Hello, my name is Kuba. Aside from being aDark Soulsand RPG fan, I am also an indie game developer. And I’ve also been running my littledev-blogon theFextralifeforum.
Today, I would like to share with you all something special - a recap ofPAX West 2017. But, before we go any further there is one thing you need to know. The gaming events from the point of view of a developer are a bit different. You spend at least 10 hours a day at the show, but sadly you don’t get to play too many games.
However, the events from this perspective have their own unique charm. Personally, I love it and I would like to share some of my thoughts and feelings with you today :).
Paradigm Shift
Let’s start with how we got there. For a tiny indie studio like ours showcasing a game at PAX West. It wouldn’t be possible if not for theIndie Games Poland Foundation(IGP). Every year, IGP chooses the best indie games from around Poland to showcase at PAX West, andSoulblightwas one of those games this year :).
A couple of my indie friends were accepted as well, and so we decided to team up together and rent a house.
There were 7 of us: Piotrek & Paweł fromDigital Melodies(Timber Tenis), Tom fromCrunching Koalas(Mouse Craft), Sebastian fromTranshuman Design(Butcher), Rafał & Bartek fromLicht Hunt(Lichtspeer) and me (Soulblight).
I arrived in Seattle around noon of Aug. 30th, and the first thing was to meet up with the rest of the crew. The airport’s Starbucks was our meeting point. After almost 15 hours in the air we really needed a cup of coffee :D.
Afterwards, we were ready to move to our place. I have to admit that Tom, who organized it really outdone himself. Just look at that view!
The next day started with a visit toValve’s headquarters organized by IGP, where each of us had a few minutes to present their game. After that, we had an opportunity to speak with the people responsible for running the Steam Store. We talked about its current state and the store’s future.
By the way, there is this hugeDark Soulsstatuein the middle of Valve’s HQ - a real treat for a souls-fan like me :).
After our visit at Valve, we went to the PAX West convention center and the rest of the day was spent setting up our stands for the event. When the work was done, Maciek Miąsik invited us to chill out at his place. Maciek is one of the most experienced Polish game developers. He used to work inCD-Projekt Redas head of the production department during the development of theWitcher1&2. Now, he’s an indie developer (his gameBeat Copwas released this year).
We all like to refer to him as “The Pope of Polish Gamedev”, as he always has words of wisdom to share with us :). We were all really tired after an all days work on the stand, but how could we say “No” to an invitation from “The Pope” :). It was definitely a good decision though as the view itself was worth the trip :).
PAX West 2017!
On the next day it was time to start the festival. Throughout the entire event, our daily routine was pretty much the same. We woke up early in the morning, went to the convention center, worked at the stand; and then, when the day was over, we ran off to some new party :).
As I’ve said, not much time to check out any new games :), even though there were a ton of other attractions!
Also, when else do you get a chance to chat with people fromTeam 17(Worms! - I was raised on their games), and party with guys from11 Bit Studios(This War of Mine), or just bump into the developers (Digital Sun) of that game you’ve been waiting for (Moonlighter)?
