Summer Games Fest 2025 Amidst ICE Raids Left Attendees, Vendors, and Staff On High Alert

Summer Games Fest: Play Days took place from Saturday June 7 to Monday June 9, hosted in a venue within Downtown Los Angeles' Fashion District. Despite the anticipation from the announcements and trailers shown during the presentation at the YouTube theater, the mood shifted from excitement to worry as ICE raids occurred only two blocks away. The reason for shifting last year's Play Days, which took place on Friday to Sunday, to Saturday to Monday is unknown. However, the shift in timing conveniently spared business personnel, journalists, and content creators from the chaos, while leaving organizers, staff, and vendors—who were busy setting up for the event—in a precarious position. With the presence of the National Guard starting on Saturday, and the persistent sound of hovering helicopters, everyone present was aware of the events taking place only 10 minutes away around L.A.'s City Hall.

The media and creator-focused video game event was shielded, as it was guarded with private security and other safety precautions in order to allow only invited and relevant attendees, largely unchanged from previous years. Although business owners and shoppers in the nearby Fashion and Flower Districts would wander around Play Days, the area was largely isolated from any pedestrian traffic. Activities and appointments ended by 6pm on Saturday and 8pm on Sunday, likely for the safety of the guests before sunset.

LAPD officers were present, though they dismissed my concerns when I asked them about ICE and the protests in Downtown L.A. They declined to comment, but we could see the smoke and helicopters hovering in the skies where we stood. Summer Games Fest host and presenter, Geoff Keighley, along with C-suite businessmen and high profile game developers—like Hideo Kojima and Monster Hunter producer Ryozo Tsujimoto—walked leisurely on site every day either play testing games, discussing important matters, or taking selfies. Although I wasn't able to speak to highly-positioned individuals, I leisurely spoke to anyone I could strike a conversation with on the events that took place on Friday as well as the continued protests.

On the outside, most responses from marketers, community managers, journalists, content creators, security, vendors, and staff were presented to me as business as usual, Yet, once our conversations expanded, the underlying unease began to quickly bubble up. No names will be mentioned and conversations have been paraphrased. I asked staff members and vendors who were present on Friday how they felt that day.

Some were from out of town, international and domestic, and some were L.A. locals who work on location during Play Days. One game community manager shared how scared he felt to see the news helicopters fly so close, as they were caught off guard by the sudden chaos of the ICE raids at Ambiance Apparel less than half a mile away. He mentioned how vendors are always warned not to travel out of the Play Days area, a sentiment echoed by content creators and journalists who flew into L.A. A marketer who flew from Seattle also expressed fear, as their city is on the Department of Homeland Security's list of sanctuary cities. They worry that this is a “preview of what the administration will do later this year.”

A barista, who was setting up the cafe with their coworkers on Friday, told me they stayed inside as they could hear the ruckus close by. When the helicopters started to back off, they decided to take a peak around the perimeter and said the ICE agents and protestors never came near the Play Days location.

Interestingly, on Saturday when the hands-on event began in full swing, we weren't asked to show a valid ID and could enter with our badges hanging from our neck. However, on Sunday, we were suddenly told to show IDs to match the names on our badges at the entrance. Most attendees had to scramble and find one in their car or go back to their hotel for their passports. I asked a security guard about why they changed their policy, but they couldn't give me an answer other than “something must have happened.” Originally, the security guard's feelings towards the protests seemed standoffish, but they quickly opened up to tell me their concern for their parents, as both are “residents,” but didn't elaborate further. “The raids are going to continue and maybe get worse. We're all just humans here.”

At a glance, attendance overall at Play Days felt sparser than in 2024. This could be due to a number of factors, such as the lower number of publishers and developers because of financial restrictions linked to economic uncertainty, lessening profits, and political factors. Of the two international game journalists I spoke to, they voiced their concerns about going back to their hotels in DTLA and contemplated switching to somewhere further away as they feared the protests would move in that direction. One opted to stream Death Stranding 2's live game premiere at the Orpheum Theatre instead of going in person as they didn't want to “run into trouble.”

As for me, I felt conflicted being in a position of privilege at a protected trade show while ICE raids and state violence on vulnerable groups were happening within walking distance. For unrelated personal reasons, I had to go home after completing my scheduled appointments, but I would've left due to the provocations from federal agents and law enforcement. Undoubtedly, no one was unshaken or unfazed by the presence of the National Guard and the large police presence. As the summer convention season begins in earnest soon, namely Anime Expo 2025, it's likely companies and the average person are bracing for further civil unrest.