Inside the 11 Geekgasmic Halls of the Tokyo Game Show 2016! [Part 2]
Step inside Makuhari Messe once again as we go over the Tokyo Game Show 2016 in our TGS 2016 Walkthrough part 2!
If you’re reading this without reading part one, go back and check out the first few halls! If you’re too lazy to do that, here’s a video highlighting the main hall:
Okay now that’s out of the way, let’s continue the tour of the con floor.
Halls 2 and 3
This great space is dedicated to the various universities and future gaming creators (and pretty nifty next-gen discoveries). This is also where the NEW STARS AREA sits where the Philippine contingency proudly presented their work.
We spoke with some of them and they said a good number of game publishers and distribution networks came and took interest in their current roster. Here’s wishing our local game devs more luck and further opportunity!
[READ: Tokyo Game Show 2016 Indie Dev Highlights: 4 International Projects]
Hall 1
Hall 1 is where all the talks occur. From awarding of the Game of the Year to industry experts sharing their insights to game devs and publishers and reporting on the industry as whole, Hall 1 delves into the business of video games. It’s quite insightful and we’ll be releasing a couple more articles on this.
Witcher 3 is one of the recipients of GoTY in Tokyo Game Show 2016
Industry leaders share their stories
There is also the Family Game Park which opened only during Public launch to giddy kiddies for a day filled with activities that are aptly suited for them.
Halls 9 -11
Halls 9 to 11 seems sort of a mash of content. Half of these 3 halls are dedicated to merch vendors while a good portion is dedicated to more Indie game devs and VR hardware technology. The Indie Game Area is also where TGS will pick 8 finalist who will present their work at the Sense of Wonder Night. This showcases breakthrough game concepts that challenges and inspires industry practitioners. In one of the presentations, game developer and creator Robin Baumgarten showcased Line Wobbler — an odd dungeon crawler game made entirely of LED lights and a spring controller.
That bright LED light there? That’s the entire game platform
This one-dimensional game transcends the typical idea of video game and puts immense focus on the simplicity (but fun addictiveness) of game design. It’s hard to explain so here’s a video demo:
There’s a lot of wacky stuff happening on the con floor but before we go there…
Merch merch and MOAR Merch
…let’s head over to the merch booths!
That’s a lot of people, yo!
Them Megaman towels, doe
[READ: Tokyo Game Show 2016 Merch Caravan: Your Wallet’s Final Resting Place]
If your wallet still respects you after going through this (and if you still have the time), the Indie and VR booths are right behind the Merch area.
Indie and VR Booths
Tokyo Game Show 2016 placed a huge premium on Indie Game Developers and on VR, the new darling of the gaming world. Mounds of triple A games are showcased using VR (i.e. Resident Evil 7, Doom, Gravity Rush 2, etc.) and while Sony is leading the charge with VR on the main Hall floors, other new players are dipping their hands on the new tech.
Dlodlo is one such player. With the problem of VR headsets being clunky and a bit unwieldy, Dlodlo came up with a lighter solution.
eSports Arena
Aside from showcasing upcoming video game titles, the Tokyo Game Show showcased Japanese eSports talents by conducting a series of live tournaments during the con days.
Sudden Attack’s Tourney
Japan-Korean exhibition match and whole lot more!
And that’s pretty much it! Tokyo Game Show 2016 is a monster of an event that Ungeek.ph was lucky enough to attend and cover. Hopefully we can revisit Tokyo and Makuhari Messe for the Tokyo Game Show 2017 happening next year.