 |
| Secret of Monkey Island cover art with Ron Gilbert's creator credit |
What PAX Australia means for Melbourne is
represented best in how it affects one gamer because we all have a shared or
similar experience. When I played Secret
of Monkey Island as a child it blossomed into a love for video games, and
not just for the end product but also for the creators, developers, and
evolution of a game. The fantasy, the story and the interactivity offered an
element that other forms of media couldn’t achieve.
As I grew up and I was able
to access the Internet and play games like Zelda and Mario on new consoles like
N64 and Playstation 2 which only led my love to grow. For a long time I wanted
to be involved in the industry as a writer or producer but in the last several
years the Australian game industry has changed. Recently publishers like
Take-Two, THQ and SEGA have withdrawn from the country due to costs and
Melbourne based developers Blue Tongue Entertainment and Big Ant Studios have
shut down in reaction. The majority of developers are now independents like
Halfbrick and Firemonkey Studios that have succeeded by selling to the mobile
market, but other that are aimed at consoles and the PC platform struggle to
find an audience.
Although my future career was somewhat stifled, my interest
in video games continued and when Penny Arcade announced their highly regarded
and overly popular PAX series on conventions was stopping in not only Australia
but also Melbourne I rejoiced. The PAX name bought with it the chance to test
out the latest consoles from Microsoft and Sony, play the future releases from
EA, Activision and Ubisoft, and enjoy other forms of gaming such as tabletop,
board, and cards. Furthermore the exhibition has a central focus on Australian
independent developers and giving them an audience not only in Australia but
worldwide. Finally it, also, fulfills this gamers chance to see Ron Gilbert,
the creator of Secret of Monkey Island,
open what hopes to be the start on a new age in Melbourne, and Australia, games
development.
