news details
PAX 2009 Wrap-Up
News
submitted
9/11/2009
Where to begin?! Penny Arcade Expo 2009 (PAX) was a blast, and Xbox LIVE Indie Games had a great showing. We had tons of press stop by, and the booth was packed nearly open to close! For those of you who attended PAX, thanks for stopping by! For those who couldn’t make it, here’s run-down of all the action:
Dream.Build.Play 2009 Winners
We announced the winners of this year’s Dream.Build.Play on September 5th at PAX; and for those who stopped by our booth, we had a People’s Choice vote for their favorite game. The top six finalists are:
1st Place: Dust: An Elysian Tail
2nd Place: Max Blastronaut
3rd Place: Rotor’scope – The Secret of the Endless Energy
4th Place: HurricaneX2 Evolution
5th Place: Sol Survivor
6th Place: Kaleidoscope
PAX People’s Choice Award
The voting was extremely close between Sol Survivor and Dust: An Elysian Tail. In the end, the winner of our PAX People’s Choice Award and $2,500 goes to…..Dust: An Elysian Tail! Thank you to everyone who stopped by our booth and voted!
Xbox LIVE Indie Games Texas Hold ‘Em Charity Event
Mitzi McGilvray, Executive Producer of Texas Hold ‘Em from TikGames, hung out in the booth on Saturday and was on hand to help with the charity event, and answer questions from fans and indie developers. Gamers were eager to join in on the action, and the charity event went off without a hitch! In the end, every participant received a 4GB Zune, and the winner, Adam Dileva, received a Xbox Elite, games, jersey and more, along with a donation in his name to Child’s Play Charity. Texas Hold ‘Em will be coming out on Xbox LIVE Indie Games by the end of September – stay tuned!
Hot Potato Online
The developers of Hot Potato Online were on hand at the event to answer questions and chat with other developers interested in making games. All their proceeds go to Child’s Play Charity, an organization set on improving the lives of children with toys and games in over 60 hospitals worldwide. Thank you Jean-François Pérusse and Thiéry Adam!
Panels
The two panels we thought would be particularly interesting to our indie developers went very well! There was a lot of good discussion – if any recordings are available, we’ll be sure to post!
A big thank you to all those who made PAX a success!
Dream.Build.Play 2009 Winners
We announced the winners of this year’s Dream.Build.Play on September 5th at PAX; and for those who stopped by our booth, we had a People’s Choice vote for their favorite game. The top six finalists are:
1st Place: Dust: An Elysian Tail
2nd Place: Max Blastronaut
3rd Place: Rotor’scope – The Secret of the Endless Energy
4th Place: HurricaneX2 Evolution
5th Place: Sol Survivor
6th Place: Kaleidoscope
PAX People’s Choice Award
The voting was extremely close between Sol Survivor and Dust: An Elysian Tail. In the end, the winner of our PAX People’s Choice Award and $2,500 goes to…..Dust: An Elysian Tail! Thank you to everyone who stopped by our booth and voted!
Xbox LIVE Indie Games Texas Hold ‘Em Charity Event
Mitzi McGilvray, Executive Producer of Texas Hold ‘Em from TikGames, hung out in the booth on Saturday and was on hand to help with the charity event, and answer questions from fans and indie developers. Gamers were eager to join in on the action, and the charity event went off without a hitch! In the end, every participant received a 4GB Zune, and the winner, Adam Dileva, received a Xbox Elite, games, jersey and more, along with a donation in his name to Child’s Play Charity. Texas Hold ‘Em will be coming out on Xbox LIVE Indie Games by the end of September – stay tuned!
Hot Potato Online
The developers of Hot Potato Online were on hand at the event to answer questions and chat with other developers interested in making games. All their proceeds go to Child’s Play Charity, an organization set on improving the lives of children with toys and games in over 60 hospitals worldwide. Thank you Jean-François Pérusse and Thiéry Adam!
Panels
The two panels we thought would be particularly interesting to our indie developers went very well! There was a lot of good discussion – if any recordings are available, we’ll be sure to post!
- “Breaking into the Game Industry the Educated Way” discussed the value of a game degree, what employers are looking for, and how to get the job of your dreams. Panelists included: Denise Novosel [Moderator] - (Staffing Manager IEB and E&D, Microsoft), Kim Swift (Game Designer, Valve Software), Kelvin Sung (Associate Professor Computing and Software Systems, University of Washington Bothell), Ron Jenkins (The Guildhall at SMU, Deputy Director), Joshua Hernandez (Producer, Metamorephosis)
- “What is an 'Indie Game'?” highlighted some great success stories about developers who’ve broken into the indie game industry, and educated those interested in developing games, what makes an indie game, and how to get your game out there. Panelists included: N'Gai Croal [Moderator] - (Consultant, Writer, Columnist, Hit Detection LLC), Boyd Multerer (XNA General Manager, Microsoft), Simon Carless (Chairman, Independent Games Festival), Derek Yu (Editor-In-Chief, The Independent Gaming Source) James Silva (President, Ska Studios), Mitzy McGilvray (Executive Producer, TikGames)
A big thank you to all those who made PAX a success!
