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Read More10 panels to catch at PAX Online 2020
PAX Online 2020 is kicking off this Saturday, and it won’t be like other online conventions this year. While other conventions go for the weekend, PAX Online will last for nine straight days on PAX’s official Twitch channels. No matter when you’re awake, something will be going down at the convention. We take a look at 10 panels happening throughout this massive event that you should check out. More information on PAX Online can be found here.
Saturday, September 12
Sid Meier’s Memoir!: A Conversation with Sid Meier about His Life in Computer Games
7:30 p.m. EST/4:30 p.m. PST
Iconic programmer Sid Meier will take part in a pre-recorded panel about their new book Sid Meier’s Memoir!: A Life in Computer Games, which was released this week. Many people know him as the creator of the acclaimed Civilization video game series. For their accomplishments, Meier was inducted into The Academy of Interactive Arts & Sciences Hall of Fame in 1999. The stream can be viewed here.
Sunday, September 13
The Lyrical: From Games to Gigs
5:30 a.m. EST/2:30 a.m. PST
Australian musician The Lyrical will unveil a special pre-recorded performance for PAX Online. Inspired by their love of video games, The Lyrical have unveiled a slew of original material, including their 2018 studio album Remember The Roots. When they're not playing music, The Lyrical is streaming on their Twitch channel. You can watch the stream here.
Monday, September 14
5:30 a.m. EST/2:30 a.m. PST
Dungeons & Drag Queers will invade the event with a special one-shot live show. This series follows three heroes and their adventures in the town of Xan'moxie. Peak Distapan, Candice Gallimore, Jack Gorman and AJ Lamarque will take part of this event. Previous episodes of Dungeons & Drag Queers can be heard here. The panel can be viewed here.
35 Years of Stomps: Ranking Mario’s Enemies
1:00 p.m. EST/10 a.m. PST
With Nintendo celebrating Mario's 35th anniversary, the folks at Nintendo World Report will come together to rank the plumber's foes in a pre-recorded panel. Where will enemies like Shy Guys and Boos land on this list? You can watch the panel here.
Tuesday, September 15
A Hero for All: A Chat on Diversity with the Cast of Overwatch
2:15 p.m. EST/11:15 a.m. PST
Overwatch features one of the most diverse roster of characters today. In this pre-recorded panel, several voice actors from the game will discuss their journey into voice acting and the joys of representing different cultures in Overwatch. Jen Cohn (Pharah), Anjali Bhimani (Symmetra), Paul Nakauchi (Hanzo), Crispin Freeman (Winston), Benz Antoine (Baptiste), Carolina Ravassa (Sombra), and Keith Silverstein (Torbjorn) will take part of this panel. You can watch the panel here.
Saturday, September 19
3:30 p.m. EST/12:30 p.m. PST
Some of the brightest video game composers will come together in a pre-recorded panel about working in the industry. Sarah Schachner (Assasin's Creed: Valhalla), Gareth Coker (Halo Infinite), Wilbert Roget (Mortal Kombat 11), Ludvig Forssell (Death Stranding), and Mick Gordon (Doom) will be on hand for this event. You can watch the panel here.
How to Make the Worst Video Game Adaptations Possible
4 p.m. EST/1 p.m. PST
Over the decades, many video game adaptations left a bad taste in everyone's mouths. With this live event, a slew of panelists will talk about the worst video game adaptations ever and come up with their own horrible adaptations as well. Game designer Liam Edwards and video game writer Mike Drucker will host the panel with special guests Detective Pikachu writer Dan Hernandez, Honest Trailers writer Danielle Radford, and game designer Xalavier Nelson. You can watch the panel here.
6 p.m. EST/ 9 p.m. PST
Vampire: The Court of Cups will hold a special live show at PAX Online. This series follows a group of vampires hanging out in coffee shops and drinking blood. The show features Jasmine Bhullar as The Storyteller, Tabitha Sheehan as Ulrika Draeger, Patrick Groome as Dogfood, Lidija Piper as Dr. Charlotte Lamb, and Holly Conrad as Elizabeth Wonder. Previous episodes of The Court of Cups can be heard here. The panel can be seen here.
