The Busiest Weekend Of The Year

As a games journalist, Summer Game Fest is arguably the biggest event of the year. Between the announcements at the main showcase, the demos and presentations at Play Days, and the general gathering of the games industry from around the world, it’s an exciting time to be working in the world of video games. This year, in many unexpected ways, was even more eventful than usual.

The weekend kicks off with Geoff Keighley’s big showcase at the YouTube Theater. I enjoyed the space when I went last year, but due to flight delays, I entirely miss it this year, instead watching the showcase in the backseat of a long Uber ride. Luckily, the theater presentation is more spectacle than substance. Other than the fun energy, there isn’t much advantage to attending as a writer, and I was the only editor who planned to attend in the first place. The rest of the team is on their computers back home or at a hotel, frantically writing up the news as it’s announced.

After settling in at the hotel, I meet up for dinner with senior associate editor Marcus Stewart (our first in-person meeting) and then head to the Giant Bomb studio to appear on their GB at Nite livestream. It’s one of my favorite SGF-adjacent events, because when you’re not on the couch, it’s just a casual hangout with other people in the games industry. The days are so fast-paced that I don’t usually get to actually talk with people, so I enjoy rubbing elbows with other writers, PR representatives, and a handful of minor gaming-adjacent celebrities.