Do you love gaming? Do you love the excitement arising from a single thought about a new game that’s coming in 2018? Perhaps you would like to hear about it first hand? Nowadays, biggest gaming conventions tend to feature biggest announcements of the year.
But gaming conventions are just so much more? Meeting new people, playing new games, taking part in various competitions for cosplay, artwork, knowledge among other things. Attractions are pretty much endless. All popular gaming conventions are so big, that it’s absolutely impossible to see everything at once.
If you’re interested in visiting such convention, but you’re not really sure which one to attend, we’ve created a list of very popular and noteworthy gaming conventions, that might be happening close to you.
Nordic Game Jam
We’re starting the list with Nordic Game Jam. Perhaps, it’s not as huge as some of you might imagine but it’s still noteworthy. This “convention” (since it officially isn’t) began in 2006 in Denmark, Copenhagen. It took place with just barely 40 participants. But before we expand on it, let’s answer the question, what is Nordic Game Jam all about?
Nordic Game Jam was created by Gorm Lai and the Danish chapter of the International Game Developers Association together with Jesper Juul and Henriette Moos. During the game jam, lots of IT pros gather up and create as many games as possible within a given time-frame – either 24 hours or 72. In 2016 there were as many as 900 participants taking part in the event. This year’s Game Jam will take place in Copenhagen in April 13 to 16.
But… Nordic Game Jam contributed to creation of something much bigger ie. Global Game Jam was created after (despite the number of participants) success of the first Nordic Game Jam. Last year, there were more than 36 thousand participants from 94 countries – the catch here is that the actual event doesn’t take place in a single location – it’s just people from all around the world doing one thing. This year’s Global Game Jam took place between January 26 to 28.
Some of the best games made during Game Jam events were Chameleon Run and… Goat Simulator. Also, basic concept of game Superhot was created during Game Jam.
The Electronic Entertainment Expo – E3
The main purpose of E3 was to show and/or advertise upcoming games,projects, game-related gadgets, shirts, etc. and broadcasting it to the public. This big event, presented by Entertainment Software Association was initially open to people related to gaming industry in some way. In 2017 it became open to general public and sent out additional 15.000 passes. This resulted in overall attendance of about 60 thousand.
The main purpose of E3 is to showcase everything game or hardware-related that will be released within a year. It’s very often accompanied by hype train 🙂
This year, E3 will take place in Los Angeles on June 12-14.
Dreamhack
Dreamhack comes with a true cherry on top of a cake. It is an absolute treat for all e-sports lovers, cosplayers and everyone who loves crowded places full of gamers.
Dreamhack takes place mainly in western Europe and US, but this year’s Summer Dreamhack will take place in Jönköping, Sweden. Other events from Dreamhack are listed on their official website.
Some of the games played during dreamhack are:
- Counter-Strike: Global Offensive
- Dota 2
- H1Z1
- Hearthstone
- Quake Champions
- Super Smash Bros. Melee
- League of Legends
Good thing about Dreamhack is the fact that you can watch everything at home, while sitting in front of your computer. Every transmission is streamed via Twitch and YouTube.
Tokyo Game Show
Probably one of the biggest gaming and hardware related event, held in Japan and around the World. Every year around 200 thousand people flock to this place to check out and play some of the newest japanese productions. This event is presented by Computer Entertainment Supplier’s Association (CESA) and Nikkei Business Publications, Inc. Thanks to those two companies, lots of people can have so much fun every year. This year TGS will take place on 20th September and will last until 23rd Sep.
Just like on every other convention, lots of people try out new cosplay costumes imitating some of the most popular game characters. Entire event is divided into 11 exhibition areas, since there is just so much happening that fitting everything in a single area would create just a huge mess.
If you think that you wouldn’t be interested in that, think twice, because companies that are featured at every Tokyo Game Show are: Namco Bandai, Capcom, Sony Computer Entertainment and Square Enix with her demo areas where you can test new stuff up.
Entire even is often accompanied by Street Fighter tournament.
Gamescom
http://www.gamescom-cologne.com
By far the biggest event in Europe, gathering people from all around the world, always in the same place in central Europe. To be exact – Cologne, Germany. Gamescom will take place between 20 and 25 August, 2018.
In regards to gaming, there is pretty much everything. News, games, hardware, cosplay, competitions, e-sport tournaments and so much more.
Year 2017 was definitely the best for Gamescom, since around 335 participants attended the convention. More than thousand companies from all over the globe presented their new games, hardware or software.
If you like games in general, tournaments, cosplay and other stuff, make sure to attend Gamescom at least once!
And one thing applies for both the exhibitors and visitors alike: Digital entertainment is brought to life here more than at any other place in the world – this is where the heart of gaming beats!
Blizzcon
Last but not least, we have Blizzcon. Game convention devoted exclusively to Blizzard games, ie. Diablo, Warcraft, Starcraft, Overwatch franchise and any other game created by Blizzard Entertainment.
Blizzcon takes place in 4th quarter annually and gathers thousands of fans. The most “hyped” moments comprise of new releases, expansions etc. Blizzard games are so popular now, that there is probably no person that didn’t play a single title before in their life.
The most notable events at the most recent Blizzcon included reveal of newest World of Warcraft expansion, Battle for Azeroth. Apart from that, participants (both those who attended and those who watched special live streamed transmission) received news from Overwatch, Starcraft, Heroes of the Storm, and Hearthstone.
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Those were just a couple of gaming events that take place around the world. All of them have something unique that comes with it. Good news is that these kind of events are becoming so much more popular nowadays, with more and more attractions appearing each year.
Author: Mirillis Team