PixelGamingMama Takes on Kouda Connect & FORMAT Liverpool 2026
Updated: Oct 7
From getting off to a slightly chaotic start to networking with developers, creators and event organisers, PixelGamingMama’s first solo invited creator event became a day about confidence as much as content.
Attending a gaming event is one thing.
Attending as an invited content creator, knowing you are there to represent yourself, meet people, make connections and come away with something worth talking about, is something else entirely.
For PixelGamingMama, Kouda Connect and FORMAT Liverpool 2026 became exactly that kind of experience.
PixelGamingMama has attended FORMAT and the Kouda VIP Lounge before, but this year felt different. She had been invited in her own right and would be spending much of the day navigating the events independently.
For someone who does not naturally find unfamiliar social situations or networking easy, that was already a big step.
By the end of the day, though, she had spoken with developers, creators and organisers, tried games, taken photos and video, created content, caught up with friends and represented both PixelGamingMama and The Pixel Hangout.
For a first solo creator event, that is a pretty successful day.
A Slightly Chaotic Start at Kouda Connect
The day began with Kouda Connect, an invite-only creator and industry gathering taking place ahead of FORMAT.
Things did not get off to the smoothest start.
PixelGamingMama initially headed to Boxpark, believing that was where the afternoon event was being held. When she arrived, she discovered that Boxpark was actually the location for the later FORMAT event, while Kouda Connect was taking place at the Spinnaker Event Suite at Coburg Wharf.
She was not the only one to make the mistake.
A few other creators had also arrived at the wrong venue, and rather than heading off alone, PixelGamingMama joined them for the walk across to the correct location.
By the time they arrived, she was around 30 minutes late.
For an event running from 1 PM to 3 PM, that is a significant part of the session, and it is worth keeping that in mind when talking about Lisa’s experience of Kouda Connect.
She may simply have missed some of the early networking, introductions or activities.
That makes her experience of the event exactly that — her experience, rather than a complete picture of everything that happened.
Smaller Than Expected, but Still Worthwhile
By the time PixelGamingMama arrived, Kouda Connect felt more intimate than she had expected.
There were game demonstrations, food, drinks and opportunities to speak with developers and creators in a relaxed environment.
Pre-event promotion had created expectations around networking, meeting brands and making industry contacts, so PixelGamingMama had pictured something larger beforehand.
Because she arrived late, though, it would be unfair to say definitively what was or was not available during the full session.
What we do know is what she did once she got there.
She visited the game booths.
She spoke to developers.
She met other creators.
She caught up with people she already knew.
And she also briefly spoke with James Dean and Scott Hall and Will Gask from the Kouda team.
Instead of letting the wrong venue, late arrival or nerves derail the afternoon, she simply got on with it.
For a first solo creator event, that says a lot.
Then Came FORMAT
If Kouda Connect was the more intimate part of the day, FORMAT was the complete opposite.
This year’s Liverpool event took place at Boxpark, and the difference in scale compared with previous years was immediately noticeable.
The venue felt larger, busier and much more energetic.
There were gaming booths, indie developers, PC hardware displays, merchandise, food, stage entertainment, music and cosplay spread throughout the event.
PixelGamingMama captured photos of several areas across the day, including indie game displays such as The Sapling Cradle and Astro Burn, alongside other playable demos and gaming booths.
There were hardware displays too, including systems from Wired2Fire, while ZOTAC Gaming had a visible presence across the wider event and creator areas.
FORMAT felt like somewhere there was always something else happening.
One minute there was a game to try.
The next, a performance on stage.
Then a cosplayer to stop and chat with, a creator to catch up with or another part of the venue to explore.
For PixelGamingmama, that gave the latter part of the day the atmosphere she had hoped for.
From Nervous Networking to Talking With the People Running the Events
One of the biggest positives was that PixelGamingMama did not simply walk around taking photographs.
She got involved.
She spoke to developers about their games.
She talked to other creators.
She interacted with cosplayers.
She met members of the Kouda team, including brief conversations with James Dean and Scott Hall and Will Gask.
At FORMAT, she also had the opportunity to briefly speak with Simran Whitham, Managing Director of FORMAT.
And she caught up with Paul Spicer, aka Mags, better known as Middle-Aged Gamer-Guy, founder of Timeless Gaming and the driving force behind its gaming conventions and events.
That meeting carried a little more history than some of the others.
Mags has been part of our wider creator journey for around three years and was one of the first people we connected with through a Twitch meetup he runs.
Seeing that relationship continue into events like FORMAT gives the day a nice sense of progression.
Fast-forward a few years, and PixelGamingMama is now attending FORMAT as an invited creator herself, representing both PixelGamingMama and The Pixel Hangout.
Taken together, it shows just how much networking PixelGamingMama actually managed to do.
She spoke with developers.
She spoke with fellow creators.
She spoke with members of the Kouda team.
She spoke with the Managing Director of FORMAT.
