C&G’s Guide to Melbourne International Games Week
The latest festival to land in Melbourne is International Games Week, where Australian and international gaming communities will gather to celebrate technology, culture… and games! This event was established in 2017 by Creative Victoria as an initiative to foster local talent and build international connections. It is now the Asia Pacific’s largest gathering of digital game celebration and innovation. We’ve highlighted our most anticipated events in this C&G blog, but they only scratch the surface of this exciting one-week festival. Yes, that’s right – one week! MIGW will be running from 5 to 13 October – check out the full schedule here so you don’t miss out on your favourite activity!
True Crime Mysteries: Misadventures in Little Lon
Looking to test your crime solving skills? At a sweet price of $4.99 this is definitely worth a crack! How does it work, you may ask? Gather a group of friends or family, download the game from your app store, and head to the Victorian State Library to begin. You can actually play anywhere and anytime, but it’s designed to interact with Melbourne’s exciting heritage sites. The city we know and love will be transformed to its 1910 red light district version, and it’s up to you to solve the true mystery of Ernest Gunter’s demise. This is also the first time augmented reality and true crime have joined forces to create a new and exciting form of entertainment. More details can be found here.
Exclusive Talks and Presentations
Games and contemporary culture certainly go hand in hand. A number of contemporary and cultural topics will be discussed, including: Emperor’s New Woes: Why are we ignoring fashion in games? from Creative Victoria’s Creative Exchange, and Women & Non-binary Gamers Club presented by ACMI. These are perfect if you have time to spare and don’t mind soaking up interesting cultural conversation with industry experts. You can find links to each event here, as well as how to book your tickets.
Games Week will conclude with Australia’s biggest gaming convention PAX Australia, which will be taking up residence at the Melbourne Convention Centre from 11 to 13 October. Many attendees will be dressed up in cosplay costumes, but it is also acceptable to go as your wonderful self! The convention connects game publishers with fans and industry professionals. There are some notable showcases such as the Indie Showcase Panel and Pax Rising which champions independent game developers by providing a platform in an otherwise competitive environment. The casual gamer may enjoy talks on who’s the best game villain or lengthy Settlers of Catan tournaments for board game enthusiasts. You can decide which day is convenient, or purchase a badge for all three days – ticket registrations can be found here. It’s one jam-packed event so you might be better off downloading the app to keep on top of the busy schedule!