11 great panels to hit at PAX Aus 2024

PAX Australia is just a few weeks away once again (11-13 October), and the schedule is live. Scouring the lists can get pretty overwhelming, especially for first timers. The show floor is an awesome spectacle, the indie games are inspiring, and the thousands of tables for playing games with friends have a gravitational force all their own that can have you wondering where the day went.

The main Expo Hall is also looking very strong once again, with Bandai Namco, Bethesda, Blizzard, Final Fantasy, SEGA, Square Enix, Steam, The Sims, Ubisoft... plus Devolver and Massive Monster hosting ACTUAL LIVE WEDDINGS at the show in a Cult of the Lamb Temple. Incredible. Plus hands on with great gaming hardware from Asus, LG, Samsung, MSI, Secretlab, and loads more. It's stacked.

But for me, the best of PAX is tucked away in the many theatre spaces all over the convention centre. There are always dozens of incredible sessions where smart and experienced industry talents share their wisdom with the rest of us. Or tell us amazing stories about their journey through the scene. Or just give us all a chance to gather for laughs with friends.

So to help guide the way, I've scoured the schedule for some of the best panel sessions across the three days of PAX Australia. Remember you can download the app and build your own schedule – the app even sends reminders if you want it to so you don't miss anything you planned to see before the rest of the show dazzles your senses.

FRIDAY

Meet the students changing the game: How to go from the classroom to Steam!
Friday, 2.30pm, Kookaburra Theatre
Hear from students who have had success in the Australian STEM Video Game Challenge, with one past winner sharing his journey of taking his concept from the competition all the way to a launch on Steam. This will be huge for anyone, student or beyond, to learn about taking ideas all the way to launch.

How to be a Content Creator without Streaming
Friday, 6.30pm, Dropbear Theatre
There's often a lot about streaming, so this one stands out for those who want to focus on the non-live areas of content – podcasts, YouTube, and other socials. Plenty of folks who are doing it for real will be here to share their knowledge.

But I Can Fix Him: Putting video game villains on trial
Friday, 7.00pm, Fruitbat Theatre
A great crew of journalists / broadcasters / streamers are set to have a lot of fun arguing in defence of the hottest, most charismatic villains. Sounds like a great time, especially after a visit to the pub next door.

SATURDAY

Robert Hartley GM presents D&D Death Roulette
Saturday, 10.30am, GenerOzity Wombat Theatre
A mass of D&D content folks will be live on stage getting killed off by audience donations to the GenerOzity charity. Will the story progress or will it just all fall apart within minutes? As long as we raise money, does it even matter?

So You Want To Be A Voice Actor?
Saturday, 3.00pm, Main Theatre
The line up of voice acting talent looks amazing (like Mark Meer (see Sunday below) popping in here too!). Hear from some of the best around to learn how to get started and carve your path.

Cosplay Iron Chef
Saturday, 5.00pm, Main Theatre
I've watched one of these sessions in past years and it's amazing to see top class cosplayers get forced to speed build while being Q&A'd about their skills and war stories from the industry. Chaos crafting energy in the best possible way.

The Dark Room (MA 15+)
Saturday, 9.00pm, Main Theatre
A live interactive video game choose your adventure comedy action experience where the winner gets cash? But mostly everybody just dies? There is no explaining what John Robertson does. You just have to see it for yourself. This has been a staple Saturday night hit for years now and it is a MUST SEE. You will not regret it... though you could regret sitting close to the stage...

SUNDAY

Gaming While "Old": Being Middle-Aged (and Older) on the Internet
Sunday, 10.30am, Kookaburra Theatre
Feeling a little out of touch with 'the kids' but still love your nerd lifestyle? This seems like a great session that will be both fun and maybe even a little insightful on being "visibly middle-aged on the Internet" for stramers and industry veterans.

Fireside with Mark Meer
Sunday, 12.00pm, Main Theatre
The iconic voice of Commander Shepard, amongst many, many other roles, is here to have a chat about his career in the industry. Should be an amazing session.

Dungeons IN Dragons (MA 15+)
Sunday, 1.00pm, Owlbear Theatre
A comedy session as a party tries to escape a dungeon in the belly of a dragon while slowly being digested? Sounds fun. There's a mass of D&D sessions all weekend in this special Owlbear theatre, so if D&D is your jam check out all the listings for this stage.

One-Shot Wonders: Writing D&D 5e one-shot adventures
Sunday, 4.30pm, Dropbear Theatre
There's a LOT of great panels for D&D nerds this year, and for DMs who want tips on writing great one-shot sessions why not learn from a team that has run "over 400 one-shots" to learn their template for building a great session.