Every October, the air is alive and buzzing with excitement at the MKAU headquarters, especially this year, since it has been since 2019 that we could have our annual PAX trip! The anticipation was high as we got to once again unite with our own community but also with others in the business in Melbourne. Every convention and what it has to offer is important to us, but PAX is the pinnacle of gaming content in Australia since the collapse of many other similar conventions. So, with our bags packed, we flew down to Melbourne, for some, our first PAX, but one of many for MKAU as a crew.

“If you love games, you’ll find a home at PAX”, in the words of the PAX website, I couldn’t say it better myself. So in hearing that, it is no wonder the gamers of Australia converge on this location to celebrate their passions. Gaming is that safe place for a lot of people, an escape into a different world, and PAX is one convention that is literally like stepping into another dimension. Including the smell of sweat, neon signage, wide-eyed faces, and loud, animated conversations in lines, PAX encompasses everything gaming is about; bringing people together. At conventions, there is always some sort of sense of community. Whether it be gaming, cosplay, nerdy pop culture, or even just a civilian that is curious, we all belong in some sort of group, and you can find it all here. At PAX as a gamer, it is just so comforting to be a part of this community.

So, what is a ‘PAX’? Originating in America as the famous ‘Penny Arcade’ in 2004, and having been on the golden shores of Melbourne for a few years now, it is one of Australia’s biggest gaming conventions. This 3-day celebration of anything in the world of gaming culture has everything from retro appreciation, tabletop play, cosplay, up-and-coming new releases, tournaments, and panels.

This is our experience of this weekend;

On Thursday, after constant flight changes, the MKAU crew landed in Melbourne. With little time to rest our reviewer, Shane (Redgrave) attended a Final Fantasy XIV event to showcase the newest raid. Mixing with other fans of the series, Shane was able to full send into the action.

Starting our Friday nice and early for the exclusive media hour, we were able to shoot all the footage we needed for each booth as they madly added their final touches to their displays. It was a disappointment to not see Nintendo, Playstation, Xbox, and Ubisoft with their own exclusive areas, but the indie devs definitely went above and beyond to make up for it with their enthusiasm to show what they have to offer. The likes of Devolver Digital, Square Enix, SEGA, and the plethora of Australian and international independent developers were spread amongst the sea of branded stalls and had you covered for some hands-on experiences with new or unreleased titles.

While some would see this year’s PAX as a more product placement showcase with the abundance of gaming merchandise advertised, it was great that nearly all of these offered more than just a spruiking of wares. Many of these stalls had video game setups, prizes, and competitions to get the community involved in interacting with their products.

For a Friday; a work day, the halls of the Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre were alive with the buzz of excitement. Hundreds of people streamed in through the gates at 10 am as enforcers directed the traffic without skipping a beat. God bless the enforcers.

Our first agenda on our busiest day yet was to return to our friends at the Final Fantasy Booth as Redgraves arrived to attend the first live raid of the day. While this was happening, two of us attended the World Of Bethesda Media Session at a location outside the convention in the city. They had hired out a hot nightclub spot and had beautifully decorated it with relics of Bethesda’s past, current, and future projects. The atmosphere was definitely of achievement and grandeur.

The boss and Mathew then met with ASUS and Republic of Gaming as they walked MKAU through their newest range of laptops and accessories. Needless to say, there were some amazing computers on display, and nearly every single one was in use by people eager to get their hands on some of the latest technology. We even pleaded with them to let us take home some of the unreleased goodies they had on display, but seeing as it was only the first day, there was no chance.

Ready to celebrate their 20th Anniversary with them, we then headed over to our friends at HyperX as Michael guided us through their new range of products including an XLR microphone, headsets in a very consumer-friendly price range, and some secret projects in the works. What impressed us the most though was their new lines of monitors that come with an arm mount, a huge and impressive shift in direction for HyperX.

That night, the boss returned to Bethesda for the Community Party night where a lookalike Daft Punk DJ’ed the night away as Bethesda cosplayers entertained the audiences and drinks flowed. The donut wall of Vault Boy was definitely an impressive sight, and boy did that room smell incredible!

Saturday morning opened up with a Dev interview with Ivan and Tanya, a husband and wife team from Good Morning Games, and you could feel the excitement and intrigue build. As the creators of Knight Crawlers, Mathew got to sit down and have a chat with them about the industry and their upcoming projects on his first interview. Well done Matty. This led to a calm day of trawling the floor, despite it being a SOLD OUT event; watching people competitively fight on arcade machines in the retro area or admiring the imagination and skill of people playing tabletop games. That night, we gathered as a crew at Gitch as they hosted one of the many afterparties around the city.

On the last day of PAX, we met with Blowfish Studios as they gave up hands-on access to some of their games. They also let us have access to a project in the making, one in which we had to quickly call Regrave back to the booth to give it a whirl, and I can confidently say that we are excited to see what else it has to offer on full release in the distant future.

It was a very full-on weekend, and when we weren’t attending organised events, we were happily catching up with other influencers, media outlets, and anyone who wanted to stop and have a chat. We made some new friends, celebrated, and enjoyed the nightlife Melbourne has to offer. As tired and as sore as we all were, it was worth every moment.

After the pandemic-related hiatus of PAX events, I can confidently say we have missed this sort of atmosphere and community that the organiser endeavour to create. PAX is always so organised, entertaining, and content-driven despite the lack of some of the big hitters this year. Overall, PAX AUS 2022 delivered a convention that had something for everyone. I can’t wait to see what 2023 has in store for this ever-growing industry. Once again, well played, see you next year Melbourne!

If you’d like to check out all our photos, cosplay, and highlight reels from PAX Australia 2022, you can do below.

PAX Aus 2022 Photo Gallery – https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?vanity=mkaugaming&set=a.505360694922175