Play Days is no E3, that's a good thing

Now open it up to more indies

This year’s Summer Game Fest Play Days was the best gaming showcase I’ve ever attended.

A little context, first.

There was a time, back when I ran things at Kotaku when I attended every major video game show in the world. It was, of course, a bit easier back then. Brazil’s mammoth show was just getting started, as was China Joy and Korea’s G-Star.

Back then, the major shows included Gamescom (formerly Gamescon), Tokyo Game Show, PAX, GDC, SXSW (to a lesser extent), DICE, and E3. And for years, I went to them all.

Easily, the best of the bunch for big conventions was Gamescom; it wasn’t even a competition. E3 certainly had the best first run of video game shows, but it was growing into a painfully large, sometimes absurd side-show, and then it got so small it was boring, and then it was open to the public, and everyone was confused.

Over the years, I would tell the folks at the ESA that they needed to make their show more like Gamescom: have a public area, but then have a smaller area only for press and business. That way, you got the best of both worlds.

As much as I enjoyed Gamescom, though, it was still a challenge to cover. It was HUGE; it was noisy, hot, and (for me at least), I would often forget to eat. (True story: I once almost passed out during a presentation, only to realize I hadn’t eaten in more than a day.)

Now, fast-forward to the present, a post-E3, post-COVID, post-plenty-of-gaming-sites era of video game conventions.

Clearly, Geoff Keighley has the ear of the industry; it’s through his spectacles that most major games are now presented. In 2022, Keighley partnered with the talented team at iam8bit to create a physical event, Play Days, to run in conjunction with the Summer Game Fest.

Each year, both facets of the show grow in different ways. This year, the SGF livestream hit 50 million viewers: simply breathtaking. I missed it, though, because I was flying in for my first-ever Play Days.

It was a mostly stress-free, incredibly valuable chunk of time spent playing games, interviewing developers, and filing stories promptly, all without being overwhelmed by a crowd or having to wait in line for an appointment.

It was as if, as I told iam8bit founder Jon Gibson when I ran into him, someone talked to a bunch of journalists about how to create the perfect show.

What does the perfect show entail?

First and foremost, the ability to do your job. That means a place to see the games and talk to the people who make them. In this case, the Play Days campus was spread across a small area of buildings and outdoor spaces. Setting up interviews was mostly pain-free, and I rarely had to wait in line.

Keep in mind that we’re all there working. It’s not that we think we’re too good for lines; it’s that we need to see as much as possible and then have time to write it up and file it away to our editors. Lines slow that down.

(Here’s a picture of me and some banana to undermine my point!)

There was also plentiful Wifi and tables galore where a person could sit and write out a story undisturbed. Lots of bathrooms. Heck, even free food.

That last one is super nice, but not necessary. That said, if you want to ensure that the press covers everything possible, provide them with everything they need in one place so they can simply fill their schedules with interviews and hands-on experiences.

I went to the show on my dime, mostly to cover stories for Epic Games Store but also to check out some stuff on my own.

Throughout two of the show’s three days, I had appointments for 16 or so games and managed to write up stories for a dozen or so. Not bad for an old man, but that was largely made possible because someone had finally figured out how to run a video game show for the press.

There is one major caveat: I'd still like to see more indies at these things, both in the Summer Game Fest mainstream and at Play Days. Maybe they should create an area for folks who couldn’t normally afford to bring their games to big shows like this.

Now, here are my favorite moments of that weekend at Play Days in no particular order:

• Having a developer mistake me for John Romero

• Hanging with two adorable SGF dogs

• Catching up with game devs, journalists, and PR folk I hadn’t seen in years

• Getting a hug from the CEO of Microsoft Gaming, Phil Spencer, after I told him he never calls or writes (I still didn’t get an interview or time with anyone/anything at Microsoft)

• Running into the former head of Sony Interactive Entertainment Worldwide Studios and current nicest guy on the planet, Shuhei Yoshida

• The kind words from a mix of people who appreciated my work over the years

• Literally walking the beat, interviewing folks, and writing stories

• Treating a clutch of tired journos to some light apps and drinks at the JW one night

Now check out my stories from the show below; please take a look and let me know what you think. ALSO SHARE THEM FOR THE LOVE OF GOD!!

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The Stories

Relooted is the African relic repatriation heist game you didn’t realize you needed

Out of Words leaves you speechless with the power of its message, gameplay, and artistry

Infinitesimals in action is every bit as beautiful and daunting as you would expect

Hands-on with End of Abyss’ creeping monstrosities

Dying Light: The Beast dropkicked its way into my heart

Bandit Trap is a little bit Spy vs. Spy, a little bit Home Alone, and a whole lot of fun

Let fly with colors as you puzzle your way through ChromaGun 2

FBC: Firebreak takes on volatile pink ooze in its latest job

Serenity and beauty collide in sword-surfing game Sword of the Sea

Thick As Thieves is a study in observation and greed

Wuchang: Fallen Feathers asks players to master the art of distance

SPINE drops you into some masterful recreations of Gun Fu’s greatest moments