Picture is: a 100-ish square foot LCD stage, red dodgeballs, video game rules, and streamers going head to head. That’s what happened at PAX Aus 2024 during the Red Bull Gameball Royale. So what is a gameball royale, and what went down at the Melbourne Exhibition Centre during PAX Aus 2024?
What is the Red Bull Gameball Royale?
First played in Germany last year, the Red Bull Gameball Royale hit Australia’s shores at PAX Aus 2024. Gameball Royale is designed to introduce elements of both physical sport and digital video games. Powered by technology, this makes for a really fun game, both to watch and to participate.
Think dodgeball, but with elements of gaming. The same dodgeball rules apply, such as if you hit a player with a ball, they are out. If a player is hit with a ball, but they catch the ball, then the thrower is out. The same applies if another player on the same team catches the ball before the ball hits the ground. Players can also get out their opponents by forcing them out of bounds. Dodgeball is taken to the next level with some video game-like inclusions, such as:
- The playing field shrinks after two minutes of play. It’ll continue to shrink for 30 seconds
- An “Extra Ball” icon appears on the floor, and whoever steps on it first will gain an extra ball for their team
- A “Revive” icon appears on the floor, and whoever steps on it first can bring a player back on their side of the field
In order to make the dodgeball aspect as authentic as possible, the Australian Dodgeball Federation was in attendance at the Red Bull Gameball Royale. The Federation was responsible for umpiring matches, and providing breakdown analysis of gameplay.
Who competed?
Fans had the opportunity to participate in fun scrimmages across the three days of PAX Aus 2024. What ticket holders were most excited for was the live tournament, featuring their favourite streamers. Top Australian gaming icons were selected to captain teams and compete against one another. The Redbull Gameball Royale got them out of their Fortnite and Call of Duty comfort zones to compete against one another in physical sport.
The streamers who were selected to captain the teams included Kathleen “Loserfruit” Belsten, Lachlan “Lachlan” Power, Grace “IAMFALLFROMGRACE” Short, and Elliott “Muselk” Watkins. Alongside these well-known captains, many other Australian streamers joined them. We were lucky enough to chat to some of the captains to get their thoughts on the Red Bull Gameball Royale.
Physical sport and video gaming
This isn’t the first time something like this has happened. In 2019, Fortnite, ESL, and the Australian Open teamed up to run Fortnite at the international tennis competition. Loserfruit was part of the live streamed Fortnite competition then, and also had the opportunity to try her hand at tennis with some of the pros. Being a super keen tennis player herself, she excelled. Now she’s in the Red Bull Gameball Royale, and “into” dodgeball, having played it for the first time in this competition.
What did streamers think when Red Bull approached them?
After holding the first Gameball Royale in Germany, Red Bull wanted to bring the event to Australia. When Loserfruit was first approached about the idea she said “it sounded like fun. We don’t do enough competitive sports, so let’s get everyone off their computers [and compete]”. In contrast IAMFALLFROMGRACE was so excited about the prospect of combining physical sports with video gaming.
[This event] is honestly a dream. I’m always trying to bring that cross over of fitness vs. gaming, and show that gamers aren’t that stereotype you see online. Having Red Bull behind it is awesome because they have such a close connection to athletes, and we’re connected to the best athletes in the world.
Lachlan had a similar experience. He said that when Red Bull approached him he “was so down! This has been in the works for a while now […] I love any physical activity with streamers and content creators. Take them out of their normal environment and do something physical and it’s really fun, stoked this is happening!”
Did streamers train for the dodgeball competition?
Loserfruit admitted she and her team hadn’t done much training, only “playing a little bit of paddle”, a tennis-like sport that suits her well. She did add that she would be making sure “everyone is going to warm up, because [she didn’t] want anyone to get injured”. Lachlan and his team were in a similar boat, “not really” doing any training “just doing runs and stuff to keep fit […] we’re just going in using our high school dodgeball experience and hope it gets us across the line”.
Again in contrast, IAMFALLFROMGRACE proudly proclaimed that her team was “taking it the most seriously” out of the teams. She even organised professional training sessions with the Australian dodgeball team.
What skills can gamers bring to physical sport?
Playing physical sport myself, and also being a gamer, I often take a lot of skills and tactics from physical world sport and apply it in-game, and vice versa. I wanted to see if other streamers had similar experiences. Loserfruit said “it’s the competitive strategic energy—or maybe the rage issues *giggles*” that she takes from gaming and is applying to the dodgeball tournament. Along with “staying calm” in tense situations, similar to her being Fortnite Top 10, and being able to stay calm under pressure on the court.
IAMFALLFROMGRACE had a slightly different take, saying the “gamification” aspect is key to playing the game. “In games, you have lots of things popping up at you and you have to be aware. The gameball arena is a bit like that as well with the powerups and being aware of the zone coming in. The battle royale aspect is really cool, and needing to be so aware of [your surroundings] is really important”. During trainings, IAMFALLFROMGRACE added that “finding the teams’ strength is the number one thing we did. Who’s got the good throws, who’s good at dodging, who’s going to be watching out for the power ups, and the floor, and that’s very similar to games. You get a squad of people in Apex or Diablo, and you figure out who’s the healer, who’s what roles. Finding each other’s strengths and playing into those rather than trying to turn someone’s arm throw into the best throw […] you can absolutely marry gaming and fitness.”
Lachlan echoed these thoughts, saying “squad communication […] having a strategy for how we’re going to approach things as a team – we have roles for each player, leaning into their strengths, and communication is key.” He said he and his team had built a few key strategies they were hoping to employ in the games. Practice games on Friday made it possible to devise these strategies ready for the big competition on the Saturday.
What was the vibe like?
Loserfruit said the dodgeball warm up and exhibition matches on the Friday were “actually so fun!” She added the crowd “love it” too. She said getting used to the ‘floor’ was difficult at first, but after a good run on Friday she had it down and “was going to get every single power up”. If you watched the games, you’ll know she did just that! Lachlan also added that he was loving the way the floor and the power ups worked, explaining “it adds an extra layer […] and it allows people who aren’t as good at throwing to still contribute value to the team.”
The crowd seemed to love the competition there was lots of anticipation. “We haven’t even started, and already people are piling in, trying to get a good seat” remarked Lachlan still an hour away from the first match on “a packed Saturday at PAX Aus”.
What’s next?
IAMFALLFROMGRACE echoed the sentiments above saying “This weekend has been an amazing test at seeing how general consumers respond to having a physical event at PAX. So it’s something we haven’t really seen. I think Red Bull are really brave for trying to get the consumers involved, and honestly the floor has been pumping all weekend with people giving it a go. They aren’t worried about getting sweaty, they are just out there having fun with it, and I’d love to see something like this next year… maybe obstacle course, Ninja Warrior style, but easier!”
Whilst IAMFALLFROMGRACE wants to see people try their hand at obstacle courses, Loserfruit says she’d love to see Red Bull try other sports too and gave ideas such as balloon tennis, four square, basketball, indoor football, or even volleyball. Lachlan said “anything competitive [is great]. Gaming at the end of the day is all about competing, but I think [the Red Bull Gameball Royale] shares that common value of competitiveness. People came to see their favourite streamers and content creators”. He did add however that he had “thought about it a lot, and dodgeball is a good one.” So we might see more dodgeball at future PAX Aus events.
Loserfruit and her team won the first Red Bull Gameball Royale at PAX Aus. Hopefully we see it return for future years. In the meantime, if you missed the Red Bull Gameball Royale, watch the full video on Twitch.
