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Digital Games
PROGRAMS & INITIATIVES
NYC Summer of Games 2025
Celebrates New York City's booming digital games community featuring marquee events, expos, tournaments, exhibits, workshops, and programs across all five boroughs from June – September 2025.
NYC Video Game Festival
The first-ever NYC Video Game Festival is a one-of-a-kind celebration of gaming that will bring together students, teachers, families, gamers, developers, tech enthusiasts, and industry professionals for a full day of interactive experiences. The festival will feature the 3rd year of the Mayor’s Cup Battle of the Boroughs Minecraft Challenge Final, a grade K-12 scholastic esports competition that prompts borough champion teams to build a more sustainable, future-ready New York City. The day will also include a collegiate esports tournament featuring CUNY, SUNY, and NYC private college teams playing Fortnite® and Valorant®. The digital games expo is also expanding this year to include indie game demos, a free play area with console and PC games, classic arcade, robotics showcase, cosplay showdown, and more
2021 NYC Digital Games Industry Economic Impact Study
Details specifics on the digital games sector's significance and contribution to New York City's economy. Major findings of the report conclude that in 2020 the industry supported 7,600 jobs, $762 million in wages, and $2 billion in economic output.
CCNY Gaming Pathways
Includes opportunities for high school students in Harlem, Upper Manhattan and the South Bronx to pursue a bachelor’s degree in digital game design and prepare for future careers in New York City’s rapidly growing digital gaming industry.
Game Development Industry Council
Advises the city's policies and programs in the games development sector. The first-ever Council is made up of various leaders from the industry, including digital game publishers, studios, vr/ar creators, financiers, as well as educators and trade organization representatives.
INDUSTRY EVENTS & RESOURCES
NYCEDC, NYC Media Lab to Open Digital Game Design Incubator at NYU Tandon School of Engineering
This new incubator will tap into the growing digital game development industry and aims to enable developer success through personalized and strategic mentorship, industry-specific and fundamental business workshops, investor outreach, access to new technologies and network building.
Video Games: The Great Connector Exhibition
The winter 2024 pop-up exhibit Video Games: The Great Connector will be a free, ticketed exhibit, open six days a week for both school visits and the general public. It is scheduled to run for two months at the 60-year old Harlem School of the Arts (on St. Nicholas Ave, just down the hill from the City College of New York).