Reflecting on My First Gamescom in 2022

2022 marked my first time visiting Gamescom, and I've returned for each event ever since.

I remember finding the prospect of going to Gamescom rather daunting. Three years in after my return to journalism, in-person events were slowly picking up following the end of COVID-19 pandemic lockdowns. EGX 2021 was my first major public expo, yet that hardly prepared me for the sheer size of Koelnmesse. For reference, over 265k people attended in 2022 while last year reached over 335k.

Put simply, it's massive. Gamescom splits into two areas: consumer-facing public halls and the closed-off business halls that are restricted to trade staff, exhibitors, media, and such. Whether that's through public booths, joint delegations representing specific countries, or hosting something else in a nearby hotel, there's no end of options when it comes to seeing games for both the public and press alike.

I saved the cash for a weeklong trip, thinking I'd need the full five days, mercifully finding cheap-ish accommodation nearby in Neumarkt. Reasons beyond my control meant my Goat Simulator 3 and Meet Your Maker previews sadly never made it to publication, though some highlights included Dredge, Dyschronia, Sonic Frontiers, and my one-off NME appearance with Evil West.

That Metal: Hellsinger concert was incredible, too.

[Editor's note: A concert I, Lexi, sat outside of on the floor because I forgot to get a ticket]

For my first time visiting, I found it exhilarating and exhausting all at once; people will tell you “Gamescom is big," but you really don't realise what you have gotten yourself into until you've spent 25 minutes without stopping walking from the North Entrance to the South Entrance. This gave me some valuable lessons for the following year, reminding myself to space out appointments carefully.

I'm not writing this as an extended diary for how things went back then, though I later recounted some of it to MCV/Develop. This also isn't meant to be a tips guide on what to do, but I'd be remiss not to share Lex's crash course tips. Seriously, I highly recommend reading it if it's your first time going. It's a physically demanding experience.

But as I arrive in Köln/Cologne for my fourth consecutive Gamescom visit, it's a strange feeling looking back at 2022. I'd stepped down as News Editor at Gfinity several months prior, and I hadn't joined UploadVR yet. I'd been permalancing for TechRadar Gaming in that gap, and I'm grateful Lex got me accredited for a press pass with startmenu.

Come 2025, I'm approaching this with a different mindset as I plan out coverage for both Rewinder (with Lex) and UploadVR (not with Lex). Much has changed, yet even with the new challenges of running two outlets at once, I'm still relishing this just as much as I always have. I'm excited to take my time and see what's happening.

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