GameSpot Theatre returns to PAX Australia this year, and we're hosting a bunch of great panels featuring the GameSpot Australia team--Jess McDonell, Dan Crowd, Eddie Makuch, and Edmond Tran--as well as our friends from all over the video game industry, including developers from the likes of Sonic Mania, Horizon: Zero Dawn, Netherealm Studios, and Square-Enix Montreal and so much more! My gosh!
If you're in Melbourne, come visit us! The theatre is located by the main entrance on Level 1, next to the Take This AFK Room. If you're not lucky enough to be at PAX Aus in person, you can watch all the action via livestream on this page as it happens, and check out the full schedule here.
Coming Up:
Sunday, October 29 (All Times Are AEDT)
10:30 AM - A panel for ANTS?!? Pro coaches total amateur at miniature painting
Come watch a master miniature painter attempt to teach a total novice the ancient art of painting miniatures. One of them can drybrush and wash with the best of them. The other has the fumbling hands of a three-year-old. Whatever the result, you’ll learn pro tips on getting your miniatures battle ready, from painting basics to expert hacks that make those fine lines and shadows a breeze.
12:00 PM - Cosplay 101: A Maker's Guide to Cosplay
What does it take to turn an on-screen avatar into a real-world cosplay masterpiece (aside from a lot of duct tape)? We grill cosplay experts Henchwench and Scrap Shop Props’ Cain Halliwell on designing, constructing and finessing the perfect cosplay creation. Do you need to be a serious seamstress or pro painter, or can you get started with the basics and build from there? Come along for practical advice, design ideas and tips to make your cosplay legit enough to make the mainstage.
PANELISTS: Claire Reilly [Senior Editor, CNET], Clare McCutcheon [Henchwench], Cain Halliwell [Scrap Shop]
1:30 PM - Press Start: Learning to Make Games
What are the pathways to creating video games, from both industry and educational perspectives? How do you break into the games industry? Is it valuable to study game development at a degree level? Can anyone create a game? These questions and more will be deliberated by panellists with combined decades of experience.
PANELISTS: Jordan Browne [Senior Lecturer at Media Design School, Pixel Barons], Himanshu Khanna [Media Design School at Torrens University Australia, Program Director], Ellen Jurick [Game Designer and Producer, Blowfish Studios], Amanda Schofield [Senior Producer, EA Firemonkeys], Katie Stegs [Co-Founder, Lumi Consulting], Josh Birse [Producer, EA Firemonkeys]
3:00 PM - Microtransactions Are Great (Or Are They?)!!!
Love them or hate them, microtransactions are in many of the games we play today, from smaller titles up to the AAA products from big-name companies. And they aren’t going anywhere. This panel will provide a look into why controversial microtransaction systems exist with expert insight from developers and journalists.
PANELISTS: Eddie Makuch [Associate Editor, GameSpot], Luke Dicken [Principal Data Scientist, Zynga], Artem Safronov [Executive Publishing Producer, Wargaming], Matt Hall [Co-Founder, Hipster Whale], Clara Reeves [President, Hipster Whale]
4:30 PM - 30 Hour Games In 3 Minutes: The Story Arc Speed Test
Franchise fanatics explain complex game story arcs in three minutes. Well, they try to. I mean, how long could it take to explain what happens in Final Fantasy anyway?
PANELISTS: Dan Crowd [Video Producer, GameSpot], Adam Perry [Community Manager, FFXIV], Jess McDonell [Video Host, GameSpot], Joab Gilroy [Esports Editor, Red Bull Australia], Daniel Van Boom [Asia News Editor, CNET]
