“Are you going to Gamescom again?” was one of the questions I hear most often when ticket sales for the biggest video game trade fair begin in May. The trade fair has become increasingly popular, as gaming is no longer a hobby that only takes place at LAN parties with soda and pizza strewn all over the table. Although I can hardly suppress my anticipation each year and my vacation is already etched in stone, there is still a strange feeling of “Do we even need the trade fair?” running through my bones.
Gamescom: Then and now
Gamescom has been held in Cologne since 2009. Before that, there was the Games Convention in Leipzig, which burst at the seams with over 200,000 visitors in 2008. After the successful relocation, the numbers continuously rose until over 370,000 gamers entered the hallowed halls of the Cologne trade fair in 2019. These are absurd figures when you consider gaming was still considered a niche hobby reserved for nerds just a few years ago.
This year, with 335,000 visitors in tow, there were more visitors than there have been for 10 years. One of the reasons behind this surge is likely due to cancellations in 2020 and 2021 because of the coronavirus pandemic. Among these huge numbers, 32,000 people were registered as trade visitors, which now also includes influencers. However, I will not go into any further detail as this would go beyond the scope of this article.
Gamescom vs. E3: Is Cologne better than Los Angeles?
E3 was another video game trade fair that was traditionally held in June. It attracted even more fans than Gamescom. However, this amazing event has ceased since 2022. As for Gamescom, the video game trade fair was canceled in 2020 due to the pandemic and was only available as digital event in 2021.
E3 was canceled again in 2022. The trade fair organizers were unable to recover from this conundrum and numerous exhibitors shied away, where the video game trade fair officially ceased all operations in 2023. After more than 20 years, it was over. Naturally, this led to fears among Gamescom fans that they would now also lose their beloved trade fair in the Old World. However, this was not the case. Gamescom was even bigger than last year as the figures spoke for themselves.
Three reasons why Gamescom still lives and E3 died
Unveiling of new games is no longer necessary
“Online games are played online – and promoted there”. This is roughly how you could summarize one of the reasons. More publishers are promoting their games via platforms such as TikTok or YouTube and don’t need huge, physical events. The cancellation of this year’s BlizzCon in particular is evidence that such events are not necessary to provide gamers with the most important information.
Although the latest expansion for World of Warcraft will be released this year, the developer decided to provide all the necessary information without the need for a trade fair. Gamescom is no different. There are certainly some titles here that were not on the radar of many. However, there is simply a dearth of actual new information. In a time characterized by open betas and even alphas, gamers no longer have to queue for hours to be able to play the game they want for five minutes.
Gamescom seems to have understood this and increasingly sees itself as a subculture trade fair. It brings together not only gamers but also influencers and cosplayers. Everything remotely related to gaming is on show for five days in Cologne.
Partying instead of playing: Gamescom as a meet & greet venue for fans and cosplayers
In recent years, more people have discovered cosplay for themselves. They dress up in the costumes of their favorite characters and embark on a photography session. I found this hobby quite interesting myself, but I would only force myself to wear a costume and strut through a trade fair at 34 degrees in the shade to a limited extent.
Cosplayers and influencers make their community happy through social media. However, Gamescom also offers the opportunity to experience such online heroes and heroines live. This ensures the ‘meet & greet’ areas are overcrowded with entire halls jammed.
This shows once again that the “gaming” part is increasingly taking a back seat. Gaming is still clearly the number one priority here, but I think more and more people will attend Gamescom due to their love for cosplaying or to meet their online idols. E3, on the other hand, still focused heavily on gaming and presentations in 2019.
Poor but sexy: Indie hits instead of blockbusters
Another possible reason is the different categories of games. Two really exciting areas that await us at Gamescom are the retro and indie areas. For people like me, who have been around for countless years, such games bring back childhood memories. The nostalgia factor clearly plays a role here. What’s more, indie games are real hidden gems to many gamers.
At E3, however, major triple-A titles tend to headline the stage. Publishers such as Sony, Microsoft, and Nintendo had huge exhibition booths to present AAA games—including hours of queuing. Of course, this was also the case at Gamescom. Last year, the action RPG “Black Myth: Wukong” alone had waiting times that easily exceeded six hours. However, indie game lines are much faster and you can even play them at Gamescom. Incredible, isn’t it?
What does the future hold for Gamescom?
Let’s get to the point here. What does the future hold for a trade fair whose counterpart has already gone belly up? Is such a huge event even worthwhile if there is hardly any “new” information conveyed? The answer is: Yes! As with the past 15 years, I will probably make the pilgrimage to Cologne in August over the next few decades to attend the trade fair.
However, I do not intend to find out about new games or even to play the latest FIFA EA FC game. No, that is not what I am looking for. Personally, the trade fair is probably the greatest event of the year, because not only do I get to have exciting nerd conversations with numerous strangers, but I also get to be myself there.
I meet colleagues from clans and guilds that I otherwise know only through my headset. I get to catch up with old friends I’ve been playing with for countless years. Cosplay, indie games, overpriced food, lots of merchandise, and the strange, musty smell of the halls are also part of August for me.
As you can probably see, Gamescom is no longer a simple video game trade fair in my eyes. It’s a party indie subculture get-together where the focus is fun. The gathering of the biggest nerd conglomeration in Europe is probably the best event of the year and will likely remain so for years to come.
Where the spectacle will take us remains to be seen, of course. It cannot be ruled out that Gamescom will follow E3’s footsteps at some point. The risk is there if another year like 2020 or 2021 happens. However, due to the trade fair’s development, even the lack of major publishers is currently not an issue when it comes to attracting visitors.
A digital version of the trade fair is not possible in my opinion. Surely many people will watch and watch the same trailers over and over. That’s just the way we gamers are. However, without the “get-together” aspect, Gamescom is no longer viable. It remains to be seen what the next few years will bring. If you happen to see a brightly colored guy in a suit, chat me up, let’s talk about gaming, and reminiscing together.
How do you view it? Is the video game trade fair still relevant to you? I look forward to your comments!
