For many in the gaming community, Gamescom is the be all and end all of video game events. It is the largest video game event in the world and hundreds of thousands of people flock to Cologne, Germany just to be able to attend it. Gamescom 2023 saw exceptionally high numbers of people in attendance and we would have loved to have attended it ourselves.
Unfortunately for us, we missed out on Gamescom 2023 due to other work and life commitments, but we were able to get the down low of what happened they by reaching out to someone who DID get to go to Gamescom. The person in question is none other than FrontPageRob.
The continuation of this article is an interview with FrontPageRob to talk about his experience at Gamescom this year; his first impressions, what he saw, what he played, accommodation and amenities, and his final thoughts of the event upon leaving. So get ready to jump on the bus as we talk Gamescom 2023!
Miketendo64: To start off with, in case there may be anyone reading who is not familiar with you or your work, please introduce yourself. Who are you and what do you do?
FrontPageRob: Hello! I’m FrontPageRob, I’m a massive Nintendo and ARPG nerd (it’s a strange combination I realise). I really enjoy Nintendo Switch physical game collecting, possibly too much if
you ask my friends. I could talk you to death about any of the Diablo games and have been playing them for as long as I can remember. I’m also a Twitch Streamer and writer for RapidReviews.
Miketendo64: Was this your first time experiencing a major gaming event like Gamescom? Have you been to any others beforehand?
FrontPageRob: This was my first time attending any event such as Gamescom, I guess you could say I jumped in at the deep end with an event with over 300,000 visitors in attendance!
Miketendo64: Now, you were in Cologne for around four days or so for Gamescom. Did you attend the event as a press/content creator, or did you acquire a four-day pass for the event?
FrontPageRob: I had a four-day pass for the event which was good as I got to explore absolutely everything it had to offer, though I may still have missed one or two indie games, simply because there were so many! I was mainly attending for myself.
Miketendo64: What was your first impression of Gamescom, and how did your feelings compare when leaving? Also, what would you say was your biggest highlight of the event?
FrontPageRob: My first impressions were incredible, I remember when I first walked into the first hall, my jaw just hit the floor and I stood there in awe at all the amazing sights around me. I felt quite
sad when leaving the event for the final time on the Sunday knowing it would be an entire year before I could go back (which I will definitely be doing).
My biggest highlight would be Hall 10, which is where all the indie games were housed. There were so many that they spread over two floors. There were barely any queues for most of the games,
despite the event being so busy. You could sit down and play a game whilst talking to one of the developers who created it and hearing their passion for it. When the development team is really small, you can just see the love and affection they put into it, being at Gamescom lets you see and hear that passion first hand, it’s just wonderful.
Miketendo64: What games did you get to play at the event, and are there any that you are looking forward to coming to Nintendo Switch?
FrontPageRob: I play so many games that I could barely list them all here. Some of my favourites were CoreKeeper, Emberbane (which I should be in the credits for, exciting!) Cuisineer and Tiny Thor. The latter of these is already out on Switch and I would highly recommend that you go and play it! Some other Switch highlights that looked really good but unfortunately, I didn’t get to play include Born of Bread and Moonlight Peaks.
Miketendo64: Gamescom is a massive venue that we know from our own experience. What was your favourite booth or room at the event? (Feel free to elaborate as to why you enjoyed it).
FrontPageRob: Hall 10 (indie booth) was my favourite as there was just so much to see and do. I also really enjoyed the Nintendo stand, you could check in and earn free platinum points as well as
get some free Mario pin badges. The Xbox stand was also very impressive, playing Party Animals with two friends I made at the event was a lot of fun. The only down side with this stand was that there was never a moment where it was quiet, perhaps to be expected.
Miketendo64: When we were at Gamescom, we had the opportunity to talk with some well-known folks in the gaming industry as well as share a rather unique moment with them. Was there anyone at Gamescom that you were fortunate to talk to for an interview or a general chat?
FrontPageRob: I don’t think I spoke to anyone famous at the event, however, I got to sit next to a number of developers whilst playing their games, two of my favourite conversations were when playing ‘Once upon a Tile’ & ‘Zero Sievert’. Not only was their instruction invaluable when learning a brand-new game, but you can see how much they enjoy sharing their game with you and how much they want you to like it, it’s a really fulfilling experience. I was also fortunate to make a couple of German friends whilst I was over there, whom I am still in contact with. Hello Michael and
Andreas if you’re reading!
Miketendo64: Big question now. Did you see Nintendo’s red room, and did you get to have a peek inside? Perhaps a look at Nintendo’s next console???
FrontPageRob: Unfortunately, not, I have heard the rumours that this was shown to a few developers in the press hall, which I didn’t have access to. I’m not sure I believe the rumours entirely as despite the fact this was the press hall, it was very busy with people going in and out all day, I feel like that would make it much harder to keep something like that under wraps.
Miketendo64: Let’s talk about accommodation and sustenance. When we were at Gamescom, we partnered up with Richard Atkinson and Paul Murphy and shared a room in a nearby hostel to keep costs down. We also got by on eating Currywursts as our main source of nutrition. What did you do in regard to accommodation and food?
FrontPageRob: I stayed at Gamescom Camp which apart from some noisy neighbours in the early hours of the morning was a wonderful experience. I got to meet so many new people, talk about games, learn about German culture, and drink lots of beer. In terms of food, I mostly ate Pommes (chips) and Hähnchenschnitzel (Chicken schnitzel), lots of Pommes, it was wonderful. I also had one
or two Currywursts, when in Rome right?
Miketendo64: Outside of Gamescom, did you visit any of the sights of Köln, like the Cathedral or the Hohenzollern bridge? What did you think of the city?
FrontPageRob: Regrettably, I didn’t get to see much of the city, other than the walk from Gamecom Camp to Gamescom itself. I was planning on seeing some sights on my final day, however due to the issue with Air Traffic Control in the UK, I decided instead to get to the airport early in case there were issues.
Miketendo64: Having attended Gamescom, how likely are you to go again in the near future, and would you recommend it to others who are thinking about going?
I am 100% going back next year and I’m planning on camping as well, it was the best trip I’ve been on in a very long time! I would recommend anyone who has a mild interest in going to go, there is something for everyone as there is so much to see. Even if you only do the one day you will thoroughly enjoy it.
Miketendo64: To wrap up, if anyone reading this interview wanted to follow you or get in touch, where can they find you?
FrontPageRob: I’m FrontPageRob pretty much everywhere, Twitter, Instagram, Twitch etc.
Come say hello, I don’t bite.
Thank you so much FrontPageRob for joining us for this interview and sharing your thoughts on Gamescom 2023 with us. We have long wanted to return to Gamescom and after hearing your experience on the event this year, we will be working ever so hard to better organize ourselves to go in 2024. We would also like to thank everyone who read this interview and we hope you will check out FrontPageRob on his socials.
Until next time everyone, Keep On Gaming!
