Other big game nights out
Sitting comfortably in the middle of this year’s Melbourne International Games Week program, Federation Square became a haven for gamers, geeks and pop culture enthusiasts last night with the return of Big Game Night Out.
Following on from last year’s inaugural event, the all-ages event offers a near-immersive gaming night filled with cosplayers striding down the catwalk, live music, stage performances, and a myriad of accessible games. I did.
Attendees had the freedom to enjoy a plethora of latest releases, rhythm and dance favorites, retro arcade machines, adrenaline-pumping party classics, and tabletop and board games. True to its name, Big Game Night Out’s free game zone came to life in the dark and under the venue’s purposeful lighting, and the crowd grew noticeably after the day’s work reached its climax.
The main square features a lively line-up, with Star Wars-centric street performers The Base in Vader performing their signature bottom-end bouncy tunes and rotating rosters, while participants compete in a cosplay contest. People were seen showing off their costumes on the runway. ;For further audience participation, a game of Just Dance was held.
Horns were blaring throughout many of ACMI’s halls as an exhibit dedicated to Melbourne developer House House’s 2019 blockbuster Untitled Goose Game was on display. There, concept art and digitized design documents lined the walls, and the game itself could be played on several different screens.
Upstairs, in the Swinburne studio, a select collection of ACMI-selected games were available to play as part of the AGDA: ACMI Audience Award exhibit.
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Isolated from the casual hustle and bustle of the main gaming zone gatherings and hustle and bustle of the main stage, this space provided a casual respite for many attendees looking to chat about all things gaming pop culture. A series of Australian-made games were given a chance to shine compared to the fleeting presence of various Atrium titles.
Early on in the program, a special Dungeons and Dragons campaign will feature Siennan Muir, founder of creative Indigenous promoter Indiginado, who is Yorta Yorta and Ngarrindjeri, as Guild Master, and the Coulee Heritage Introduced by an all-Indigenous cast of the Gamin Guild within the Trust.
Attendees trickled in and out, with many in the front row keeping a close eye on the event. The event saw teams of four roleplayers and a dungeon master run a campaign in a relatively conversational tone against a backdrop of medieval regalia.
The world premiere of Blaktasia: Invasion of The Murk, the first Indigenous fantasy mobile game by Aboriginal-led studio GUCK, was touted as the evening’s featured highlight and appeared later in the program.
The grand unveiling itself preceded another performance by The Base in Vader, who at that point in the night could be considered veterans of Big Game Night Out. Another twenty minutes passed between Vader’s appearance and the scheduled start of Bractasia Universe, but the crowd had grown considerably by the time the program’s highlights began.
As the stage lights dimmed and Bractasia’s title card spread across the center screen, there was a palpable sense of anticipation in the audience. Includes a rousing performance by Gunaikurunai Gumleaf performer Uncle Herb Patten, followed by a joyous rendition of Sonia Dada’s You Don’t Treat Me No Good by Robert K. Champion and the Bractasia Band. , a frenetic but short-lived set ensued.
The game’s mission and its connection to the land and country were made clear by the voice-over explanation that begins the program’s centerpiece. Following the introduction of Blaktasia, there was another iteration of Just Dance.
Big Games Night Out is a celebration of Australian games and culture and could be a valuable addition to the 10-year-old MIGW organization.
This event has the potential to become an even bigger After Dark event, a joyful tribute to the local gaming scene’s place on the world stage, and if we can continue to focus on Indigenous peoples. It would be an important step towards recognizing the too-often culture. It is overlooked in the digital space as well as in the physical space.
