Last week was certainly a busy week for the gaming industry here in New York City.
Worlds collided on Monday night as Mediabistro hosted its “Flacks ‘n’ Hacks” party at New York City’s Arctica Bar & Grill. A wide variety of professionals in both the public relations and journalism fields converged to battle it out in an intense “Flacks vs. Hacks” Guitar Hero competition. All virtual music rivalries aside, the event enabled PR representatives and journalists to converse with one another, going beyond the walls of cyber-talk and meeting one another face-to-face.
On Tuesday night, the gaming action headed to the Lower East Side for the monthly New York Gaming Meetup, co-organized by Brad Hargreaves of GoCrossCampus and sponsored by TriplePoint. This month Gallery Bar was host to live presentations of the latest games and technology stemming from the NYC area. Demos from Lior Messinger (LiveStream), James Prucey (Canned Bananas), William Stallwood and Dain Saint (Auditorium), and Naveen Selvadurai (foursquare) were complemented by opportunities to talk with a diverse group of members within the NYC gaming community.
Just a short cab ride away, No Idea Bar was the gaming hotspot on Wednesday night, as the NYC IGDA hosted its monthly “Drink Night”. Catering more towards local, independent developers, an enthusiasm for both gaming and free drinks was on display amongst the attendees.
In the changing social networking landscape, where much of the communication occurs online, these networking events are pivotal in building personal relationships with one another and also serve as a bridge between the media and public relations professionals.
Perhaps of more significance is the contribution that these networking opportunities make towards building up the New York City gaming community. As the gaming industry becomes increasingly larger in numbers and sheer presence on the East Coast, it’s nice to step away from the screens and meet folks who actually make the games happen. The drink specials may have been questionable, but the level of interactivity and exchange of ideas made these events a huge success for everyone involved.
