An Epic Start to 2024 at BGA Connects London!

“The BGA Connects London event was an exceptional experience, marked by an engaging atmosphere and abundant networking opportunities. The panels and talks offered insightful content, complemented by an impressive Pitch Session. The event culminated in a delightful session of Hijngo, adding a fun twist to a productive afternoon. I am eagerly anticipating the next BGA Connects event.”
Frederico Kessler | FunFair Ventures

BGA held its first event of the year with BGA Connects London on Tuesday, 23rd Jan. Running alongside PGC London, the BGA event focused on web3 gaming and brought together over 150 attendees, gathering industry professionals from some of the most dynamic projects within the web3 gaming ecosystem. Rolling out our signature format, the afternoon provided a wealth of insights, the opportunity to network, and gaming fun to top off the event.

Key Takeaways

• Focused events provide invaluable networking opportunities and the ability to dive deeper into the topics related to web3 gaming. These events bring together the most innovative minds in the industry and enable us to open up the discussion to highlight key issues, challenges, and solutions as a community.
• This format enables the BGA to combine multiple facets of the industry to bring value to our members. Game demos, panels, and pitch sessions give the opportunity to gain insights across the industry, from gameplay to business.
• The panel discussions provided great insights and saw industry professionals share their knowledge and thoughts on various topics. Taking questions from the audience enabled a truly interactive discussion.
• The pitch contest gave founders the opportunity to present in front of industry leaders and a judging panel of industry experts. The Q&A session gives them the opportunity to gain invaluable feedback as well as take the opportunity to gain visibility in the community.
• Having fun and creating fun games brings the community together and makes the ecosystem stronger.

“BGA Connets was all three. Inspirational, Informative and Fun. Thank you for an awesome night.”
Yota Wada | Square Enix

“As per usual, the BGA team set the bar for a top-quality event on all fronts education, opportunity, networking, entertainment. I love how BGA brings everyone in gaming together to collaborate, educate, and elevate taking what we all love to the next level. If you didn’t attend, you missed out period. If you aren’t a BGA member and you’re in gaming and blockchain. BGA is a must!”
Michael Harding | Blockchain Sensei

Gaming Station
Testing web3 games is all part of the fun. Players get to test out the mechanics, find out about where and how blockchain technology can be integrated, and enjoy playing fun games. At the gaming station, attendees could play My Neighbor Alice, a fully on-chain multiplayer game built on Chromia that combines digital farming, NFTs trading & community building.

Panel Discussions

Panel 1: Onboarding Challenges: What did we overcome this year, and what’s next? With Dan Bronstein, MetaLordz, Frederico Kessler, Funfair Ventures, Darek Piaskowski, Legends of Elysium, moderated by Eva Shalenko from Clarnium. This panel looked at how web3 gaming has evolved over the past year, the activities the speakers have organized to foster community growth, and a look to the year ahead.

Panel 2: Are Game Developers Catching the Web3 Bug in 2024? Joined by speakers Paul-David Oosthuizen, Made For Gamers, Elina Arponen, Quicksave Interactive, Stan Fiedor, WeMade, moderated by Michael Harding from Blockchain Sensei. Combining expert panelists from web2 and web3 to look at the changing trends among web2 game developers, the traditional, the dynamic, and the growing interest in web3 gaming.

Panel 3: Casual Gaming and Web3: A Match Made for Mass Adoption? A dive into the growing genre of casual gaming and how it can pave the way to mass adoption and web3 gaming with Paul Flanagan, CM Games, Jon Hook, Playember, Russell Bennett, Metacade, moderated by Eliza Crichton-Stuart, Gam3.GG.

“Our panel was an insightful exploration of the intersection between casual gaming and web3, and the collective expertise of the distinguished speakers brought depth to the conversation. Their unique insights into the evolving landscape of gaming and the potential synergy with web3 captivated the audience.

The other engaging discussions throughout the whole event not only addressed current industry trends but also offered valuable perspectives on the future of gaming and its potential for mass adoption through web3 integration.

