It is now day three of PAX East 2024 in Boston, Massachusetts. Today was sold out and the Exhibit Hall was packed, but that didn’t stop the Boss Rush Network team. Games were played, business cards were exchanged, and conversations were had. Here are our highlights for PAX East 2024 on Saturday, March 23, 2024.
This year, Boss Rush Network has expanded its coverage with a seven-person team: Corey (Chief Executive Officer), Ed (Vice President), David (Editor in Chief), Stephanie (Chief Content Officer), Pat (Podcaster), Courty (Podcaster / Streamer), and Mary Helen (Senior Copy Editor). Each day, we’ll share our highlights from all the action at PAX East; you can also find more PAX East coverage of news, games, and culture here.
Corey (CEO)
Day three of PAX East was the most exciting for me by a wide margin. The day started with Ed, Courty, and I interviewing a longtime creator and friend, Asa GreenRiver, about Borderline Entertainment and his strong message promoting Indigenous People in the games industry.
After that, we went to the show floor to check out Robots at Midnight, a beautiful game similar to Zelda, featuring light crafting and combat like Souls games. The gameplay was great, and the use of Unreal Engine 5 really made the environments, lighting effects, and boss designs stand out. Our discussion with David Posner, the co-founder and CEO of Finish Line Games, was also very informative and guided us through the experience.
I also got to meet many gaming icons I’ve looked up to over the years, including Larry Herb, known for his role as Xbox Live’s Major Nelson, former members of the Giant Beastcast Vinny Caravella, Jeff Bakalar, and Abby Russell, and influencers like Amanda VanHeil from Zelda News.
Day three was the best yet, and I’ll be sad when it’s all over. These last three days have really shown me that I chose the right people to create something great with, and that’s the biggest highlight of the weekend for me.
Ed (VP)
Today’s adventure was quite chill but thrilling nonetheless. I got to play Chicken Police: Into The Hive and was laughing my tail off at the great writing and comedic timing in this noir-style pet-detective adventure game. A murder has been committed and it’s up to the player to solve who did it and why. The thing about it is, the cast are all animals, and you are a chicken with a human body. It’s wacky and compelling at the same time.
I got to talk to David Goodwine who is a former game developer from Electronic Arts, who currently teaches at the Academy Of Arts University. We talked about the history of the school, feedback to students from players, and the return to indie games.
Lastly, having dinner with the whole Boss Rush Network Crew. I joined Corey, David, Stephanie, Mary, Courty, Pat, special guest Greysun from Game Rant; we had a lovely dinner and a memorable moment together to celebrate all the work we did at Pax East and to just have fun talking about games, the people we met, and the ones we socialize with. Truly, being around this crew made this trip worth it all.
One more thing: The Art Director for Fera was awesome to talk to about his work and passion (and he was SUPER HOT!!!)
David (EIC)
Day three of PAX East is always a good opportunity for the unplanned. After two days of appointments and can’t-miss big releases, the time comes to walk the convention floor and wait for serendipity to strike. Today, I found two games I’m hyped for.
The first was Venture To The Vile, a 2.5-D metroidvania set in a fantastical Victorian England. The game played smoothly, and the artwork is gripping. I will definitely be purchasing this one when it becomes available.
The second game I discovered today was Apogee’s Littlelands, a toy-like chibi-fusion of The Legend of Zelda: Link’s Awakening (2018) and Animal Crossing: New Horizons. The game is adorable and plays like a traditional top-down Zelda, but with the added sim elements that are part of mainline and side quests. Sadly, the game is still a ways off from being finished. I’ll be on the watch for this one!
Stephanie (CCO)
Although I took it easy on appointments today, I still had a very fulfilling time on the third day at PAX East. It started with waiting patiently to play the Fallen Aces demo (the longest line I waited in all weekend). It did not disappoint, as I smashed my way through goons in this comic-book-style crime-noir title. Better yet, I had a fantastic time chatting with the team behind Fallen Aces, and I look forward to the final product.
After that, I spent more of the time wandering the floor. I was able to discover many great indie games that way including Sorry We’re Closed and Everafter Falls, both published by Akupara Games. I also briefly spoke with Thermite Games, and although they didn’t have a demo for The Bustling World, we exchanged contacts, so I may further learn about this game filled with Chinese art and architecture.
Lastly, Pat and I got to sit down and chat with Kimchica from Kepler Interactive. Although the camcorder died at some point, we had great conversations and laughs. It is always a great time to connect with someone as wonderful as Kimchica.
Pat (CGO)
Today I really only played games. I finished up where Steph left off on the Fallen Aces demo, and then I went back to Toge Productions and played with their tactical RPG mech game called Kriegsfront Tactics, both of which were really fun. The games weren’t what stood out for me today, however; it was watching several people have their “Ben Starr” moment. Steph and I had our “Ben Starr” moment when we met the man himself at Starbucks, and we both felt a fulfillment that we met a person we really wanted to see at PAX.
Today, I got to watch Corey have his moment by meeting his idols, the Giant Bomb podcast team, and then again with Major Nelson. I also got to set up Lala the Social Media Manager for Toge Productions with her long-time idol Kimchica. What she didn’t know was the Kimchica really wanted to meet Lala as well.
It was a very beautiful moment with lots of excitement, lots of compliments, and lots of tears being held back. For me, PAX hasn’t been simply about the games, but more about the connections that I have made. I have met some really amazing people this year, and I’m already excited for the next time I see them again!
Courty (Podcast / Streams)
I was a man on the mission wanting to know how fun PAX felt for everyone else. So I scoped the expo hall running in to content creators and cosplayers all around. I had such a blast doing this–might honestly do more of these outside of PAX, definitely a fun way to mingle with people and hear what they thought!
Mary Helen (CE)
Day 3 was a bit chaotic. I haven’t been in a crowd like that since before the pandemic; and despite knowing how crazy it was, it was great seeing all of the cosplayers.
One of my favorite moments of the day was a conversation with Joseph Telesk of Guardians Mental Health. As someone who’s been working through mental health issues, hearing about the work they are doing is amazing. I’m excited to continue to learn more and be a better advocate for a cause that’s important to me.
Have you been to PAX East? Share your highlights from this year or years past in the comments below! You can also join in the conversation on Boss Rush Network’s Discord, Twitter, and Facebook.
The Boss Rush Podcast – A Podcast About Video Games
The Boss Rush Podcast is the flagship podcast of The Boss Rush Network and Boss Rush Media. Each week, hosts Corey Dirrig, Stephanie Klimov, LeRon Dawkins, and Pat Klein come together with their friends, colleagues, and fellow creators to talk about their week in video games, discuss industry topics, conduct interviews, answer listener questions, and more. New episodes every Monday. Get each episode one week early and more perks over on the Boss Rush Network Patreon page.
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