Sunday, September 20
6:15 p.m. EST/3:15 p.m. PST
Over the years, many developers have found success with developing games for retro consoles such as the original Nintendo and the Sega Genesis. This pre-recorded panel dives into the ins and outs of creating new titles with old school hardware. Mega Cat Studios' founder James Deighan and lead designer Andrew Marsh will be on hand for the discussion. Mega Cat Studios is best known for their titles Tanzer, Coffee Crisis, and Log Jammers. You can watch the panel here.
Tea with Grandma Gamers: Old Ladies Talk #$%@ about Games
6:30 p.m. EST/3:30 p.m. PST
Anyone who says old people can't play video games clearly haven't met Jessa, Shirley Curry, and Merrie. These three ladies have been dominating the Let’s Play world, and they'll be joining forces to talk about their experiences in a pre-recorded panel. You can watch the panel here.
PAX West and PAX Australia cancelled, PAX Online announced
PAX West and PAX Australia aren’t happening this year due to the coronavirus. Fortunately, the organizers are still bringing some PAX fun this September with PAX Online.
Announced on Tuesday, PAX Online will deliver a slew of gaming content for fans around the world. The nine-day event will take place from September 12th through September 20th. While previous PAX streams only lasted several hours a day, PAX Online will be on 24/7. This means nine straight days of consistent content from their Twitch channels.
Panel submissions are live now here, and they’ll close on July 24. When it comes to panels, people can choose to have their panels live-streamed or pre-recorded. Indie developers can head here for more information on being part of PAX Online.
Merch for the 2020 installments for PAX West and PAX Australia are available here. Merch for PAX Online will be unveiled soon.
How to watch PAX East 2020 this weekend
Are you one of the many people unable to hit up the 2020 installment of PAX East this weekend? While you’re not there, the folks behind the convention will make you feel like you’re present with some livestreams on Twitch.
The Main Theatre stream will include panels such as the Gearbox Main Theater Show, Penny Arcade Make-a-Strip, and Acquisitions Incorporated. The Albatross Theatre stream will showcase panels such as The EZ Baking Challenge: Recipe for Disaster, Celebrating 35 Years of Tetris, and the Marvel Mystery Panel.
The Dragonfly Theatre stream will have panels such as Voice Acting in Video Games: The Fine Line Between Acting and Roleplay, IGN Presents: Game Scoop! LIVE, and Nintendstradamus: Figuring Out Nintendo’s Next 5 Years. As expected, the PAX Arena stream will include some intense competition with combatants facing off in Apex Legends.
The stream schedule can be seen below. All times listed are EST.
OFFICIAL PAX EAST MAIN THEATRE STREAM (twitch.tv/pax)
Thursday
10:30 AM: Storytime Session with John Baez
11:30 AM: Penny Arcade Q&A #1
2:30 PM: Gearbox Main Theater Show
8:30 PM: Thursday Night Concerts
Friday
11:00 AM: Penny Arcade Q&A #2
8:30 PM: Supergiant in Concert
Saturday
11:00 AM: Penny Arcade Make-a-Strip
3:00 PM: D&D Presents: T.O.R.C.H. - Live!
8:00 PM: Acquisitions Incorporated
Sunday
1:00 PM: Acquisitions Incorporated: The “C” Team
5:30 PM: Omegathon Final Round
OFFICIAL PAX EAST ALBATROSS THEATRE STREAM (twitch.tv/pax2)
Thursday
3:00 PM: World-First Reveal: Baldur’s Gate 3 Gameplay featuring Swen Vincke and Jesse Cox
5:00 PM: Zelda Universe Presents: A Musical History of Zelda
6:30 PM: AppJunkies Live: The Worst Games Ever Made
8:00 PM: The EZ Baking Challenge: Recipe for Disaster
Friday
11:00 AM: Building a Career on YouTube in 2020
12:30 PM: Extra Breakfast Live… and illustrated!
