Day 2 at Gamescom 2017 saw throngs of gamers arrive en masse and turn Day 1’s placid gaming floors into packed spaces of excitement, with waiting times of 2 hours or more to test out the latest titles.
We covered 10 miles on foot as we walked around each of the show floors, and from this our observations were as follows:
VR has a very bright future. Throughout the show, from major brands such as PlayStation right down to the small indies, everyone is developing virtual reality software and titles. This hive mind approach can only be a positive for the industry as a whole.
The international scene is teeming with gaming creativity. So many countries were represented, from China to Iran. Combining this and our previous point, we enjoyed Hyperbolic Magnetism of the Czech Republic who drew a crowd every time their fantastic Beat Saber VR title was played.
Within this, Britain has a bright future. Despite Brexit, there was a lot of British and overseas energy around the UKIE stand. This week has given me confident hope that despite recent political strife the UK gaming industry will continue to liaise with its international partners and maintain its position: leading and influencing the gaming market worldwide.
The male: female split was not as partisan as we might have imagined. This applied to the consumers but more tellingly to the various developer and distributor stands that we visited, demonstrating that gaming for girls continues to gather traction credibility and aspiration. A real positive.
Generation will continue to push forwards in this space long after the crowds leave Cologne for another year. We’d love to speak to you about your titles and how we can “level up” your media, so get in touch!