Gamescom 2021 will host a playable MMO for exploring the convention and finding new games

An MMO for checking out cool indie games is coming to Gamescom this year, giving you the chance to rub elbows with fellow attendees and developers without ever leaving your home.

The Summercamp of Doom is a browser-based MMO experience that will let virtual visitors to Gamescom check out more than 120 indie games. It sounds like it's trying to replicate some of the experience of wandering a convention hall, discovering cool new games, and talking to the folks who made them - if instead of a convention hall you were in a strange RPG world purpose-built for showing off video games.

You'll be able to find exclusive game demos in developer booths, so make sure you explore to find your new favorites. The whole thing will feature a central storyline, multiple quests, and even a leveling system so you can prove you've put in the time as a virtual exhibition visitor.

Summercamp of Doom will be freely accessible from the Gamescom Now Content hub. On top of giving virtual visitors the run of a purpose-built MMO, Indie Arena Booth also plans to broadcast multiple days of streams featuring indie publishers including Finji Games, Tiny Build, Ravens Court, and more.

Gamescom confirmed back in May that it would cancel its plans for a hybrid in-person and online event and focus solely on the latter, marking the second year for its digital-only presence. The event is set to kick off on Wednesday, August 25 with Gamescom Opening Night Live, with a presentation full of "new announcements and world premieres" hosted by summer gaming dude Geoff Keighley. The show itself is set to run for three days from August 25 to 27 - this is the part where I'd usually say "at the Koelnmesse exhibition center in Cologne, Germany," but again, virtual-only.

In other convention news, PAX West is still moving forward with plans for an in-person event in September. The organizers confirmed today that attendees will be required to either present proof of vaccination against COVID-19 or a negative COVID-19 test for everyone at PAX West, including attendees and exhibitors.

There's a lot to be excited about in the independent space right now - check out our list of new indie games 2021 to see some of our current favorites.

I got a BA in journalism from Central Michigan University - though the best education I received there was from CM Life, its student-run newspaper. Long before that, I started pursuing my degree in video games by bugging my older brother to let me play Zelda on the Super Nintendo. I've previously been a news intern for GameSpot, a news writer for CVG, and was formerly a staff writer at GamesRadar.