The support from the BGA team, coupled with the enthusiasm of all the attendees, contributed to the success of the event. The positive atmosphere and active audience participation reflected the relevance and interest in all things web3 gaming. Thank you for entrusting me with the moderation of such a dynamic and informative panel. I look forward to future collaborations with the BGA and contributing to the continued success of your outstanding events.”
Eliza Crichton-Stuart | Gam3.gg

Panel 4: What elements will shape the success of a web3 game in 2024? With Mohamed Ezeldin, Animoca Brands, Frederico Kessler, Funfair Ventures, Alex Matsuo, AWS, moderated by Abhishek Singh from Voice of Crypto. Gathering VCs and industry experts to unpack this topic and provide an insightful panel that covered elements that have the potential to bring web3 gaming to the forefront in 2024.

“It was a pleasure attending the BGA connect London thank you BGA for initiating this event and bringing in so many bright minds in Blockchain and gaming under the same roof. London has always been the hub of the innovation and I am sure with this initiative we will bring in more innovation and entrepreneurs in the Blockchain industry.”
Abhishek Singh | Voice of Crypto

Pitch Contest
Nine projects took to the stage to showcase their innovative games, projects, and solutions in a pitch contest sponsored by Funfair Ventures.

The session saw a variety of unique projects pitch their project to the audience and investors in the room. Projects pitching on the day: Aurus, MetaXSeed, Swaye, BlockGames, Wharf Street Studios, Legends of Elysium, Shark in the Suit, 21BJ and Moon Boi Studios.

The judges included VCs and industry leaders, including sponsors of the contest, Funfair Ventures, as well as Square Enix, The Sandbox, AWS, Cointelligence, and Helika, who scored the participants. BlockGames emerged as the contest winner, bagging a prize from Nomiks.

“I was impressed by the dynamic blend of expert discussions and gaming showcases. It was a unique place for sharing insights and fostering connections within the web3 gaming community. The pitch contest and networking sessions particularly stood out, offering valuable opportunities for collaboration and growth in this exciting field.”
Darek Piaskowski | Legends of Elysium

Fireside Chat
BGA President and co-founder of The Sandbox, Sebastien Borget, took to the stage alongside CEO of Animoca Brands and Industry giant Robby Yung to unpack the BGA State of the Industry Report 2023. In an informal chat, the two industry experts shared their experiences, views, and expertise as they discussed the report findings and their thoughts for the year ahead. Speaking on the challenges and industry drivers, they gave their personal and professional insights based on their wealth of knowledge and position in the space. Sharing valuable insights, the panel concluded with an AMA with the audience, who were keen to pick the brains of two top thought leaders in the web3 gaming ecosystem.

Networking and Games Night
The remainder of the event left time for attendees to network over drinks and come together for the most epic game of bingo ever! Bringing fun and games to a gaming event created a vibrant and relaxed atmosphere and was a great reminder that we happen to be in one of the most vibrant verticals in the blockchain industry. An experience like no other, featuring fun, laughter, and epic tiebreakers, this was a fantastic end to a highly valuable and focused web3 gaming industry event!

“This event set up a standard for my business trips for this year. The organization and venue were super cool. A good concentration of people from the space created an outstanding atmosphere for easy-going networking. The afterparty was amazing and extraordinary, and that definitely will make me remember this event till the end of the year. Thanks to the whole team of BGA, always happy to be with you!”
Eva Shalenko | Clarnium

You can pick up the January Magazine for more details and further insights from BGA members.

“BGA Connects London was a great spot for showing off new promising projects and bringing together new talents and industry experts. The event was really well put together by the BGA Team, with talks that were both interesting and helpful. It was a good chance to connect and share insights about the Blockchain Gaming Landscape. At the end, there was even time to have fun and play Bingo together!”
Stefano Valle, COO and Co-founder | 21BJ

It was such a cool and informative event. Thank you to the BGA team! You rock!
Marc Alloul | Helika.io

Next stop, BGA Connects Paris at NFT Paris on the 22nd of February, keep an eye on our LinkedIn or X to find out more. We look forward to seeing you there!