The gaming industry is developing at a tremendous speed. It may have once been perceived as nothing more than entertainment for the kids, but the children it catered to have grown up, both literally and figuratively. Playing video games has turned into an extremely popular hobby and spawned a vast industry.
Game developers take great pride and pleasure from their product becoming popular and played by millions of users worldwide. The most reliable way to popularize a title is by promoting it via different events: presentations, contests, meetings, etc. This allows one to introduce the audience to the gameplay, garner a following, and draw public attention to their project. A successful event not only makes the game more interesting to a potential consumer, but also attracts investors.
Most major events are held in the US, the UK, or Canada metropolitan areas. These countries have relatively high percentages of people engaged in computer game production and promotion. In addition, the number of players growth here also outpaces most other regions.
Fans of games like Call of Duty, Apex Legends, Fortnite, Genshin Impact, and others come to these events to meet fellow players, learn more about upcoming titles, participate in fun activities, and listen to professional speakers. Major events are significant travel and networking opportunities for hobby enthusiasts who often attend them by their lonesome. Whether you want to make new gamer friends or meet your online buddies IRL and be the first to hear the latest gaming news, you should follow and attend industry conferences, big and small.
The first major video game event occurred back in 1995 and the tradition has been snowballing ever since, aimed at popularizing the industry and helping its fast and harmonious development.
Such events can take place during just one evening or over an entire week. The bigger and more extensive the event, the longer it can last and the larger the crowd it attracts.
What exactly happens at such events? Well, that depends on the format. Gaming expos can be largely divided into two categories: entertainment and technology-oriented events. With the latter, conferences are attended by developers who aim to share and sell their achievements and expertise or set novel trends. They are often attended solely by industry specialists wanting to learn something new, share experience, or find new partners and technological solutions.
Recreational events are much more exciting and tend to be way more massive. Here, visitors get plenty of opportunities to play new games, enjoy unsurpassed graphical fidelity, or join e-sport competitions. These are as popular today as conventional football or basketball. Studies show that Dota 2's "The International" was followed by about the same number of viewers as the World Cup. Unsurprising, considering that the number of computer game fans is growing at an exponential rate, and that such competitions are becoming ever more spectacular. In addition, they offer massive prize pools that are starting to rival certain countries' entire budgets.
Gaming events are perfect for introducing new titles. You are probably already aware of some notable release dates just around the corner, and there will likely be Q&A sessions on them at some point during the next big convention. However, developers also like to use these events as an opportunity to announce new releases for the first time, which usually generates a lot of hype.
If you love video games, schedule your vacation to coincide with one of the major industry events. It will likely be an unforgettable experience resulting in plenty of positive emotions and nostalgic memories.
Who is the main target audience for this sort of event? Most often, they are attended by game development specialists, graphic designers, hobbyists, and investors. Most people look to achieve multiple goals at once, have a good time, and find reliable partners for future cooperation.
Here is a list of 15 popular upcoming international gaming events and expos of 2022-2023.
