One of the benefits in living in New York is knowing for a fact that, regardless of what you're into, there's some kind of congregation for you. Want to learn Argentinean Tango? Go right ahead. Want to make Zoori, a kind of Japanese sandal? There're 34 people waiting for you to call.
Or, you know, break into the interactive entertainment industry by attending the New York Gaming Meetup. I've been attending for the last few months, and seen everything from a game about a war between cats to an augmented reality game starring Criss Angel.
Held in the Gallery Bar on the Lower East Side, it's a combination of a basic networking event and a peer-review. Just about anyone can get up and demo their game in front of a crowd made up of marketers, reporters and investors from the area, and get a critique from a crowd that would usually charge by the hour for their time.
It isn't limited to gaming, though. In fact, two of the most famous presenters - Foursquare and Livestream - are far outside of the purview.
So, if you're working in, writing about, investing in, or just plain interested in the games industry and based in the NYC metro, it's worth stopping by.