Game Break

Hit “pause” on the madness by visiting the SXSW Gaming Expo, open to the public

It’s easy to pick on the madness that the annual SXSW Interactive/Music/Film conference creates — for visitors and locals alike. The crush of conferences, panels and parties is overwhelming, while making employees of downtown businesses dread their daily commute.

While the conference has become so massive, it really does offer something for anyone. The Interactive portion, usually associated as ground zero for hot apps (Twitter, Foursquare), has spun off a selection of topics that anyone from age four to 94 can get into — games.

The Gaming Expo, sponsored by Nintendo, offers weary attendees the opportunity to escape downtown for some gaming fun. Also, this is one of the few official portions of SXSW that doesn’t require a badge. Anyone who wants to get a taste of the conference is invited into the Palmer Events Center March 8 - March 10 for a leisurely look at what’s hot in the gaming industry.

Think of this expo as a conference mashed up with San Diego Comic Con and a real-world LinkedIn Group. For people looking to break into the gaming industry, there are panels with top game designers and publishers, as well as social situations for networking. Cosplay is in abundance, as are showcases for comics, toys and traditional board and card games. It’s for hardcore and casual gamers, no matter if you’re into Assassin’s Creed, World of Warcraft or Yar’s Revenge.

Just like SXSW Interactive, there are insightful key panels. Go into the back story behind the rebooted Tomb Raider game in the Tomb Raider - Rebirth of an Icon session. Austin-based Rooster Teeth and Machinima team up to present Blood, Sweat, and Online Videos: How to Achieve the Digital Dream”. Geek and Sundry’s look into board games, Inside Table Top, will discuss their success, and reveal plans for Season 2. Comic fans won’t want to miss Marvel: House of Ideas, to hear how they’re bending print and digital to make reading comics a fresh and interactive experience.

The crush of SXSW can be overwhelming for even the most experienced conference-goer. The SXSW Gaming Expo is manageable, even laid back compared to its bigger sibling up the road. The core themes of this expo — gaming and fun — can even run counter to the sometimes saturated feel of start-ups and apps blitzing you from every direction.

Games are no doubt big business, but escaping into them for a few moments is the break from reality any convention-goer will appreciate.

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Self-driving Roller Coaster

More self-driving cars expected to roll out in Austin for 2025

Photo courtesy of Waymo via KVUE

Various brands offering self-driving cars are on-and-off in Austin.

Expect to see more self-driving rideshare vehicles, also known as robotaxis, on Austin roads next year.

Robotaxi company Waymo, which you may have already seen on Austin's roads, is partnering with Uber. At some point next year, customers will be able to use the Uber app to call a self-driving ride.

Austin-based company Avride is in the testing phase and plans to roll out its robotaxis next year.

Currently, Volkswagen ADMT and Amazon's Zoox are in the testing phase in Austin, while Hyundai's Motional is in the mapping phase.

Last year, robotaxi company Cruise paused operations in Austin after the California Department of Motor Vehicles revoked the company's permits to operate driverless vehicles in the state. And last week, General Motors said it would no longer fund the company because of the time and resources needed.

This way of getting around has come with its safety concerns and issues. The city is tracking those concerns. According to the Transportation Department, the problems span from blocking the roads and parking in front of people's homes for weeks with lights beaming through their windows, to actual wrecks.

Since July 2023, robotaxis have been involved in 75 incidents. Only 21 of those incidents happened in 2024. It's important to note that Cruise has not been operating in Austin this year.

Since July 2023, driverless rideshare vehicles have been involved in 22 near collisions, eight collisions and seven instances where driverless taxis ignored directions from the Austin Police Department (APD).

According to the data, at least four of those Austin police incidents happened in recent months. The issues varied from driving through police checkpoints, to malfunctioning and getting stuck at an APD road closure near pedestrians, causing safety concerns.

A Waymo spokesperson said their vehicles have gesture recognition capabilities, which they've been training APD officers on using.

As the report shows, sometimes it does not work and Waymo said it is working to improve that. The spokesperson said that as of just last week, Waymo's First Responder Program has been independently verified by TÜV SÜD, making Waymo the first autonomous vehicle (AV) company to receive third-party validation for our emergency response protocols. They also said the data to date indicates the Waymo Driver is already reducing traffic injuries and fatalities in the places where the company currently operates.

Read the full story and watch the video at KVUE.com.

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