2:00 PM: D&D Presents: Q&A
3:30 PM: Building Your Studio with Austin John Plays
5:00 PM: Beta64 Presents Prototype Showcase and Beta Trivia!
6:30 PM: Jackbox Party PAX
8:30 PM: The Runaway Guys: Thrown Controllers
Saturday
12:30 PM: A New Flavour of Sci-Fi; Creating the Universe of Outriders
2:00 PM: 101 Things You Didn’t Know About PlatinumGames
3:30 PM: The Sound of Supergiant Games
5:00 PM: Superboss
6:30 PM: Exploring Out of Bounds in Games with Boundary Break
8:00 PM: Ace Watkins for Gamer President
9:30 PM: A Lovely Panel Hosted by an AI Bot named Merrill Grambell
Sunday
11:00 AM: MonsterVine: Ranking Kingdom Hearts Games from Worst to Best
12:30 PM: More than Trophies: Esports 101
2:00 PM: Celebrating 35 Years of Tetris
3:30 PM: Marvel Mystery Panel
OFFICIAL PAX EAST DRAGONFLY THEATRE STREAM (twitch.tv/pax3)
Thursday
1:00 PM: 3D Printing for Cosplay
2:30 PM: Voice Acting in Video Games: The Fine Line Between Acting and Roleplay
4:00 PM: Omegathon Round 1
5:30 PM: Full-Time YouTube: The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly
7:00 PM: LoadingReadyRun Q&A
8:30 PM: Super Smash Bros. Ultimate: One Year Later
Friday
12:00 PM: Get Yourself Into Speedrunning: An Introduction
1:30 PM: Adult Swim Games Panel
3:00 PM: “C” Team Advice Panel
4:30 PM: Omegathon Round 2
6:00 PM: Mike Selinker’s Can You Survive This Panel?
7:30 PM: The Improvised Postmortem
9:00 PM: Realms & Roleplay: Lancer Live!
Saturday
12:00 PM: thatgamecompany: Exploring New Adventures in SKY
1:30 PM: Small Game, Big World – Obsidian Explores Their Upcoming Game, Grounded
3:00 PM: Sound Design Live: Watch Us Recreate Video Game Sounds
4:30 PM: Omegathon Round 3
6:00 PM: Weird Rules Live, with SB Nation and Mike Selinker
7:30 PM: IGN Presents: Game Scoop! LIVE
9:00 PM: Mega64 Horizons Panel For Collecting Fruit And Paying Taxes or Whatever
Sunday
12:00 PM: Looting Our More Complete Selves: How Items Shape Characters
1:30 PM: Pokémon - I Choose You! Adventure
3:00 PM: “Dark Souls” of X: What Makes a Successful Souls Successor?
4:30 PM: Nintendstradamus: Figuring Out Nintendo’s Next 5 Years
OFFICIAL PAX EAST PAX ARENA STREAM (twitch.tv/paxarena)
Thursday
11:00 AM: Stream Stars featuring SoulCalibur VI
Friday
11:00 AM: Almost Pro $10K Open Qualifier 1
2:00 PM: Almost Pro $10K Open Qualifier 2
Saturday
10:00 AM: U.S. Army Esports PAX PRO-AM
2:00 PM: Almost Pro $10K Open Qualifier 3
Sunday
11:00 AM: Almost Pro $10K Open Qualifier 4
2:00 PM: Almost Pro $10K Open Finals
Five panels to catch at PAX East 2020
Gamers on the East Coast are counting down the minutes until PAX East 2020 opens its doors on Thursday. If you’re heading to the event and need some exciting things to see, we’ve listed five panels that are worth your time.