And she reconnected with someone who has built his own gaming event brand and become part of the wider creator and convention scene.
For somebody who went into the day unsure how comfortable she would feel networking independently, that is a pretty impressive turnaround.
A Bigger Streamer Focus in the Kouda VIP Lounge
Another noticeable change this year was the creator setup inside the Kouda VIP Lounge.
The wider lounge itself felt quieter and more stripped back than PixelGamingMama remembered from previous years, but the dedicated streamer area had clearly moved in the opposite direction.
It was larger, more focused and much more deliberately built around invited creators.
A lineup of streamers broadcast from the venue across platforms, including Twitch and TikTok LIVE.
Kouda’s own event posts confirmed support from several partners around the streamer setup.
Wired2Fire supplied PCs for the livestream area, while Razer provided creator peripherals including chairs, microphones, keyboards and headphones.
ZOTAC Gaming also returned as a sponsor, with branding, creator support and goodie bag items visible during the event.
Lexar Gaming was also announced as a sponsor of the lounge, although PixelGamingMama may have missed some of the activity during what was already a very busy day.
One of the invited streamers was our friend GameTyme, adding another familiar face to the creator side of the event.
The streamer section in particular felt like a noticeable step up from previous years.
The Goodie Bag Was Fun, but It Wasn’t the Story
Creators and VIP streamers also received goodie bags during the event.
Among the items PixelGamingMama photographed were several ZOTAC products and branded pieces, including a wireless tracking tag and a ZOTAC Gaming half-frame camera.
Naturally, she turned that into content too.
Her simple “Guess what’s in the box?” post gave her audience something to interact with rather than treating the goodie bag as just another freebie.
That little moment says quite a lot about the day.
PixelGamingMama was not just attending.
She was thinking like a creator.
Take the photo.
Capture the moment.
Turn it into content.
Bring the audience into the experience.
That is exactly what event coverage should be.
The Biggest Achievement Was the Confidence Gained
The games were good.
The cosplay was fun.
The atmosphere at FORMAT was strong.
But the biggest success of the day had nothing to do with a booth, sponsor or goodie bag.
It was simply seeing PixelGamingMama realise she could do this.
She attended as an invited creator.
She represented herself.
She represented The Pixel Hangout.
She spoke to developers.
She spoke with creators and event organisers.
She made content.
She took photos and videos.
She stepped outside her comfort zone and stayed there long enough to enjoy herself.
That matters.
Not every content creator walks into an event feeling naturally confident.
Not everyone loves networking.
Not everyone knows what to say the first time they approach somebody.
Sometimes the hardest part is simply walking through the door.
And sometimes, as PixelGamingMama discovered at Kouda Connect, the first door is not even the right one.
But confidence does not always come before doing something.
Sometimes it comes because you did it.
A Useful Reminder for New Creators
If you are reading this because you want to become a content creator, attend your first event or start networking but feel like you are not confident enough, PixelGamingMamas experience is a good reminder that you do not need to become a completely different person.
You do not have to be the loudest person in the room.
You do not have to talk to everybody.
You do not need the perfect introduction.
Sometimes it starts with one conversation.
Then another.
Then one more.
Even a shaky start does not have to ruin the day.
PixelGamingMamawent to the wrong venue.
She ended up running late.
She joined other creators who had made the same mistake.
And instead of letting that throw her off completely, she carried on.
By the end of the day, she had spoken with developers, creators and people actually involved in running the events.
That is probably the most valuable thing she brought home.
A Mixed Day, but a Successful One
Not everything about the day was exactly what PixelGamingMama expected.
Kouda Connect felt smaller and more intimate than she had imagined, although arriving late meant she only experienced part of the full session.
Some parts of the VIP experience had changed compared with previous years.
There were also areas and activities she may simply not have seen.
But that is the reality of covering an event from one person’s perspective.
This is not intended to be a definitive breakdown of everything that happened across Kouda Connect or FORMAT.
It is one creator’s experience of the day.
And from that perspective, there was plenty to take away.
She discovered games.
She made connections.
She spent time with friends.
She created content.
She represented herself professionally.
And most importantly, she enjoyed herself.
A Big Step for PixelGamingMama — and The Pixel Hangout
For The Pixel Hangout, this event also represented something important.
Much of our previous event coverage has come from attending together.
This time, PixelGamingMama represented the site herself.
She gathered the photos.
She captured a video.
She spoke to people.
She brought back the experience.
That gives The Pixel Hangout something we want more of going forward: different voices and different perspectives from the people actually attending these events.
And for PixelGamingMama personally, it was a milestone worth being proud of.
The day might not have unfolded exactly as expected.
But sometimes that does not matter.
She went.
She got involved.
She networked far more than she probably realised at the time.
She had a good time.
And she came home knowing she could do it again.
For a first solo outing as an invited content creator, that feels like a very successful day indeed.
Written from PixelGamingMama's first-hand experience, notes and photographs. Edited by ChronoPixelGaming for The Pixel Hangout.
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