Gamescom Amping Up Security

Today, Gamescom organizers sent out emails notifying those attending of changes coming to the early summer convention in Cologne, Germany. The event is tightening their security measures in a response to the increased violence the country has recently faced.

Emails sent by organizers advised attendees to leave bags at home, unless it is truly necessary to bring them. Bag checks will be conducted for those who bring bags, which will lead to significant delays at the entrance of the event.

The organizers of the event relayed the following information to attendees:

“In concrete terms this means: If not absolutely necessary, please leave bags and rucksacks and items of all kinds that you don't urgently need for your visit to Gamescom at home in order to keep the waiting times down to a minimum.”

“Control measures, including bag checks, will be carried out at the entrances before entering the fairgrounds. The controls will take on variable forms, which will depend on the respective short-term consultations with the safety authorities. Please expect longer queuing times and support us in carrying out the control measures by bringing no or as little luggage as possible with you to the fair. For planning your arrival: The safety controls start at 7:00 a.m. Queues must be expected.”

In recent times, other events have faced similar situations, most notably Pax East 2014. At Pax East 2014, the Boston marathon bombing forced PAX to implement bag checks to insure the safety of attendees. I was there that year, and I remember lines took more than an hour just to even get into the building on Friday morning.

As the event progressed, the process started to become more streamlined, and wait times were drastically reduced. Even at this past Pax East, lines for bags still saw higher wait times when non bag lines flowed in. So, if you plan on attending this year's gamescom, I highly recommend leaving your bag home.