While Saturday tickets are sold out, there are still Thursday, Friday, Sunday, and four-day tickets available here. More information on PAX East can be found here. The convention will take place inside the Boston Convention and Expo Center in Boston, Massachusetts from February 27 through March 1.
The EZ Baking Challenge: Recipe for Disaster
Thursday, February 27
8:00 p.m. - 9:00 p.m.
Albatross Theatre
Remember the old days of using the Easy-Bake Oven? Well, a group of video game industry personalities (Pat Baer, Trin Garritano, Kate Gray, and David Galindo) will find themselves reliving their childhood during the biggest competition of PAX East. These individuals will be baking goods while dealing with random obstacles. Their finished creation will be eaten by judges, who will declare one person the winner. Finji's Harris Foster and Rebekah Saltsman will co-host the event.
Design a Board Game Live
Thursday, February 27
9:00 p.m. - 10:00 p.m.
Condor Theatre
If you've always been interesting in creating the next big board game, this panel is for you. The design team of Lynnvander Studios (Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Star Trek Alliance) will give attendees the scoop on how they made their popular games. Afterwards, you'll create a game from scratch. Later this year, Lynnvander Studios will release Divinity Original Sin: The Board Game, which gained $1.8 million through a successful Kickstarter campaign.
It's a 10/10, actually.
Friday, February 28
7:30 p.m. - 8:30 p.m.
Arachnid Theatre
Sometimes, a video game can be a perfect 10 despite harsh criticism. Evolve PR's social media manager Wout McDutch, Vlambeer co-founder Rami Ismail, Gameranx host Jake Baldino, Powerspike marketing director Reed Albers, and Ripley Improv's Jessica Lynn Verdi will discuss why their favorite games are a 10/10. After they’re done with their pitches, the audience decides if these games are actually among the best of the best.
Video Game Marketing Gone Right… and So *Very* Wrong
Saturday, February 29
8:00 p.m. - 9:00 p.m.
Bobcat Theatre
From Dead Island's spectacular video game trailer to John Romero's appalling Daikatana ad, video game marketing has seen its ups and downs over the years. The GameDev Business Handbook author Michael Futter, journalist Amanda Farough, Kitfox Games communications director Victoria Tran, and Vlambeer co-founder Rami Ismail talk about some of the worst marketing campaigns ever released.
Marvel Mystery Panel
Sunday, March 1
3:30 p.m. - 4:30 p.m.
Albatross Theatre
Marvel and Netmarble have been cooking up a brand new game, and they'll ready to tell fans all about it during their PAX East panel. The two companies first joined forces in the 2015 mobile game Marvel: Future Fight, which has over 70 million players. Marvel: Future Fight’s recent update brought some Secret Empire content to the game.
How to watch PAX South 2020 this weekend
Unable to make it to PAX South this weekend? Fortunately, the fine folks behind the convention make it easy for you to witness some great panels through the power of Twitch.
The Main Theatre stream will include panels such as Friday Night Concerts (Super MES, Freezepop, Bit Brigade performs Mega Man III) and Acquisitions Inc. The South Falcon Theatre stream will showcase panels such as BomBARDed - A Musical D&D Adventure and Sound Design Live: Watch Us Recreate Video Game Sounds. The PAX Arena stream will be the home of the Almost Pro $10k Fortnite tournament.
You can check out the streaming schedule below. All times listed are CST.
Related: Five panels to catch at PAX South 2020
OFFICIAL PAX SOUTH MAIN THEATRE STREAM (twitch.tv/pax)
Friday
10:30 AM: Storytime with Rod Fergusson
11:30 AM: Penny Arcade Q&A
2:30 PM: Publishing: From Console to PC
8:30 PM: Friday Night Concerts (Super MES, Freezepop, Bit Brigade performs Mega Man III)
Saturday
10:30 AM: Penny Arcade - Make a Strip!
8:00 PM: Acquisitions Inc.
