ESL One is not just a tournament, but a whole festival of esports. The main events usually take place in the largest cities of the world, such as Cologne, New York, Birmingham, and others. Each event lasts several days and includes not only matches between leading teams but also various activities for spectators.

The main part of ESL One is, of course, the competition. These tournaments bring together the best teams from various games, including Dota 2, Counter-Strike: Global Offensive (CS:GO), and other popular eSports disciplines. Players compete for large prize pools and the title of ESL One champion.

One of the most famous ESL One tournaments is the annual Dota 2 tournament in Cologne. This tournament gathers the strongest teams from all over the world and has already become a kind of tradition for fans of the game. The stadiums are filled with thousands of spectators, and millions of fans watch the broadcasts online. The atmosphere at such events is incredible – fans support their favorite teams, rejoice at their victories and worry about every defeat.

Another important point of ESL One is the CS:GO tournament in New York. This is one of the largest tournaments in North America that attracts the attention of all shooter fans every year. The tournament is characterized by a high level of organization, large prize pools, and exciting matches that keep viewers in suspense until the last second.

In addition to the tournaments, ESL One offers a lot of activities for visitors. These are exhibition areas where you can see the latest products of the gaming industry, try new games, and take part in various contests and activities. Visitors have the opportunity to meet professional players, get autographs, and take photos with their idols.

ESL One also pays attention to educational events. The exhibition includes seminars, lectures, and master classes from leading industry experts. This is a great opportunity for young players and beginners in the field of esports to gain new knowledge and advice from professionals.

ESL One plays an important role in the development and popularization of esports. These events not only unite players and fans, but also contribute to the growth of esports recognition on a global level. Large tournaments, professional organization, and a high level of competition make ESL One an important element of the esports ecosystem.

ESL One is more than just tournaments. It’s a real celebration for all esports fans, a place where the spirit of competition, friendship, and love of games reigns supreme. Each ESL One event is an unforgettable spectacle that leaves a lasting impression and brings joy to millions of fans around the world. If you have not been to ESL One yet, be sure to attend this event and you will understand why esports has become so popular and beloved by many.

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History

The first Tokyo Game Show was held in 1996. From 1996 to 2002, it was held twice a year, in spring and fall (at Tokyo Big Sight). Since 2002, the show has been held once a year. In 2011 there were more than 200,000 visitors, and in 2012 there were already 223,753. The 20th anniversary TGS 2016 was the most attended, with 271,224 attendees and 614 companies showcasing their products at the exhibition booths.

Format

The format of TGS changes from year to year. For example, in 2015, the Tokyo Game Show featured 11 exhibition sectors consisting of the business sector, B2C sector, education, and other buying sectors.

The general exhibition area is the heart of the exhibition, occupying most of the space in the complex. Many well-known companies such as Namco Bandai, Capcom, Sony Computer Entertainment and Square Enix have demonstration areas here.

Gaming Devices

This sector covers gaming devices and equipment such as headphones, controllers, furniture and other devices related to game consoles and handheld gaming devices.

Asia’s new stars

The exhibition presented at Tokyo Game Show 2012 is focused on introducing budding game developers from Asia.

Merchandising

This sector is presented for merchandising of game-related merchandise. Vendors include Konami and Square-Enix.

Smartphone and social games

This sector is dedicated to mobile games ( smartphones and tablets ) and social games. Despite record numbers in 2012, many major companies did not have booths. For example, Microsoft, which previously had one of the largest booths, was absent in 2012. Social and mobile gaming grew to fill the gap. Microsoft returned to the show in 2013 with the release of the Xbox One.

Personal Computers

The Personal Computing sector is home to major Japanese and international manufacturers, showcasing products such as desktops and laptops.

Kids

This sector showcases new games aimed at children and teenagers. Exhibitors include companies such as Taito and Sega.

Education (Game school)

The “Game School” sector provides information about Japanese universities and colleges offering education in the field of computer games: digital art, animation, computer programming and other training programs related to the video game industry. Booths also display student work. Colleges such as Numazu Professional College of Information Technology and Tokyo Designer Gakuin College are located here.

Sales

This is the main sector where most commercial transactions between companies and consumers take place. Companies headquartered there include Nikkei Business Publications.

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EGX was founded in 2008 by Eurogamer Network. The first event took place at the Old Truman Brewery in London and attracted about 4,000 visitors. The goal was to create a place where players could try the latest games before their official release, as well as meet developers and like-minded people.
Development and growth

After a successful start, the exhibition quickly gained momentum. In 2009, the event moved to a larger venue in Old Billingsgate Market, and the number of attendees grew to 14,000. EGX began to attract big names in the industry, including companies such as Microsoft, Sony, and Nintendo, who showcased their new products and projects.

In 2013, the exhibition was renamed EGX, reflecting the organizers’ desire to reach a wider audience and emphasize the international nature of the event. In 2014, EGX was held outside of London for the first time, in Birmingham, which allowed it to attract even more visitors and developers.

EGX has also expanded its program to include esports tournaments, seminars, lectures from leading industry experts, as well as separate areas for indie and retro games. This helped to increase interest in the event from various segments of the gaming community.

In 2012, the organizers launched a new format of the exhibition – EGX Rezzed, which was focused on indie games and smaller development studios. This event was held in London and became popular among gamers interested in alternative and innovative projects. EGX Rezzed quickly gained a reputation as a platform for discovering new talent and games that don’t always get attention at bigger exhibitions.

Over the years, EGX continues to grow and develop. Today, it is not just an exhibition, but a real festival for gamers that covers all aspects of gaming culture. In addition to traditional game demonstrations and presentations, EGX includes activities such as cosplay contests, tournaments, panel discussions, and even musical performances.

