Gamescom 2023

I visited Gamescom again this year. There was a period that I was going regularly, but this was the first time since 2016. It hasn't changed much. This time I went on the media day, since I was lucky enough to win the wildcard lottery that allows a regular person like myself to buy a ticket for the day that's mostly meant for business and media people. Media day was wednesday, and then normal people get their chance from thursday to sunday. In the past I'd buy a ticket for all four days and basically spend half a week in Cologne. Anyway, this time only one day. 

It was perhaps a little less busy than I remember from previous times. Also perhaps slightly fewer companies presenting, but that could also just be in my mind.

By far for me the most impressive section is the retro area. Not that I really engage with anyone or anything, but just to soak in the atmosphere and see the buzz and excitement around things that are upto 40+ years old. New games being released to machines like C64 and Amiga for example. Or the rows of arcade machines that I remember playing when I was a kid.

Then there is the yearly installments of FIFA, NFL,  F1, Farming Simulator, etc. What I think was missing this year was a new Civilization game. Or I just didn't notice it. Come to think of it, I'm not sure if there was a new version of the ones I mentioned. Except for the Farming Simulator, that one was definitely there and had a much bigger stand than what I remember from my earlier visits.

Notably for me, Blizzard was less present than in the past. They had a merchandise stand, but were not showcasing their full lineup anywhere. Theirs used to be one of my favorites to hang around.

Besides checking out the stands, I had to sample the food and drink offering a bit. I only tried bratwurst, which was ok. For beer, I couldn't find kölsch anywhere in the Gamescom area, which felt very strange. Instead they had Corona on tap, which is ok, but I can get Corona anywhere. Kölsch is a bit less easy to find outside of Cologne area I think. Luckily I was able to get my fill later in Peters Brauhaus, which is by the way the best place to eat in Cologne. If you ask me, which I know you didn't and possibly wouldn't, but I offer my opinion anyway.

I should probably put some pictures here, but I'm too lazy. (Edit, I got over my laziness and added a couple of photos. Looking at them, a better excuse for not showing any pictures might have been that they are all really bad. But hey ho here we go. Regardless, the
recommendation in the following paragraph still stand.)

So if you got interested and want to see some photo impressions or other online content they make available, check out https://www.gamescom.global/en.