I don’t quite think people appreciate how much I bloody love PAX. It started off as just something that I wanted to go to because it was a big international gaming convention that had made its way down to Melbourne, and I just wanted to be a part of that little slice of history. I got myself a day pass, and wandered around the Melbourne Showgrounds with a good work mate, Tim, and we played some video game demos, looked at some stuff, brought some merch and went home. It was a much smaller, intimate affair than what PAX has become now, but it was enough to plant the seed. These were my people and this was absolutely my place in the world.
Flash forward nearly ten years, and PAX is a fixture on the Melbourne Geek and Pop Culture Scene. It now occupies the entirety of Jeff’s Shed, and Melbourne itself is overwhelmed with lovers of gaming for three days – utterly embracing the chaos and everything that it entails. And then, of course, Melbourne (in particular) has felt the pinch of COVID for the past two years. Unsurprisingly, like every other major event on the calendar for the start of the 20s, it got moved to an online format which was ‘fine’, but … well … it’s just not PAX.
But it’s back, baby. PAX. IS. BACK.
Yes, it’s filled with people who need a decent shower, and yes, it is a breeding ground for disease and I am almost certain that I’ll need (and want!) to be vaxxed in quadruple before I set foot past the threshold, but there’s something about being surrounded by the blast of loud music, the lights of games, and the atmosphere of everyone just being among kindred spirits that you do not get with any other convention, event or activity – ever.
And so too, is this a good opportunity to fire up the gaming blog and start to warm up the writing muscles as I get ready to stretch the ol’ grey matter back into the world of gaming. Of course, I’ve never stopped gaming, but I’ve just stopped writing about it.
And that, dear reader, is a shame. A damn shame.
Am I going to write every day? Absolutely not. Will I try to write more though? Sure, I guess? What I’m expecting to do is write a little more on some of my tabletop endeavours – notably Dungeons and Dragons considering much of the pandemic has seen me create a homebrew world and successfully (by my account) lead a team of adventurers on a journey that is currently just broaching the Feywild. Look for more on this to come.
But even if I don’t write another word for another few months, you better believe I won’t be shutting up about PAX when it comes.
And I can’t bloody wait.
This is a Game Blog 