAX AUS.
The Penny Arcade Expo began in 2004, when the creators of the Penny Arcade online comic strip organised a small convention in Bellevue, Washington State. PAX quickly grew in size, with the convention drawing tens of thousands each year. In 2010, PAX expanded to Boston with PAX East, and both events became annual occurrences.
This year’s Australian convention was a sold-out event, with the Melbourne Exhibition Centre bustling with nerds and fantasy characters from dawn til dusk.
Attendees also had the opportunity to experience the future of video games, with the Oculus Rift, a virtual reality headset, available to try.
However, patience was a requirement to experience this technological marvel, as its line was extremely long.
Overall, PAX Australia 2014 has been viewed as huge success, with tickets being sold out and a positive buzz filling the convention hall for the entirety of the weekend.
With next year’s tickets going on sale this December, and PAX Australia confirmed to be held at the Melbourne Exhibition Centre for the next 5 years, gamers can be sure Melbourne will be swept up in its fervour for years to come.