Sunday
5:30 PM: Omegathon Final Round
OFFICIAL PAX SOUTH FALCON THEATRE STREAM (twitch.tv/pax2)
Friday
11:00 AM: Zelda Universe Presents: A Musical History of Zelda
12:30 PM: The New Faces of Mayhem: Characters of Borderlands 3
2:00 PM: Omegathon Round 1
3:30 PM: Behind the Mic: Voiceover in Video Games
5:00 PM: UpUpDownDown at PAX South
6:30 PM: Jackbox Party PAX
8:00 PM: Omegathon Round 2
9:30 PM: BomBARDed - A Musical D&D Adventure
Saturday
11:00 AM: Houston Outlaws - The Path To Pro
2:00 PM: Games Streaming, The Future of Gaming
3:30 PM: Omegathon Round 3
5:00 PM: “And the next AVGN episode is…”
6:30 PM: Omegathon Round 4
8:00 PM: The EZ Baking Challenge: Batter Royale
9:30 PM: Sound Design Live: Watch Us Recreate Video Game Sounds
Sunday
11:00 AM: Omegathon Round 5
12:30 PM: Building a Global Business in Gaming/Esports
2:00 PM: Bargain Barrel: Live!!!
3:30 PM: Press Start! Indie Game Developing in San Antonio
OFFICIAL PAX ARENA STREAM (twitch.tv/paxarena)
Friday
11:00 AM: Almost Pro $10k Fortnite Qualifier
2:00 PM: Stream Stars With Brawlhalla
Saturday
10:00 AM: U.S. Army eSports PAX Pro-Am
2:00 PM: Houston Outlaws PAX Pro-Am
Sunday
10:00 AM: Fortnite Liferun x International Red Cross
2:00 PM: Almost Pro $10k Fortnite Finals
Five panels to catch at PAX South 2020
The sixth annual PAX South arrives this weekend, and thousands of gamers will take over the Henry B. González Convention Center in San Antonio, Texas. Aside from games, panels deliver some of the best content during the event. We look at five panels worth checking out while you’re at the convention. Tickets for PAX South, which takes place from January 17 through January 19, are still on sale here. More information about the convention can be found on their website.
Friday, January 17
The 41 Tabletop Games You Must Play
Bobcat Theatre
4:00 p.m. - 5:00 p.m.
Over the years, tabletop gaming has seen a spike in popularity thanks to Twitch channels such as Geek and Sundry and Hyper RPG. With so many tabletop games on the market, it can be overwhelming trying to pick the best ones. GeekNights' Scott Rubin and Rym DeCoster will be on hand to discuss the games you should play to understand the concept of tabletop gaming.
BomBARDed - A Musical D&D Adventure
Falcon Theatre
9:30 p.m. - 11:00 p.m.
Dungeon & Dragons podcast BomBARDed will have a special live show combining live music and D&D. BomBARDed was founded by members of the Texas indie rock band Lindby. The podcast follows the journey of three bards attending Strumlott's School for Bards. You can check out previous episodes of the podcast here.
Saturday, January 18
Mega Games: What Are They and How Do I Play One?!
Bobcat Theatre
1:00 p.m. - 2:00 p.m.
Mega games blend the mechanics of RPGs, TTRPGs, LARPs, and wargames for a massive group of players. Some mega games have seen up to 300 people involved in the storytelling. Dallas Mega Games staff will be in the house to explain this unique style of gaming. The company will hold their own mega game inside the Spring Creek Church in Garland, Texas on Saturday, February 29.
Sunday, January 19
Making a Difference with Playing Video Games in the Hospital
Bobcat Theatre
10 a.m. - 11 a.m.
Child’s Play Charity has made it easier for children to play their favorite video games in the hospital thanks to Gaming Technology Specialists. Child's Play Charity program director Erik Blandin will join a slew of tech specialists in the field to discuss how they managed to pull this off and how attendees can lend a helping hand.
