I finally had some time to reflect on my experience at Gamescom 2024. As a first-timer at such a huge event, a lot caught me off guard. There was a ton of learning involved and it was a truly unique experience.
This year’s Gamescom ran from Tuesday, August 20th, to Sunday, August 25th. I arrived on the 21st, so I missed the ONL opening. For future reference, attending the opening is one of the best ways to kick off Gamescom, so don’t miss it next year if you plan to go.
I arrived a little late on the 21st because I miscalculated the time it would take to get from my accommodation to the Koelnmesse using public transportation. I also didn’t know that Gamescom offers a luggage storage service, so I lost some time going to the hotel to drop off my stuff before heading to the event. Train stations also have storage locker services that you can use.
Once I finally got to the event that Wednesday, I was immediately struck by how massive the conference was. I got lost several times, both due to the many interesting booths and because I kept getting turned around. My main goal that first day was to get to the Xbox booth as soon as possible, but it took me almost two hours to find it.
Along with the event tickets, public transportation is included for travel to and from the event. Navigating this initially posed a challenge since everything was in German, a difficult language for me. However, after a few days, I found my way to the event and back. A useful hack I discovered was to “always follow the cosplayers.” By doing this, I always knew I was on the right path to the congress.
The first area I explored after the Xbox hall was the retro and indie arena. I was amazed at the number of independent games out there. Something that caught my attention, and which I asked around about, was why most, if not all, of these indie games were initially planning to launch only on the Steam platform. There were incredible games, and I wondered what makes this platform so appealing to independent or small game studios. As an Xbox fan, I wondered if there are any plans for Game Pass subscriptions to offer or improve the experience for developers, encouraging them to choose Xbox Game Pass as a launch ecosystem. This could benefit, help, and encourage devs to bring their games to the subscription catalog.
Later, I moved to the big studios’ halls. You could tell the difference by just a glimpse at their booths and setups. I didn’t invest too much time in game trailers, demos, or playtime because I kept telling myself, “I’ll end up having the games anyway” – perks of working in the gaming industry. Instead, I spent my time exploring, listening to the music created by thousands of people playing, screaming, laughing, and walking.
One of the greatest experiences was the Gamescom Congress, which featured a series of talks about new technologies and their impact on the gaming industry. AI was a major focus, followed by automation, green technologies, and data protection/security.
Although I wasn’t able to meet Sarah or Phil, it was still one of the best experiences of my life. Being surrounded by gamers and a huge community that shares the same interests and passion for games and technology is something words can’t fully capture.
As a social introvert, I enjoyed being at Gamescom alone, but next year I’d definitely love to go with some good friends. I walked so much like if I was earning money for each step I took. Every night, I arrived back at the hotel dead tired, I came back home feeling like I needed a vacation to recover from my vacation, but every single minute was worth it.
