Vortex Gaming

2023 was a truly enjoyable year for a game journalist. Not only were there a flood of blockbuster games, but also global game shows that had been scaled down or held online due to the pandemic finally made a complete offline comeback.

Game shows are more than just events for gamers. They are a truly special 'event' where you can meet people who share the same hobbies, share the joy, demo unreleased new games, get information, buy goods that you usually can't get, and enjoy various performances on stage, creating countless memories.

And this year, like last year, many global game shows are already announcing their opening dates and preparing to meet gamers. The most representative are the Taipei Game Show, which will be held first, the Summer Game Fest, which is expected to have a greater impact due to the cancellation of E3, and the Gamescom and Tokyo Game Show, which are now called the two major game shows.

In Korea, you can also see game shows with various themes and concepts, starting with the PlayX4, the largest game show in the metropolitan area, G-STAR, Korea's representative game show that is gradually increasing in size, BIC and Burning Beaver for indie games, and AGF, which focuses on games and animation.

What game shows will make gamers' hearts flutter this year? Here is a summary of the schedules and venues of major domestic and international game shows.

플레이엑스포
5/23~5/26

The event that marks the beginning of domestic game shows is PlayX4. As the largest game show in the metropolitan area, many visitors visit the KINTEX in Ilsan, where PlayX4 is held, every year to enjoy games on various platforms.

The biggest feature of PlayX4 is probably the huge arcade hall. It is an event where many families and students can be seen because it is full of arcade games that anyone can play easily and enjoyably. On weekends, many old gamers visit the site thanks to the retro market. 2024 PlayX4 will be held from May 23rd to 26th this coming spring.

지스타
11/14~11/17

The most representative game show held in Korea is G-STAR. It is held in Busan every November, and this year it is scheduled to be held from November 14th according to the website.

G-STAR operates the B2C hall in BEXCO Exhibition Center 2 as well as Exhibition Center 1, and various events are held in the convention hall and auditorium during the event. It is no exaggeration to say that it is a game event that utilizes the entire BEXCO. G-STAR, where various domestic and foreign game companies set up booths and welcome visitors every year, what games will come to Korean gamers this year?

월드 사이버 게임 (WCG)
날짜 미정 (작년 7/28~7/30)

WCG was an international e-sports competition in the form of a national competition that was held steadily every year for 14 years from 2000. However, as large game companies began to host competitions directly, it gradually lost its place. Since then, WCG has expanded the event from a competition to a festival through Big Picture Interactive, a comprehensive e-sports company.

Now, WCG has become a competition where not only professional gamers from various countries but also influencers and general users can participate. Last year, it was held in Busan and held various game competitions such as Hearthstone, Clash Royale, Epic Seven, and Genshin Impact. The schedule for this year is still undecided, but since last year's event was held on the last weekend of July, it is likely to be held around the same time.

부산인디커넥트페스티벌 (BIC)
날짜 미정 (작년 오프라인 8/25~8/27, 온라인 8/17~9/14)

BIC is a global indie game event held in Busan every year. Since 2015, it has been making new attempts every year, and now many indie developers from overseas are participating beyond Korea.

In particular, BIC 2023, which was held last year, was held at BEXCO for the first time. As a result, it presented the largest exhibition hall and allowed both the participating indie developers and visitors to enjoy a pleasant and enjoyable event. At the same time, it also operated an online exhibition hall, allowing many gamers to play various games online.

게임 컬쳐X제너레이션 (GXG)
날짜 미정 (작년 9/8~9/9)

GXG is a new game event presented by Seongnam City. Last year, it was held for the first time over two days in the Pangyo Station Plaza, Pangyo Techwon, and Kakao Pangyo Agit. Seongnam City wanted to present a new type of game culture festival that enjoys games as a comprehensive art beyond just playing games.

Last year's event prepared an exhibition program, a conference with speakers from various fields, an open networking space, side programs that everyone could enjoy, and a special stage, so that anyone, even those who don't know games, could watch it.

인벤 게임 컨퍼런스 (IGC)
날짜 미정 (작년 10/13)

IGC is a global game conference that Inven holds every year. Every year, it invites various famous domestic and foreign speakers under a new standard to present lectures. It aims to create an opportunity for not only gamers but also game developers and developers, and those who dream of becoming them, to find a better path, where famous developers from all over the world share knowledge and think about what a better game is.

Last year, six lectures were held under the concept of 'Global Standard', which discusses the philosophy and technology of games that are globally popular. The schedule for IGC 2024 is still undecided.

버닝비버
날짜 미정 (작년 오프라인 12/1~12/3, 온라인 12/1~12/10)

Burning Beaver is an indie game event hosted by Smilegate. It aims to provide a variety of events that anyone interested in indie games can enjoy, from offline game exhibitions to game jams, conferences, creator meetups, and awards.

Burning Beaver started in 2022, and last year it showed the event being held at the DDP. As it is held at the end of every year, it seems like we will be able to see it again in December this year.

애니메이션X게임 페스티벌 (AGF)
날짜 미정 (작년 12/2~12/3)

AGF is an event for game and animation fans. The biggest difference from events centered around gamers is that the focus is on purchasing goods, special stages, and cosplay by many visitors. In the case of events where game companies participate in the majority, game demos are the main focus, but AGF has a distinctly different feel.

Instead, in the case of AGF, you can see titles that can be said to be the pinnacle of subculture games, such as Blue Archive, Goddess of Victory: Nikke, Fate Grand Order, and Genshin Impact, setting up booths and participating. If you are a user of the game, it would be good to visit the event as if you were enjoying the event.