Gatekeeping Makes You Look Like an A**Hole
Bobcat Theatre
4:00 p.m. - 5:00 p.m.
Whether its video games or properties such as Star Wars, gatekeeping is a major issue. Fortunately, Hey Listen Games owner Zachary Hartzman teams up with group of psychologists and psychotherapists (Anthony Bean, Amelia Herbst, Julia Stamman, Rachel Kowert, and Jared Kilmer) to talk about how to put an end to this in geek culture.
How to watch PAX West 2019 this weekend
Not going to PAX West this weekend? Fortunately, they’ll be streaming select panels for the world through Twitch. The action will take place through four streams: Main Theatre, Hydra Theatre, Raven Theatre, and PAX Arena.
Friday will see streams of Gearbox Main Theater Show, The Improvised Postmortem, and G Fuel Showcase Featuring G-Squad. Saturday’s streams will showcase An Evening with Scott Kurtz, U.S. Army Esports Presents - The PAX Squad Showcase, and Kinda Funny’s Inter-Website Video Game Tournament 2019.
Sunday will have streams of From Screen to Team: When Content Creators Make Video Games, The Improv Initiative Improves Incredibly, and a concert from Mega Ran & K-Murdock and Knight of the Round. Monday will have streams of Highrollers Live Game, Retronauts: The Dreamcast 20th Anniversary Necromancy Jam, and Almost Pro $5k Open Semis & Finals.
You can check out the full list of events being streamed below. All times listed are PST. If you’re heading to the convention, check out our list of panels to catch here.
Friday
10:30 AM: Storytime Session
11:30 AM: Penny Arcade Q&A
1:30 PM: Gearbox Main Theater Show
7:30 PM: Acquisitions Incorporated
Saturday
4:00 PM: Jacksepticeye
8:30 PM: Saturday Night Concerts - MC Frontalot and Supergiant in Concert
Sunday
12:00 PM: Penny Arcade Make-a-Strip
2:30 PM: Creating FINAL FANTASY XIV: Shadowbringers - Narrative and Visual Insights
8:30 PM: Sunday Night Concerts - Mega Ran & K-Murdock and Knight of the Round
Monday
12:00 PM: Highrollers Live Game
5:30 PM: Omegathon Final Round
Friday
11:30 AM: The Art and Science of Mystery Game Design
1:00 PM: Omegathon: Round 1
2:30 PM: Championing Diverse Voices
4:00 PM: The Hidden Treasures of La-Mulana
5:30 PM: Omegathon: Round 2
7:00 PM: The Time I Told WotC Not to Do Pokémon, and Other Triumphs
8:30 PM: The Improvised Postmortem
10:00 PM: “Press X to Scream”: Horror Storytelling in Video Games
Saturday
10:00 AM: Esports in Schools: Academics and Emerging Programs
11:30 AM: Stories without Stories: The Zen of Strategy Narrative
1:00 PM: Major Nelson Radio LIVE
2:30 PM: Acquisitions Incorporated Dungeon Manual Panel
5:30 PM: Omegathon: Round 3
7:00 PM: An Evening with Scott Kurtz
8:30 PM: Design A Board Game Live
Sunday
11:30 AM: Noclip: How To Film a Gaming Documentary
1:00 PM: Omegathon: Round 4
2:30 PM: The “C” Team Q&A
4:00 PM: The Psychology of the Final Fantasy Series
5:30 PM: Omegathon: Round 5
7:00 PM: What’s Good Games LIVE!
8:30 PM: The Roll20 Presents Crew Does a Panel
10:00 PM: The Improv Initiative Improves Incredibly
Monday
10:00 AM: Bringing Magic Into the Classroom
11:30 AM: System Design, on Fire, All the Time: Controlling Chaos
1:00 PM: Adventure Games: Then and Now
2:30 PM: Reinventing Ravenloft: Tools for Upgrading Classic Settings
4:00 PM: Creating a New Reality: Tales from VR Development
Friday
12:00 PM: Life is Strange 2
1:30 PM: Shark Attack! Tripwire Interactive Presents Maneater
3:00 PM: Let’s Fight Over the Best Pokémon!?
