Getting ready for another gamescom

These last few weeks have been a bit weird for me, not just because I moved in a new flat or because I started a new job, but also as a result of moving away from the Greek specialist Press for the first time in 10 years. After long and careful consideration I chose to move to a different business area where I will still be able to stay close to the gaming scene and industry, however my core duties and responsibilities will focus elsewhere. In any case I intend to examine the videogames industry and market under a different scope from now on and hopefully develop a better understanding about their mechanisms and functions.

I watched E3 2014 while resting for a few weeks (my very first days off since I was 18, in fact) before I begun working for Olympia Development S.A. and Public Retail Stores as a Tech Content Marketing Executive. I was thrilled to watch all the coverage including interviews, live demos, press conferences and opinion features and blogs without being obliged to reproduce stuff and press releases, embed videos and the like. I was able to relax and consume bytes (or rather gigabytes) of information while tweeting, commenting on Facebook or even blogging here and I totally loved it.

Summer moves on though and August is nigh; and we all know what August means for us, gamers: gamescom! The German expo will be held for once again in Cologne, the so-called “secret golf capital of Germany” – don’t ask why, I’m totally clueless. It only took me a couple of minutes to decide whether I was going or not. The verdict? “Screw it, let’s do it” as Richard Branson would say. I made the necessary arrangements to secure myself a Press pass (old habits die hard),  booked hotel and flights,  got three days off (just after two months’ work, yes, I got tired really fast this time) and I’m ready!

Although I’m staying in Cologne for a mere three days (I’ll be visiting the Koelnmesse on August 13 & 14, so I’ll have only one and a half days at my disposal), I believe it will be the most complete gamescom experience I have ever lived. No need for appointments, interviews and presentations; just playing sessions, hands-on and parties! Two intense days fully packed with videogames, lots of friends from the industry, plenty of little dirty off-the-record secrets and booze. Yeap, that’s what a videogames expo should be like, that’s what I’m expecting to experience this August in Cologne. After all there’s no need for Mykonos when there’s gamescom!

Cologne beware; I’m on my way!