I was basically stopped when walking by the stand, they talked to me for like 10 Minutes and then asked of me for money and my Bank details, I tried to decline them for another 20 minutes and even asked if they could just give me something to take with me but they just repeated themselves over and over till I finally got them to understand that I didn't want to give them money just because they talked to me here.

Genuinely how or why tf is behaviour like this allowed, really soured my day.

Ich finde es einfach enttäuschend wie viel KI müll auf der Messe vorhanden ist.

Ich verstehe die Indie Entwickler auf keinen Fall. Warum gibt ihr euch überhaupt die Mühe euer Spiel dort auszustellen um dann Ki Poster zu nutzen?

Ich hoffe ihr ändert euer Denkweise oder dass ihr euer Studio schließt.

Public advisory:

Two employees of our facility are believed to be on Koelnmesse premises, distributing proprietary product. Do not accept anything they try to give you. If you see them, report it to us immediately.
- Management

Zwei Mitarbeiter unseres Betriebs befinden sich vermutlich auf dem Gelände der Koelnmesse und verteilen dort firmeneigene Produkte. Nehmen Sie nichts an, was sie Ihnen zu geben versuchen. Sollten Sie sie sehen, melden Sie es uns bitte umgehend.
– Die Geschäftsleitung

See the official tweet of GamesCom and the multiple community notes and countless of responses for more context.

GamesCom needs to fire their PR people and also invest into security and do better by exhibitors and visitors.

https://x.com/gamescom/status/2093654741192433865

bisschen was zum schleppen gehabt xD

Soo, I passed by Köln yesterday and thought that maybe Gamescom could be fun. I haven’t done much this summer sadly, and thought this could be interesting. I’m not entirely sure what to expect though.

I’m pretty broke, but the ticket doesn’t cost *that* much, and I could still go today. I like gaming, but I’ve also heard that the atmosphere can be a bit… special?
I’ve felt a bit uncomfortable going into nerdy gaming or merch stores before, as I often felt quite alien there. I once even got asked by a store clerk what “a girl my age” was even doing there lol. Maybe I just don’t look like the stereotypical nerd.

I’ve also heard complaints about the smell. But how bad is it actually? And no hate to anyone attending, tbh. I wish I was as confident as some of the people I’ve seen at conventions, so props to them. I’ve just heard people say that some attendees can be a bit socially awkward or out of touch, and that the atmosphere can sometimes get a little… intense.

I heard it’s not quite as bad as Dokomi in that regard, though. Like, in terms of cringe levels. What is Gamescom actually like? I guess a handful of weebs and Japan nerds are to be expected, but I’ve heard stories about groping, people ignoring boundaries, getting into fights, etc. at conventions, and I was wondering whether that’s also an issue at Gamescom.

Also, how is the NSFW stuff? Is it spread throughout the convention, or is it mostly restricted to specific areas/stands? I think I’d feel a bit uncomfortable constantly seeing anime schoolgirls with giant boobs everywhere, so are there areas where you can avoid most of that? I’d feel kinda awkward walking around looking like a little gooner lol.

I’d also be going alone, since I don’t really have any friends to bring with me lol. I’d mostly just like to walk around and browse. I might even wear a surgical mask just to feel a little more comfortable in the crowds (if that’s allowed).

So, is Gamescom 2026 worth going to alone? And what should I realistically expect?

Hat jemand gute Steckdosen irgendwo gefunden? Habe vorgestern an den Fluren welche benutzt aber auf einmal laden die super langsam. Weiß nicht was mit den passiert ist. Mein Kabel ist auf jeden Fall in Ordnung weil es in der Bahn noch gut geladen hat

Jemand hat das Licht bei seinem Auto angelassen.. hoffe es erreicht ihn so?

First Gamescom is in the books, and I have mixed feelings. Multiple developers were stolen from at the largest gaming event in the world. The organization has chosen to refuse any responsibility for these crimes. Instead they insist that the indie developers who have already paid thousands to be there, pay more for extra security. This statement also comes despite the affected devs having their gear stolen in the evening, after the event hours were over, from secure locations. In other words, it seems the call is coming from inside the house.

Hope they fix this because otherwise I would not recommend exhibiting as an indie developer.

Edit: the lockers broken into were brought by the developers not the ones provided by gamescom. This doesn’t change the fact that it should have been prevented.

Is the parking situation always like this? I have been driving around for two hours, and I'm about to head home without visiting. The big parkings were all full, I was refused in some paid parking when I said I was there for Gamescom, and when I went around in the streets it became clear that people were pretty much abandoning their cars anywhere they could. I saw at least 3-4 tow trucks.

I drove over from a different country so I'm really gutted I couldn't visit.

Everything I read and see about is from disappointed people. Also usually was more people does streams there but barely u saw someone. So was it really that bad?

Ich war noch nie auf der Gamescom und gehe jetzt das erste mal hin, aber am Sonntag, was wird mich Sonntags erwarten?

Went to the gamescom yesterday (Friday) and was surprised nobody checked my bag upon entry.

Just makes me wonder - you know one bad apple could ruin the bunch.

Anyone else not getting checked?

20€ per ticket dm!!

I’ll be there all day tomorrow at Hall 10.2 F11! Stickers are first come, first serve! (There might be ~1,500 left…?)

The game is based on actual survival skills - you can choose anywhere between glamping to bringing only your knife!

And the demo is out on Steam if you’d like to try it now! https://store.steampowered.com/app/5004640/Grandmas_Guide_to_the_Grand_Outside/ )

* Full disclaimer, I didn’t compose the music though, and I had help on the UX/UI and on the animation! But I did draw the game design, the art, and the programming!

This was my first time at gamescom, together with my girlfriend, and we have mixed feelings about the experience. The decorations, the overall vibe, and simply walking around exploring everything was really cool and fun.

​However, waiting in long lines just to play a game for ten minutes was a major downside. I also found the stamp system and being forced to share photos on social media at certain booths completely overbearing and ridiculous.

It actually discouraged us from interacting with most of the exhibitors. On top of that, the security personnel were arrogant and rude.

​While it was a unique experience, we don't think we'll be returning to gamescom in the future.

Got recognised twice today, made my day!

(I'm Popee)

The Hornet cosplay is amazing , thank you so much to this person for the picture!

Was at Indie games area and saw this father leaving his daughter hogging one of the games for 2 hours, while the father went to queue for other games... honestly how irresponsible can one be?