4:30 PM: The Kinda Funny Games Showcase: PAX Edition
6:00 PM: Gameranx Live LIVE @ PAX West 2019
7:30 PM: Mega64 FunnyPunk 2077
9:00 PM: Late Night Dub Fight
Saturday
10:30 AM: DRAGON QUEST® Then & Now – Echoes Through the Ages
12:00 PM: From Bastion to Hades: 10 Years of Supergiant Games
1:30 PM: Bringing the Characters of The Outer Worlds to Life
4:30 PM: HighRollers - The D&D Stream with real British accents!
6:00 PM: LoadingReadyRun!
7:30 PM: Jackbox Party PAX
9:00 PM: Kinda Funny’s Inter-Website Video Game Tournament 2019
Sunday
10:30 AM: Tabletop, Meet Digital: Navigating Today’s Board Game World
12:00 PM: From Screen to Team: When Content Creators Make Video Games
1:30 PM: Roll for Healing: Therapeutic Game Master Roundtable
3:00 PM: The Great PAX Bake-Off: Seattle
4:30 PM: SuperBoss
6:00 PM: A Fireside Chet: Watch a designer and journo possibly* fight
7:30 PM: AppJunkies Live: The Worst Games Ever Made
9:00 PM: Giant Bomb’s Variety Hour with Abby and Jan
Monday
10:30 AM: Development and Dungeons and Dragons
12:00 PM: A Journey through Games w/ GLaDOS and TF2’s Sniper
1:30 PM: Living the Dream: The Geek Shop Keep
3:00 PM: Retronauts: Super Metroid Vs. Symphony of the Night
4:30 PM: Retronauts: The Dreamcast 20th Anniversary Necromancy Jam
Friday
10:00 AM: G Fuel Showcase Featuring G-Squad
2:00 PM: Stream Stars 3
Saturday
10:00 AM: U.S. Army Esports Presents - The APEX Pub Stomp with Team Envy
12:00 PM: U.S. Army Esports Presents - The PAX Squad Showcase
Sunday
10:00 AM: Almost Pro $5k Open Qualifiers
Monday
10:00 AM: Almost Pro $5k Open Semis & Finals
Ten panels to catch at PAX West 2019
The 2019 installment of PAX West is right around the corner, and it’s going to be packed with gaming at every turn. If you’re still wondering what to do there, we’ve rounded up 10 fantastic panels taking place during the event. PAX West will be held at the Washington State Convention Center in Seattle from August 30 through September 2. There’s still a handful of tickets left for Monday (September 2) here.
Friday, August 30
Historical & Visual Transgender Representation in RPGs
Cat Theatre
12:30 p.m. - 1:30 p.m.
The tabletop industry has seen a rise in transgender representation, but there's still work to be done. This panel, which features voice actor Greyson Simon, journalist Kikka Delarose, Green Ronin Publishing game designer Crystal Frasier, and content creator Angela Lemus-Mogrovejo, will talk about what changes need to be made for more inclusion at the table.
Gaming while Other: accessibility, diversity, representation
Hippogriff Theatre
5 p.m. - 6 p.m.
When it comes to diversity in games, there's been a plethora of growth. Unfortunately, this kind of change doesn't happen overnight. A panel of industry personnel discuss how things can improve to broaden the level of diversity. Harebrained Schemes technical producer JC Lau, Ubisoft product marketing manager Andrien Gbinigie, I Need Diverse Games founder Tanya DePass, Take This clinical director Raffael Boccamazzo, and developer Cherry Thompson will be on hand for this panel.
The Best Damn Geek Bar Panel Ever
Sasquatch Theatre
6:30 p.m. - 7:30 p.m.
