The Bad
1 – Steam Live is Good, Steam Video Isn’t
Steam gamers are familiar with Steam video and its inferior quality compared to other embedded videos online. While the live streaming content never stuttered on my end and went as close to seamlessly as live events go, the on-demand video is exactly what you’d expect from Steam video. If PAX Online reminded me of anything about the Steam client, it’s that they desperately need to update their video coding. With how many people may have made a Steam account just to attend PAX Online, I expected more from Steam in the video category.
2 – Not Quite the Same With COVID
As time goes on in 2020 and the reality of COVID sets in, it still hasn’t been lost on me how different everything has become. While it’s great how many people had access thanks to things going all digital this year, everything is nuanced and the inability to do these events and bring people together in person isn’t lost on me. We’re excited to always look at the latest and greatest games both independent and AAA, but nothing replaces the in-person experience so far.
3 – Lots Getting Lost in the Shuffle
During PAX Online, there was so much content being released, and a stacked schedule that demanded a lot of your time if you didn’t want to miss out. Part of this influx of content caused a lot of the indies to get lost in the shuffle and flew completely under the radar. Titles such as Smash Ball, Neko Ghost, Jump! and There Is No Light may have lost coverage that they would have otherwise gotten if everything was a little more organized. PAX Online was a brilliant way to bring more people to the indies, but a lot of the indies didn’t make it to people who they should have.
Click on through for the ugly…