A Weekend Among Dreamers
Video games are the only art form that can distract my self-diagnosed ADHD brain to such an extent that I don’t constantly slip into self-destructive thoughts or reach for my phone to let pseudo-social media wash over me.
My most cherished memories in life, aside from those of a sexual nature, have something to do with video games. How, as a child, I won both a Super Nintendo and a Game Boy on Austrian children’s television. How I wandered through the flea markets of the surrounding area to snag treasures big and small bearing the PlayStation logo. How I fought gods, demons, and hell-houses with a ragtag party and the last scraps of health bars, to bring well-deserved peace to the fictional world I was inhabiting at the time.
Last weekend I attended GG Bavaria in Munich. The small gaming convention in the Olympic Park can comfortably be seen as the little local sister to Cologne’s Gamescom. Here too, game developers and their fans, as well as artists, cosplayers, and obsessive Japan enthusiasts, gather year after year.
Honestly, I hadn’t expected a gaming convention to sweep me up so thoroughly. But the moment I stepped into the Small Olympic Hall, it was clear: this was no ordinary event.
GG Bavaria entered its fourth edition this year—and you could feel its confidence. The convention opened its doors as early as Friday, giving you a full long weekend to dive in. And dive in really is the right phrase: glowing screens everywhere, playable demos, colorful booths from indie studios, an Artist Alley packed with illustrators and artists, and flowing through it all a stream of people who somehow all speak the same language—the language of gaming.
What impressed me most was the density of Bavarian studios presenting their games here. You could actually talk to the developers whose game you’d just been watching someone play. That direct meeting between creators and community simply isn’t possible at large conventions like Gamescom. Games like A Webbing Journey, Medieval Frontiers, or OrbiTower—all titles I hadn’t had on my radar before, all of which surprised me in different ways.
Speaking of surprises: the Cosplay Catwalk on Sunday was a genuine highlight. Costumes at a level that made you briefly wonder how many hours of work could go into a single outfit. The energy in the room when the cosplayers take the stage is hard to put into words.
Also on Sunday, the GG Awards were presented—five prizes for outstanding indie games, covering everything from best sound to innovative game mechanics to audience favorite. The fact that Bavaria’s own Minister of Digital Affairs personally handed out one of the awards shows just how seriously the political world is now taking the games industry. And rightly so.
New to me was the Career Space—an area I nearly walked past, which turned out to be one of the most interesting at the entire convention. Universities from across Bavaria, from SAE to Macromedia to the University of Würzburg and TH Deggendorf, were represented, showcasing what students in gaming degree programs are building. Panels, Q&As, workshops—anyone seriously looking to break into the industry will find real guidance here.
Musically, the weekend kicked off with a concert by Munich band Oblivion, who blend gaming soundtracks with Balkan grooves and Nordic sounds. It sounds like a strange combination—but it works surprisingly well.
Truth be told, I was mainly at GG Bavaria to visit friends who were presenting their games there, above all Incredibug by my 3D mentor Michi, and Bardcore by Flo, Tomas, Svea, and Ludwig, which I had already playtested several times and been able to share my thoughts on—including, for example, that there weren’t nearly enough waifus on display.
In the first physics-based platformer with Metroidvania elements, you control an adorable pill bug, unite your fellow crustaceans, and rise up against a menacing smart home system. In the second, you play as a colorful troupe of bards defending your village from quirky skeletons and a black dragon.
And since I’m a total sucker for all things Japan, I of course couldn’t pass up the action-packed presentation by the local 北辰一刀流兵法 samurai school, soaking in the small and grand stories of East Asian warriors.
When the hustle and bustle of the convention got to be too much, I made myself comfortable by the lake in the sunny Olympic Park, or fled with others to the nearby supermarket to stock up on caffeinated refreshments.
In the evenings, visitors were ushered out of the hall and the party began. While we stuffed ourselves with rolls, cookies, and free drinks and created characters punished by nature on various screens, a DJ dressed in red shook the hall with nostalgic anime openings and the occasional Nintendo soundtrack. The theme songs from One Piece, Case Closed, and Neon Genesis Evangelion are bangers you otherwise only get to hear at weeb events.
The journey home was in Ludwig’s packed car, which somehow fit not just me but also Tomas, Jan, and Johanna. On the way to the next motorway service station, we chatted about university, water damage, and the pitfalls of village life. No convention is a good convention if you don’t at some point flee from it by car, right Michi?
This year’s GG Bavaria gave me the idea of maybe dropping in on Gamescom again after all. It’s been a few years since I attended—back then, thanks to AMY&PINK, I even had the privileges of a press badge and everything that came with it: access to the press area, invitations to industry parties, and not having to suffocate among the general visitors.
On the other hand, I’ve also been wanting to finally make it to Nippon Connection in Frankfurt to catch the latest films from the Land of the Rising Sun. And I’m not sure my often hard-to-predict energy levels could handle two events of this kind back to back.
All in all, GG Bavaria 2026 felt like an event that has caught exactly the right moment. The Bavarian gaming scene is growing, and this convention is growing with it. If you haven’t been yet—I’d secure tickets early next year. Good Game, Bavaria.