While they were far and few between back in the day, geek bars have been popping up all over the country. Bar owners Lynn Richter (Oak and Shield Gaming Pub), Dave Aceto (Arcadia National Bar), Jason Kapalka (Storm Crow), Edward Schmalz (Pawn and Pint), and John Morris (Mox Boarding House) talk about the ups and downs of running their businesses and give pointers for those looking to open their own in the future.
Saturday, August 31
VG247 Presents: So You Think You Can Act? Video Game Actors and a Casting Director will Rate Your Performance
Sphinx Theatre
1:30 p.m. - 2:30 p.m.
Have you ever played a video game and thought you could do a better job than the voice actors? Well, this panel allows you to read lines in front of some popular video game actors in the field. Along with casting director Julia Bianco Schoeffling, actors Cissy Jones (Firewatch), Sarah Elmaleh (For Honor), Jennifer Hale (Mass Effect), and Sam Lake (Max Payne) will be on hand to give pointers. The panel will be moderated by VG247 assistant editor Alex Donaldson.
Sound Design Live: Watch Us Recreate Video Game Sounds
Sasquatch Theatre
5 p.m. - 6 p.m.
Over the decades, video games have graced us with some of the most iconic sound effects. Whether its Mario collecting coins or a roundhouse kick in Street Fighter II, some of these sounds still stick with us today. Blipsounds owner Ryan Stunkel will showcase how its done while recreating some popular sound effects during this panel.
Sunday, September 1
From Screen to Team: When Content Creators Make Video Games
Raven Theatre
12 p.m. - 1 p.m.
After playing video games online, these content creators decided to make games of their own. Rooster Teeth co-founder Geoff Ramsey, Hyper RPG CEO Malika Lim Eubank, Sandbox Strategies Influencer Relations Clara Sia, and youtuber JackSepticEye talk about what it's like to be on the other side of things.
Beats to Play Games to: The Art of Game Music Remixes
Cat Theatre
3:30 p.m. - 4:30 p.m.
Video game remixes from outlets such as OC ReMix and Gamechops have often become more popular than their original compositions. Composers John “Slide20XX” Smith, Kyle Martin (Kylydian Music), Patrick Allred, and Mitchel Wong talk about what makes these remixes great while giving the crowd tips on crafting their own remixes.
Monday, September 2
USGamer Presents: The Twisted Timeline of Metal Gear Solid
Sphinx Theatre
10:30 a.m. - 11:30 a.m.
Are you confused with the perplexing storylines in the Metal Gear Solid franchise? Well, USGamer will help sort things in an hour! Joining USGamer reviews editor Mike Williams in this panel are Gameranx producer Tom Johnson, former Game Informer news editor Imran Khan, and Greenlit Content senior creative director Jeremy Parish.
GamesIndustry.biz Presents: So You Said Something Stupid On Social Media
Sphinx Theatre
12 p.m. - 1 p.m.
There's nothing like social media drama to kickstart the day. Many folks in the gaming world have found themselves in the center of a PR nightmare. This panel deals with the proper way to take care of a social media crisis. Joining GamesIndustry.biz staff writer Rebekah Valentine in this discussion are Stride PR CEO Robert Brown, The Story Mob comms director Will Powers, and Minecraft head of player operations Aubrey Norris.
Pitch a Board Game in 60 Seconds!!
Hippogriff Theatre
3:30 p.m. - 4:30 p.m.
Board games have been coming in hot over the years. If you have an idea for an exciting new game, this panel is for you. In a 60 second pitch, a group of industry personnel will determine if your game could be the next big thing. AEG chief operating officer Ryan Dancey, Catalyst Game Labs game designer Talon Coleman, Waitress Games game designer JR Honeycutt, Gold Nugget Games CEO Cody Thompson and Zephyr Workshop's Breeze Grigas (director) and Sarah Como (producer) will be on hand on hear your ideas.