Australian Gamer Game Event :: SupaNova Brisbane 2007

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SupaNova Brisbane 2007

Romi's impressions of SupaNova Brisbane 2007, including Matt and Yug hosting the main stage panels.

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I had never been to a convention before and had my doubts about this one � at first, it sounded like a pop culture event, and that held no interest for me, but I soon found out that it was actually full of manga, comics and geeks. And I wasn�t sure which one I�d have preferred.

To one extent, I love anime and geeky things � but I have my limit. Of course, I like to think of myself as an open-minded person, so when the opportunity came up to cover the event for Australian Gamer, I decided to accept the challenge and head along to the event for 2 action packed days. Not to mention the fact that Ron Glass (also known as Shepard Book) was going to be there.

So was it worth it?

Maybe. But it really depends on what you�re looking for�

It�s a funny thing, being someone capable of managing the schedules of other people, yet being a last minute person when it comes to my own life. I think there are times to be prepared, and times when I prefer a little pressure. But getting into Supanova, as disorganised as we�d managed to be, was relatively easy. I knew it was at some show grounds, near where the Ekka was supposed to be (another event that I haven�t been to � I�m not very social, am I?). I also knew it started at 10am and that my pass had been already organised. But what I didn�t know was Yug�s phone number�

So on the morning of Day 1, I drove around, searching for the entrance to this venue. With a vague idea of where it was� and a huge line of excited anime fans dressed up in all kinds of whacky costumes, it really wasn�t too hard to find.

Crowds of people packed into the local Brisbane Exhibition halls

So, all I needed was some way to prove my identity as a member of the media� and claim my tickets. Yug�s phone number would have really come in handy� but he was already well inside the venue, probably hosting one of his early presentations. Ah well, with some confident smiles and persuasive talking (hooray for experience dealing with publishers!) I managed to talk my way inside (Oh... and thanks Yug, for thinking to put my name on the guest list!).

Once safely inside... err, let me rephrase; Once inside, I was immediately overwhelmed by how busy the convention had already shown to be � people were taking this thing seriously! There were stalls crammed full with all kinds of comic books and novelty toys, the lecture hall was packed with people, and the amount of trouble that fan-boys and girls had gone to with their costumes� well, just let me say that they are braver than I am!

At first, I didn�t really know what to expect, but then I realised there were some really cool things around. For one, the game development industry had a presence � and I�m all for promoting it. We had a stand there for Krome, and I know that other studios did too, like Pandemic, Auran, THQ and Creative Assembly. It would be nicer to see more companies around in time - it�s a good chance for people to see what games are being developed right here in Australia.

Yug, Matt, Romi and Ben take a time out

After a short walk around the busy warehouse, I managed to bump into Matt and Yug � apparently Yug had messaged me (just like I�d messaged him) some time before the convention� but being in the middle of moving house and with limited net connection, our communication was somewhat limited. It�s strange how everything went so smoothly, despite all the potential hiccups.

Maybe it was something air, because everyone there was so cheerful� and just plain excited to be there. Or maybe we were all just taking a lesson from the smoothest of them all; Mr Billy Dee Williams (also known as Lando Calrissian!).

"Why, you slimy, double-crossing, no-good swindler."

Did I mention that I�m working on a Star Wars game? I think it�s been publicly announced. But now that you know, you can understand why seeing him live was going to be one of the highlights of the event � I mean, Lando�s THE man. Or at least I think he was � I�m a bit young and he�s a bit before my time and mostly wanted to talk about his painting and fragrances.

So maybe I didn�t understand all the fuss around Billy Dee, but with Firefly being one of my favourite TV series ever, I certainly understood the character that was Shepard Book, played by the very charismatic Ron Glass. Watching him on stage was absolutely the best part of the day � he was funny, confident, and surprisingly humble. He even inspired me to buy my first comic (Firefly, none the less) and it�s the first time I�ve ever wanted an autograph from a celebrity. We even talked for like, 5 minutes - I found out he likes crispy bacon. How�s that for a fact?

Ron Glass put on an enjoyable performance

There were some other brilliant talks � some were even hosted by our very own Matt and Yug.

Myself and Matt had the responsibility of chairing the game industry panels on the Saturday at SupaNova (we would have done Sunday as well, but Saturday night was my birthday party, and I think we can all agree I would have been in no state to be standing, let along chairing a panel).

For those of you that missed them, here is a brief overview of each panel: Getting into the Games Industry - How to build a successful career in games

Penny Sweetser (Creative Assembly), Penny Drennan (QUT), Adrian Moore (Pandemic Studios), Tony White (Qantm)

The conversations mainly focused on how to get into the gaming industry, as Penny and Tony diplomatically promoted the respective QUT and Qantm courses, while Penny and Adrian focused on how important skills and a portfolio are initially, and how the local game developers look upon new talent.

The future of electronic gaming. Where is it going?

John Passfield (Pandemic), Rob Davis (Pandemic), Ross Brown (QUT), Scott Knight (Bond)

Discussing everything from current consoles, future consoles, virtual reality, and game design vs graphics, the panel of experienced professionals offered insightful views and opinions and answered many questions from the audience - definately the most packed panel of the day.

Why a games character works (including announcement of art comp winners)

Joseph Hewitt (Auran), Lachlan Creagh (Pandemic Studios), Rahni Tucker (THQ), Steven Russell (THQ)

The last panel for the day was rather laid back, as some talented individuals from local studios discussed why fat plumbers work as game characters, and what goes on behind the scenes at game developers when they come up with ideas for game characters. They also judged the art competition and explained why the winning entries were picked, much to the delight of the winners in the audience.

One of the events that I didn�t get to see (because of my desire to see Ron Glass) was the cos-play awards � but given the size of the venue, I�m sure that I�d seen most of the people walking around. Some people had put a decent amount of work into their outfit, while others were clearly stringing a few dodgy pieces of fabric together. The most memorable included a sexy Night Elf, a leather-clad Catwoman, and a transsexual Barbie.

After an interesting day drifting around the venue, I decided it was time to wrap things up. A few friendly handshakes and hugs later, and I�d managed to escape, with a bag of pamphlets and vouchers, a Firefly comic and an autograph. I�d seen pretty much everything the venue had to offer� and was it worth it? Possibly.

Romi not sure if she'll be making it back the next day

I was supposed to head back for another day of wandering the convention, listening to the same topics of discussion, seeing a few more anime-fans come out of their shells� and see the same booths again. And as exciting as that sounds, it wasn�t really enough to justify the hour long drive. With thanks to Frith, our photographer, we had plenty of piccies� now I only had to find the time to write the recount of my adventures. So here it is, maybe a little overdue, but here is my honest opinion.

For the pure anime/manga/comic lover, there were plenty of kooky toys and rare collectables. The Supanova hosts did a fantastic job organising the convention, and they managed to pull some great celebrity names and offered some great support for Queensland Games development.

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