EGX remains an important platform for developers to present their new products directly to the audience and get feedback. For gamers, it is a unique opportunity to see and try out games before their release, meet like-minded people and immerse themselves in the atmosphere of a real gaming festival.

EGX has become one of the most important events in the world of video games. It promotes the development of the gaming industry, supports young developers, and brings together gamers from all over the world. Every year, thousands of visitors come to EGX to enjoy the latest gaming releases and experience the atmosphere of a true gaming paradise.

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Paris Games Week is the world’s fifth largest gaming event, ahead of E3 in the United States and Tokyo Game Show, with a total of 317,000 visitors and 194 exhibitors attending in 2019; and the second largest gaming exhibition of the year in Europe, behind gamescom in Germany.

History

The Paris Games Week exhibition was created on the initiative of the SELL organization (French: Syndicat des éditeurs de logiciels de loisirs), the French union of the association of entertainment software producers, in October 2010. Prior to Paris Games Week, France also hosted two major annual gaming exhibitions dedicated to computer games, including: Micromania Game Show (MGS), created in 2002 by specialized dealer Micromania, and Festival du jeu vidéo (FJELD), created in 2006 by Games Fed. These events were held annually in the fall in Ile-de-France. Despite their growing attendance over the years, these exhibitions, did not bring enough exclusives and games that could play an important role in competing with other world-class exhibitions such as Electronic Entertainment Expo (E3) or Tokyo Game Show (TGS).

In 2009, the French company SELL (French: Syndicat des éditeurs de logiciels de loisirs) partnered with the organizers of the Festival du jeu vidéo, bringing many exclusives to the event, thus allowing the exhibition to achieve record attendance. Later in March 2010, coincidentally, SELL decided to create its own exhibition of computer video games, called Paris Games Week, despite the success of the Festival du jeu vidéo event, which did not live up to expectations. This decision, according to the Gamekult portal, is similar to the decision taken by the German federal association BIU (German Bundesverband Interaktive Unterhaltungssoftware) to move the existing Games Convention exhibition to Cologne in 2009, thus deciding to organize its own fair called gamescom, at the same time as the Games Convention, thus bringing major video game publishers to a new exhibition on a larger scale.

Paris Games Week was first held in 2010 between October 27 and 30. In its first year, the show had between 56,000 and 120,000 visitors and 28 exhibitors, according to various reports. As of 2019, the number of visitors to the show has reached the 317,000 mark. Paris Games Week is usually held annually in the last week of October or the first days of November in the vast modern complex of the Paris expo Porte de Versailles exhibition center. Paris Games Week is currently the world’s fifth largest gaming event, ahead of E3 and Tokyo Game Show, with a total of 317,000 visitors and 194 exhibitors attending in 2019; and the second largest gaming exhibition of the year in Europe, behind Germany’s gamescom.

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Unreleased games, large booths, fabulous prizes, game music concerts, gaming community and industry support put PAX far above any other show on the planet. Organizers present a perfectly matched audience that wants to learn about the latest products you have for the upcoming holiday season.

The festival’s themed sections are:

• Video game publishers;
• Indie developers;
• Game consoles;
• Computer games;
• Desktop games;
• Gaming Peripherals;
• Gaming Accessories;
• Colleges and universities with game development curriculum.

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However, after the global quarantine ended, their paths suddenly diverged: E3 made two attempts to reopen its doors to participants and guests, but failed in both cases. But its European counterpart is doing just fine: Gamescom 2022 attracted 285,000 guests, and this year’s exhibition – 320,000.

Liga.Tech analyzed how Gamescom managed to successfully return and get closer to the pre-quarantine coverage.

Both exhibitions had a different positioning. E3 has always been considered an event primarily for developers and journalists, while Gamescom was focused on players. In fact, the main reason to buy a ticket here was the opportunity to play demos of upcoming projects. All that was needed was enough patience and endurance, because in the case of the most anticipated AAA titles, standing in line could last several hours. However, experienced Gamescom guests bring folding chairs, books, and even board games.

Every year, leading gaming companies secretly competed with each other in the scale of their stands – the huge areas of the Cologne Trade Fair practically did not limit the flight of imagination of designers. The organizers of E3 also tried to make it more player-friendly, but did not achieve much success. However, it is also impossible to say that Gamescom was a purely entertaining convention: each exhibition contained a separate business zone where one could conduct negotiations and conclude several profitable deals in a relaxed atmosphere.

The city matters

Another obvious advantage of Gamescom over its American counterpart is the venue. The city of Cologne is located in the heart of Europe and therefore serves as an important commercial and logistics hub not only for Germany but also for the region as a whole. According to the Gamescom organizers, the city authorities are very supportive of the exhibition, even though it creates a lot of headaches for them. Prior to COVID-19, the number of visitors was approaching 400,000, which posed serious challenges in terms of security, not to mention other areas. However, Cologne is known for its festivals and carnivals, which is why it has even been called the “Venice of Germany.”

Instead, E3 was held in Los Angeles, which is very convenient for American developers (most large US studios are located in California), but not for their European counterparts, who need to spend money on a transatlantic flight and a week’s stay in one of the most expensive cities in the world. Therefore, many developers from the Old World came to the conclusion after the quarantine was over that participation in E3 simply did not justify the resources spent, especially since there was an equally large-scale and popular event taking place nearby, which was much cheaper.

This is especially true for independent or medium-sized studios. For example, in recent years, Gamescom has been attended by 250 to 300 indie teams with their new products. If they meet the requirements of the organizers, they will be able to gain a unique experience of direct communication with end users.

Asian developers could also come to a similar conclusion about E3 and focus on their own events like Tokyo Game Show. By the way, Gamescom in 2020 expanded to this region with Gamescom Asia, which takes place in Singapore.

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