Tokyo Game Show

Tokyo Game Shows
Status	Active
Genre	Video games
Venue	Makuhari Messe
Location(s)	Chiba
Country	Japan
Inaugurated	1996
Attendance	223,753 (2012)
Organized by	Computer Entertainment Supplier's Association Nikkei Business Publications, Inc.
Filing status	Non-profit
Website
http://tgs.cesa.or.jp/

The Tokyo Game Show (東京ゲームショウ, Tōkyō Gēmu Shō), commonly known as TGS, is a video game expo / convention held annually in the Makuhari Messe, in Chiba, Japan. It is presented by the Computer Entertainment Supplier's Association (CESA) and the Nikkei Business Publications, Inc. The main focus of the game show is on Japanese games, but there are also some international video-game developers using it to show off their upcoming releases/related hardware. Like Gamescom, the Tokyo Game Show allows the general public to attend during the final two days.

History

Main article: History of the Tokyo Game Show

The first Tokyo Game Show was held in 1996. Till 2002, the show was held twice a year: once in the spring and once in autumn (in the Tokyo Big Sight). The show is now held once a year. The Tokyo Game Show continues to attract more visitors every year with 2011’s show playing host to over 200,000 attendees and the 2012 show bringing in 223,753.

Layout

The 2012 Tokyo Game Show showcased 11 exhibition areas consisting of business, general public, educational and areas to buy merchandise (Business Wire 2012).

General Exhibition Area

The General Exhibition Area is the heart of the show, which takes up the largest amount of space and is held where digital gaming entertainment or any related products/services are showcased. Many well-known companies such as Namco Bandai, Capcom, Sony and Square Enix as well as emerging companies have demo areas here.

Surprisingly, Nintendo, a huge game company that originated in Japan, does not participate directly in the Tokyo Game Show. Until 2001, they held their own trade show, E3, in Los Angeles and since then, have debut their new products there. They receive representation through various game developers who create software for Nintendo platforms.

Game Device Area

This area covers gaming devices such as headphones, controllers, furniture and other devices associated with home-use gaming consoles and portable gaming devices.

Asia New Stars Area

A brand new exhibition introduced at the 2012 Tokyo Game Show was created and is geared towards introducing emerging game developers from Asia. The Tokyo Game Show has established a midterm vision to become “The Most Complete Information in Asia” and “The World’s Largest Event". This year “Asia New Stars Area” welcomed eight corporations from Indonesia, Iran, Malaysia and Vietnam, which attracted much attention. Many people attended the “Asia Game Business Summit 2012", during which key persons from China, South Korea, Indonesia and Japan discussed the future vision of the game business in the Asian region, with hope to further reinforce the link among Asian countries/regions.

Merchandise Sales Area

This area is designated for merchandising of game-related goods. Some of the vendors include: Toyplay, Konami, Square-Enix, Gametech Co. Ltd. and many more.

Smartphone Game & Social Game Area

An area dedicated to focusing on games for smart devices (smartphones, such as iPhone, Android, Windows Phone, various tablets) and social games for PCs or mobile. Despite record numbers during TGS 2012, many big name companies of the past had a smaller presence such as Microsoft (who usually has among the largest booths), which was completely absent this year (Okubo, Grant 2012). Social and mobile gaming surged in numbers filling the gap. Left behind, the mobile software company Gree, which occupied an area comparable to the powerhouse Sony, has indicated a definite change in the course of the video game industry in Japan.

PC Area

The PC Area houses major Japanese computing companies, showcasing their products such as Japanese desktop and notebook computers.

Kids’ Area

Another area which is used to showcase new games that are aimed at a younger audience, such as children. Companies such as Taito and Sega are housed here.

Game School Area

The Game School Area showcases information on Japanese universities and colleges who offer information about digital art, animation, computer programming, and other programs of study related to the video game industry. These booths also display student work (Japan-guide.com). It houses colleges such as Numazu Professional College of Information Technology and Tokyo Designer Gakuin College.

Sales Area

This is the main area in the games convention where most of the sales and business transactions between companies and consumers are carried out. Companies housed here include Nikkei Business Publications, Inc.

Cosplay

The Tokyo Game Show also attracts a heavy cosplay crowd. Cure, Japan's largest cosplay community website, hosted a "Moving Cosplay" stage show during the 2012 Tokyo Game Show (2012 Tokyo Game Show). The show lasting 90 minutes included a cosplay fashion show, dance numbers, and a grand march of robot cosplayers. The event (2012 Tokyo Game Show site) was not only attended by Top cosplayers from Japan and overseas but also by local amateurs.

Business Solution Area

This is the main business area of the games convention and is not open to the public.

Cloud/Data Center Pavilion

The Cloud/Data Center is dedicated to improving infrastructure and environment of social and network games (2012 Tokyo Game Show site).

External links

• Tokyo Game Show 2013
• Tokyo Game Show 2012
• Tokyo Game Show 2011
• Tokyo Game Show 2010
• Tokyo Game Show 2009
• Tokyo Game Show 2008
• Tokyo Game Show 2007
• Tokyo Game Show 2006
• Tokyo Game Show 2005
• Japan-guide.com (2012) Tokyo Game Show