10 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

Dungeons & Drag Queers

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

Next Gen Composers Arise!

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.

Vampire: The Court of Cups

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

New Games, Old Consoles

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.

The best Twitch streams to watch this week (September 7 - September 13)

Whether you’re in the mood for eSports action or want to see a great TTRPG session, countless streamers have been showcasing their skills on Twitch. We showcase some Twitch streams worth checking out this week (September 7 - September 13).

Friday, September 11

CS:GO - ESL Pro League - 3 p.m. EST/12 p.m. PST

Cloud 9 and Triumph will battle it out on stream for an explosive CS:GO match. Cloud 9 is one of the most popular CS:GO teams with wins at tournaments such as iBUYPOWER Masters 2017 and the 2015 RGN Pro Series Championship. Triumph has been on the rise this year with second place victories at WINNERS League Season 4 and Mythic Summer Series Cup 1. Last month, they won the grand prize at the ESEA MDL Season 33 North America Finals. You can watch the stream here.

Saturday, September 12

PAX Online - PAX - 1:00 p.m. EST/10 a.m. PST

From September 12 through September 20, PAX Online will take over Twitch with an endless schedule of panels. A deeper look into these panels will be released soon. Head here for more information on how to watch on all three PAX Twitch channels.

Lady Dottie and the Diamonds - Casbah Live SD - 11:30 p.m. EST/8:30 p.m. PST

Lady Dottie and the Diamonds will have a special livestream inside The Casbah in San Diego, California. The blues band will perform a slew of covers and original songs from their discography. Their last release was their 2008 self-titled studio album. You can watch the stream here.

Sunday, September 13

13-Hour Marathon Special - Outpost 13 - 2 p.m. EST/11 a.m. PST

Outpost 13 will celebrate their community with a special 13-hour marathon on Twitch. Things kick off at 11 a.m. PST with Where You At? with special guest Mirage Thrams. At 12:30 p.m. PST, Coding Koans takes over to teach viewers how to code with host Ian Carroll and special guest Arlo Sanders. At 2 p.m. PST, Rolling Homies will take the stage with host Santina Muha interviewing wheelchair users. At 4 p.m. PST, viewers will be treated with the game show 2 Liars, which forces contestants to determine who's telling the truth.

A state of Outpost 13 will go down on at 5 p.m. PST. At 6 p.m. PST, Friend Fiction, which features hosts Lissette Jean-Marie and Michelle King, will deliver some NSFW discussion about beloved fictional characters. At 8 p.m.PST, Pick Up Game will arrive. The event ends with Made Up Music at 9:30 p.m. PST. Arlo Sanders and Alex Caan will make up a brand new song with the help of the Twitch chat. You can watch the stream here.

Together For Beirut 24-Hour Livestream - Beatport - 1:00 p.m. EST / 10:00 a.m. PST

Beatport will hold their second Together For Beirut 24-hour livestream with a slew of producers ready to throw down for charity. Donations will go to Impact Lebanon supporting local essential NGOs such as the Lebanese Red Cross, arcenciel.aec, and music and arts related charities in Beirut. The stream can be viewed here. Donations towards the campaign can be made here. So far, Beatport has raised around $42,000 of its $100,000 goal.