Although the threat from the virus that everyone hates is still real, we are slowly starting to return to the longed for normality. Unfortunately, we are far from what was everyday life before the flawed romance of gastronomy with a flying mammal, and the attractions that come back to life do not impress with their earlier momentum, but the announcement of the return after a two-year break in Poznań Game Arena was something exciting for me. It was the first event of this type for me, so expectations grew as the date of departure approached.

Before my legs carried me towards the capital of Greater Poland, there was a lot of information on the web to prepare fans for the visit. Among the incentives to visit the stands of specific artists, one message caught my attention, and it would be difficult for me to pass by indifferently. The organizers decided that due to the much smaller momentum compared to the pre-pandemic editions, the price of the VIP ticket at the beginning was definitely too high, so people who took advantage of the pre-sale could receive compensation in the form of gifts, a voucher for other events or simply give back full refund ticket. A very fair and pro-consumer approach that I had to mention here. WAY TO GO!

Overturned tables, a real yacht or a beast worthy of a Witcher – the stands did not choose their means to do their best

Until that day finally arrived

Crossing the threshold of the Poznań International Fair reminds me only of fantastic experiences and in this case it was exactly the same. It is true that the ubiquitous masks and tedious scanning of covid certificates at the entrance did not allow anyone to forget what times we lived in, but behind the gates you could feel the joyful atmosphere of fun, not only digital. There were dozens of workstations waiting on the spot, from small desks serviced by independent creators willing to show themselves, through places allowing many players to play hits like Far Cry 6 , Minecraft or Biomutant , to huge scenes imitating the ring or located in a big truck trailer, where you can was to face other visitors in the competitionFall Guys , Back 4 Blood , Valorant and many, many more. Sports cars, a luxury yacht, and the 11 bit studios’ stand, inviting you to join their team, also attracted attention. A spoonful of tar, although this may be my booming opinion, was the scene of a certain energetic, which every few hours, with the extreme stubbornness of a maniac, disrupted all other events taking place in the hall, preventing other stands from communicating with the audience in any way.

On the main stage, you could face other participants, for example in the game Valorant

An undoubted attraction, available not only at selected times, were of course the stalls where you could buy very valuable souvenirs. Figurines, posters, mascots, as well as equipment from such well-known brands as Logitech, Razer or Genesis – everything that only a gamer’s soul could desire. Despite three days of considerable traffic, the sellers turned out to be very well prepared and everyone could buy what they were interested in, without worrying about the lack of assortment. Only the Pixel-Box position disappeared quite quickly, but luckily I managed to get my box. On one table, I even noticed the book Among Us: The Traitor Among Us , which we patronize, so I wasn’t the only tavern accent on the PGA.

It was smurfish in places!

Stands are stalls, but the stage …

Poznań Game Arena offered a whole host of attractions, but what would an event of this caliber be if it were not for the main stage. Difficult to avoid, it kept attracting crowds of visitors, tempting with very interesting events. Thanks to them, for example, we learned how the very calming game Wingspan was created , i.e. a digital adaptation of a board game in which Krystyna Czubówna herself reads interesting facts about birds, one of the viewers had the opportunity to face Karol Linetti himself in FIFA 22 , accompanied by a commentary by Jakub Wesołowski, or you can was to see the struggles of the participants of the Polish Fighting Championships, fighting in exciting clashes in Tekken 7 and Mortal Kombat 11. The PGA Genesis Cosplay Show, during which you could see very talented and hungry cosplayers, was the most popular (of course also mine). League of Legends and The Witcher could enjoy a large representation, although there were also characters from other universes, such as Genshin Impact .

Cosplayers’ performances were by far the most popular

Poznań Game Arena was undoubtedly an awaited event, and although the momentum from previous editions was lacking, it did not disappoint gaming enthusiasts. Personally, I had a very nice time, and judging by other people’s reports, I was not alone in it. It is a pity that we will have to wait almost a year for the next edition. I wouldn’t mind visiting my beloved games more often among fans!

As a curiosity, I will reveal that among the attractions for digital entertainment enthusiasts there was also a place for the National Mechanics Championship. What do the specialists in digging into the guts of vehicles have to do with the gaming event and did they play Offroad Mechanic Simulator ? This, unfortunately, will remain a mystery to me.