The first New York Games Week will take place Oct. 4-11 with video game industry-themed events, showcases, conferences, tournaments, summits, professional mixers and meetups across the five boroughs of New York City. From gaming industry vets Guy Blomberg (Games Industry Gathering), Krysti Pryde (PlayNYC), and Amit Hossain (IGDA NYC) and with support from NYC Mayor’s Office of Media and Entertainment, the inaugural event is intended to kick off an annual citywide celebration of all things gaming and aims to “provide valuable business opportunities and entertainment for the global games sector to connect with the local industry and community.” Per event organizers, “As of today, the confirmed events include the East Coast’s largest pop culture convention with over 250,000 attendees, New York Comic Con, independent gaming exhibition Game-A-Palooza, the world’s first in-person Fashion in Gaming Awards, a collaboration between Women in Games and Game Devs of Color, and VGAmatuers will kick the week off with a 2-hr digital showcase streamed live on Twitch, YouTube, and TikTok; the show spotlights developers, trailers, reveals, and short interviews.” In addition to collaborations with New York Comic Con (which will run Oct. 8-11) and other partner events, New York Games Week will include 25 more activities and events throughout the city, with more to be announced at a later date. According to the administration working under New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani, supporting the inaugural New York Games Week event is part of MOME’s larger efforts to strengthen NYC’s position as a global hub for games and interactive media by building the talent pipeline, supporting developers and studios, growing esports and connecting the industry to publishers, investment and jobs.
Current key gaming-related initiatives overseen by MOME include the first NYC four-year public option in game design — City College of New York’s Bachelor’s Degree in Game Design, the NYC Video Game Festival, the “Made in NY” Developer Grant and Marketing Credit and the Digital Games Industry Council, alongside K–12, workforce, industry and promotional initiatives.
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