Guest article: LEVEL UP - The gaming event in Salzburg

This article about LEVEL UP Salzburg is a guest post by the lovely cosplayer ShiroLupus - she was there for us and brought us this great report. Thanks for that!

You can find ShiroLupus on Instagram here: To the Insta profile.

We were at LEVEL UP on Saturday! Find out more about the two-day gaming event and whether you should keep your diary free next year 😉

The LEVEL UP event offers many interesting insights into the gaming world and career opportunities. If you want to chill out, you can try out new games from Austrian developers such as the new chaotic space co-op game „We Are Screwed!“ by Rarebyte. In this game you can play with up to 4 people. Easy to play and the constantly regenerated content can make it an amusing game. Interested? Which of you will be carrying out maintenance work on the spaceship and would you rather steer it through the galaxy?

Anyone who would like to experience real live action for themselves is welcome to visit the company stands and check out application opportunities. The German Federal Police, W&H eSports and Eloka Truppe, for example, were also represented there.

What can you experience at LEVEL UP in Salzburg?

You can test games, take part in championships or just watch, such as Rocket League or Street Fighter 6. There is also a tabletop area, retro area and this year the second ICARACE World Championship took place with a lot of muscle power.

Nearby were the traders and artists. The aisles were well organised and very spacious. There were few anime/comic dealers for convention fans, but you could still see a lot of nice things at the stands!

Travelling to LEVEL UP:

Easy and convenient to reach via the motorway. Unfortunately, car drivers have to buy a parking ticket every time they enter the exhibition centre. There is also the option of travelling there free of charge by bus. Which lines and how it works, is well explained on the website of the Salzburg Exhibition Centre.

Infrastructure

Although the weather was very warm, it was extremely pleasant in the hall and there was plenty of seating. The deckchairs from the various companies were spread out everywhere. Many other trade fairs in Austria could learn a thing or two from this. It was pleasant to browse the stands in cosplay without having to worry about getting too hot. There were also plenty of car parks. It must also be said that Level Up took place at the same time as two other events. This may have affected the parking options and the queues at the stands.

My highlights at the gaming event in Salzburg

One of the highlights for me was the drone race. Not everyone was allowed to fly :'( but thanks to the many seats, it was easy to enjoy the spectacle as a spectator. It was also a very good idea for the event to create a stamp card that every visitor could take part in. There were 15 fields on the map and there was a task description for each field. Each task was a visit to a specific booth at the event where you had to play something, interact with the company's products or even share your gaming war cry out loud. When all the stamps were collected, you could win a gaming monitor, a gaming chair, a Jägermeister package and other great prizes.

Of course, there was also plenty of food! What I found unusual for a small event was that there were lots of food trucks serving everything from meat to vegan food and plenty of drinks to choose from. Such as bubble tea, Jägermeister, Nespresso, Red Bull or plenty of free coffee and smoothies from Emmi Caffè Latte and Innocent Smoothies.

Impressions from other visitors

A cosplayer from Vienna: He had travelled a long way to meet friends and enjoy the event. As for the after-party on Saturday, it was a bit too short for him as it ended at 11.00 pm.

A game developer: „The problem in Austria at the moment is that there is no funding for game development. As a result, studios are forced to put their own projects on ice or even to cancel them because they can't make a profit with them. As a result, they do not have the necessary resources to hire staff. Although it is possible to work on games through commissions from larger companies, this also means that their own projects fall by the wayside. If there were general subsidies, it would also be possible to see more Austrian games on the market that are also known to come from Austria.

My personal conclusion

An interesting, chilled gaming event where you can experience lots of new things. If you're a cosplayer and convention fan looking for karaoke, AMV, Maid Café or Kawaii, you've unfortunately come to the wrong place. Nevertheless, there is a cosplay contest on Sunday 🙂 and you can also meet cosplayers, even if they are few and far between. The event offers a lot of interaction. The companies were very friendly, some exhibitors not so, as if they didn't want to be there xD Nice visitors and lots of choice of drinks. If Emmi Caffè Latte comes again, I would be very happy <3 Overall, it was a recommendable event if you want to experience something at the weekend and are from the surrounding area. LG, ShiroLupus!

Further recommendation:

From 18 to 19 November 2023, the Vienna Comic Con at the Vienna Exhibition Centre. What you could possibly expect - read about the „VIECC 2022“ last year.