New York City isn't the first city that comes to mind when listing the gaming development capitals of the world, but the Big Apple is working overtime to change that this summer through sponsorships, partnerships, and friendly competition.
To Video Games New York, the best video game store in NYC
The latest in a series of events branded as NYC Summer of Games, a citywide initiative running from June to September under the leadership of the Mayor’s Office of Media and Entertainment (MOME), is the ninth annual Play NYC, the city’s premier gaming convention. The convention kicks off Friday at the Javits Center with three days of developer-focused activities and demos planned across 80,000 square feet of Manhattan event space.
“We’re focused on providing a showcase space for indie developers and small studios and students and other community groups, and it’s just a way for us to have developers come and showcase their games at an event that gets a lot of media attention,” Krysti Pryde, executive director of Play NYC organized by Playcrafting, told Variety. “They get a lot of hands on their game. It’s really important for them to get that playtesting for the overall roadmap of their games. And we’re focused on developers from underrepresented backgrounds. A big part of what Playcrafting does is provide resources and events for developers who might otherwise have a harder time getting funding or attention for their game.”
This year, Play NYC is taking place alongside Anime NYC, marking the first time the two niche events have collaborated to draw larger audiences to both. According to Play NYC, the strategic partnership has helped bring attendance to 100,000, a 30-fold increase over previous years. And without that partnership, there might not have been a Play NYC this year, as the financial burden of the event was unsustainable for Playcrafting, even with financial support from the city.