타이베이게임쇼 (TGS)
1/25~1/28, Taipei

The Taipei Game Show is the first event of the annual game shows. Although the scale is not very large, it is also a place where various game companies participate to promote their games from the beginning of the year. The Taipei Game Show, which has been held every year since 2003, returned offline for the first time in a long time this year after COVID-19.

Due to the characteristics of Taiwan, where the proportion of indie and small and medium-sized developers is high, various indie game exhibitions and awards are held, and it is characterized by providing unique game areas such as board games. This year, it will be held at the Taipei Nangang Exhibition Center from January 25th to 28th. Inven also plans to cover various news directly from the site and inform you.

게임 개발자 컨퍼런스 (GDC)
3/18~3/22, San Francisco

The world's best and largest conference in the global game industry, the Game Developers Conference, GDC, will be held again this year. It is a place where the world's best developers and talents gather to give lectures on various topics. This year, it will be held at the Moscone Center in San Francisco from March 18th to 22nd.

GDC is not just about giving lectures. The entire game development community gathers for 5 days to share their knowledge and inspiration, exchange ideas, solve each other's problems, and create the future of the game industry. It is characterized by holding hundreds of lectures along with expos and awards.

페니 아케이드 엑스포 (PAX)
PAX EAST (3/21~3/24, Boston)
PAX WEST (8/30~9/2, Seattle)
PAX AUS (날짜 미정(작년 10/6~10/8), Melbourne)
PAX UNPLUGGED (12/6~12/8, Philadelphia)

PAX is an event held every year in Boston, Seattle, Melbourne, and Philadelphia. It can be seen as a true 'game festival' centered on gamers and the game culture they present.

Of course, as it is a game event, there is a large expo hall full of game developers, as well as various music performances and tournaments. However, the charm of PAX is the wide space where gamers who visit the site can play games, communicate with each other, and enjoy themselves whenever they want.

This year, PAX UNPLUGGED will be held in Philadelphia on March 21st, starting with EAST, WEST on August 30th, AUS, which has not yet been scheduled, and finally on December 6th.

서머 게임 페스트 (SGF)
6월, LA

SGF started as an online-focused event that bundled and delivered the individual showcases of large game companies that were being held sporadically after the cancellation of E3. And from 2023, offline events were also held under the leadership of host Geoff Keighley. It held a kickoff show at the YouTube Theater and a play day to showcase various games to the media.

Not only that. During the SGF period, various game companies such as Xbox, Ubisoft, and CDPR hold individual showcases near downtown LA. These showcases are characterized by holding offline events for the media at the same time as online broadcasting. With E3 completely gone, we will have to see how SGF will grow in size.

차이나조이
7/26~7/29, Shanghai

ChinaJoy is China's representative game show and the largest game show in Asia. ChinaJoy, which celebrated its 20th anniversary last year, will be held at the Shanghai New International Expo Center from July 26th to 29th this year.

ChinaJoy, which has presented content in various fields such as comics, animation, e-sports, and live streaming in the past few years, plans to upgrade the exhibition this year to allow more visitors to visit the site. Inven plans to visit the site again this year to deliver vivid records to gamers.

게임스컴
8/21~8/25, Cologne

With E3 disappearing into history, Gamescom has now established itself as the world's largest and most important game show in name and reality. It is a huge event where gamers from all over Europe gather in Cologne, Germany every year.

Starting with Devcom, the opening night live where various world premieres are revealed, and the main event where countless people gather, Gamescom is held like a game festival for almost a week. This year's Gamescom will be held at Koelnmesse from August 21st to 25th.

도쿄게임쇼 (TGS)
9/26~9/29, Tokyo

The Tokyo Game Show, one of the most influential game shows in the world, will be held from September 26th to 29th this year. It is a huge event where countless Japanese game companies that any gamer would know just by hearing their name showcase a large number of new titles.

In particular, last year, the event was finally held offline after the pandemic. Using the entire space of Makuhari Messe, it prepared about 2,700 booths and presented the largest exhibition. It also provided various information online. TGS, which successfully held both online and offline events, is already looking forward to seeing how many new titles it will return with this year.

게임스컴 아시아
10/17~10/20, Singapore

Gamescom Asia, which is held in Singapore, is a game show that started in 2020. It is the Asian hub event of Gamescom, the largest game show in Europe, which is held in Cologne, Germany. However, it has had many difficulties in holding the event due to COVID-19.

In fact, Gamescom Asia 2023 gave the impression that it was smaller than expected. It seems that this is because there are large-scale events in Asia in August, ChinaJoy, Tokyo Game Show in September, and G-STAR in November. However, the closeness that only a small event can give is certain, and there is still plenty of room for growth as it is a new event, so it seems necessary to continue to watch it in the future.

파리 게임 위크
날짜 미정 (작년 11/1~11/5), Paris

Paris Games Week is the largest game show in France. It can be seen as the second largest exhibition in Europe after Gamescom. In addition to game company booths and goods sales shops, it also holds e-sports competitions and various stage events. It aims to be a game show that the whole family can enjoy, with a separate information page for families on the website.

It is held at the Paris Porte de Versailles every year, and the schedule for this year has not yet been released. However, as it has been held at the end of October to the beginning of November every year, it is likely to be held around the same time.

블리즈컨
날짜 미정 (작년 11/4~11/5), Anaheim

BlizzCon is a game show where you can find out all the news about Blizzard games. In particular, in 2023, it showed the event being held offline again for the first time in 4 years, while also broadcasting all stage programs live online for free. However, in the case of last year, it focused on releasing a lot of information related to existing games, especially the Warcraft IP, rather than new game news.

The progress and schedule of this year's BlizzCon are both undecided. As the information was released in May last year, it seems that we will have to wait a little longer this year to find out. The offline event has been held in early November every year.

웹진 인벤김수진 기자
2024-01-18