By Harold Goldberg
It’s been a week since the 2nd NYC Video Game Festival, but it’s taken that long to gather my thoughts about the experience. This generally amazing gathering has sprouted around the Minecraft Education Challenge, in which many city schools and students participate.
So many students means heightened excitement from the get-go. So the New York Videogame Critics Circle had to step up its own game. With so many tables and participants at Convene Brookfield Place, executive director Ryan O’Callaghan and I met frequently to plan before the event. What could we do that would make our Playing With Purpose program stand apart from the many exhibitors?
We decided to have a number of enticing things happen at our two tables. Ryan ordered a prize wheel and the giveaways. We offered 15th New York Game Awards t-shirts and wristbands along with Minecraft and The Legend of Zelda game stickers. But we didn’t simply give things away.
Everyone was asked to play a very short game called One Strike. Then, they would write a one-sentence review on a Post It note and place it on a board for all to see. Only then could someone spin the wheel. The idea was a huge hit.
Hundreds stopped by. We had 131 young people and adults write reviews, and we would have had more. But we ran out of prizes to give away. We also offered copies of my new novel, “The Skinny,” somewhat inspired by games. These were autographed and sold out quickly. All proceeds were donated to the Circle’s nonprofit.
Beyond our table were the Minecraft events. Both Rafael Espinal, the commissioner of the Mayor’s Office or Media and Entertainment and Kamar Samuels, New York City Public Schools Education Chancellor, spoke thoughtfully, enthusiastically and movingly about how games help students learn. They brought the energy and their speeches were so well-written, I wanted to have a copy of them to inspire me now and then.
Much of this event is the brainchild of Alia Jones-Harvey, Assistant MoME Commissioner and Broadway producer. She had been there since 7:30 am to help set up. While there was the occasional technology glitch, overall this was the best fest ever. The only thing that could have made it better? The presence of New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani. (But I bet he attends next year.)
In his post, the Mayor wrote, “Today in things that make me proud to be Mayor: PS 889’s ‘Hyper Pigmentation’ are officially two-time Minecraft champions at the City’s Annual Video Game Festival.
Gaming is a largely male-dominated industry, but teams like Hyper Pigmentation show us it doesn’t have to be.
As New York City remains a top recruiter of gaming jobs, we’re also making sure the next-generation of engineers and game designers look more like our city.”
Beyond the big room which housed the Minecraft event, there were arcade machines like NBA Jam and pinball machines like Space Jam. There was a super giant screen on which a racing game could be played. Indie game makers showed their wares throughout the giant two-floor space downtown.
With the exception of our New York Game Awards, after a few hours at any event, I’m more than ready to leave. But we stayed until the Minecraft finalists were announced late in the day. Even after that, I didn’t want to go home.
