People try games during gamescom 2023 in Cologne, Germany, Aug. 23, 2023. The 2023 edition of the international computer and video games trade fair gamescom opened on Wednesday in Cologne, western Germany.
According to the Koelnmesse, organizer of the week-long event, gamescom is the world's largest trade fair for computer and video games in terms of space and visitors. This year, more than 1,220 companies from 63 countries display their products on 230,000 square meters of exhibition space. (Xinhua/Zhang Fan)
BERLIN, Aug. 23 (Xinhua) -- The 2023 edition of the international computer and video games trade fair gamescom opened on Wednesday in Cologne, western Germany.
According to the Koelnmesse, organizer of the week-long event, gamescom is the world's largest trade fair for computer and video games in terms of space and visitors. This year, more than 1,220 companies from 63 countries display their products on 230,000 square meters of exhibition space. The share of non-German exhibitors is 76 percent.
"This year, gamescom is more than ever a reflection of the global gaming culture: dynamic, international, creative, diverse and huge," Felix Falk, managing director of game -- the German Games Industry Association, said.
Until Aug. 27, visitors can browse upcoming games and game-related hardware, and attend various entertainment programs, such as game premieres and game fan gatherings.
Germany's gaming market experienced booms in 2020 and 2021 due to the COVID-19 pandemic and continued to grow by 1 percent to 9.87 billion euros (10.7 billion U.S. dollars) last year, the game association said in a report released earlier this year.
Germany's government is starting to acknowledge the economical importance of the games industry. Noting that it is an important part of the country's cultural and creative industries, the Ministry for Economic Affairs and Climate Action (BMWK) said: "The games industry has established itself as a relevant economic factor and offers a pool for highly qualified workers in the digital sector."
According to the BMWK, the turnover of Germany's games industry has been growing strongly for years -- from 6.5 billion euros in 2019 to 9.9 billion euros in 2022.
However, despite rising sales in Germany, the market shares of local companies have declined over the past few years to low-level stagnation, the BMWK said, attributing this to the "high production costs for computer games in Germany compared to other countries." The federal government has been funding computer games with millions of euros annually since 2019.
"The federal government's funding of games is proving effective. It is now in the hands of the coalition government whether Germany can continue to catch up with the world's top games locations," Falk said at the end of July. (1 euro = 1.08 U.S. dollar) ■
People visit gamescom 2023 in Cologne, Germany, Aug. 23, 2023. The 2023 edition of the international computer and video games trade fair gamescom opened on Wednesday in Cologne, western Germany.
According to the Koelnmesse, organizer of the week-long event, gamescom is the world's largest trade fair for computer and video games in terms of space and visitors. This year, more than 1,220 companies from 63 countries display their products on 230,000 square meters of exhibition space. (Xinhua/Zhang Fan)
People select products during gamescom 2023 in Cologne, Germany, Aug. 23, 2023. The 2023 edition of the international computer and video games trade fair gamescom opened on Wednesday in Cologne, western Germany.
According to the Koelnmesse, organizer of the week-long event, gamescom is the world's largest trade fair for computer and video games in terms of space and visitors. This year, more than 1,220 companies from 63 countries display their products on 230,000 square meters of exhibition space. (Xinhua/Zhang Fan)
People pose for photos during gamescom 2023 in Cologne, Germany, Aug. 23, 2023. The 2023 edition of the international computer and video games trade fair gamescom opened on Wednesday in Cologne, western Germany.
According to the Koelnmesse, organizer of the week-long event, gamescom is the world's largest trade fair for computer and video games in terms of space and visitors. This year, more than 1,220 companies from 63 countries display their products on 230,000 square meters of exhibition space. (Xinhua/Zhang Fan)
People try games during gamescom 2023 in Cologne, Germany, Aug. 23, 2023. The 2023 edition of the international computer and video games trade fair gamescom opened on Wednesday in Cologne, western Germany.
According to the Koelnmesse, organizer of the week-long event, gamescom is the world's largest trade fair for computer and video games in terms of space and visitors. This year, more than 1,220 companies from 63 countries display their products on 230,000 square meters of exhibition space. (Xinhua/Zhang Fan)
A man takes photos of computer devices during gamescom 2023 in Cologne, Germany, Aug. 23, 2023. The 2023 edition of the international computer and video games trade fair gamescom opened on Wednesday in Cologne, western Germany.
According to the Koelnmesse, organizer of the week-long event, gamescom is the world's largest trade fair for computer and video games in terms of space and visitors. This year, more than 1,220 companies from 63 countries display their products on 230,000 square meters of exhibition space. (Xinhua/Zhang Fan)
An exhibitor makes stage props during gamescom 2023 in Cologne, Germany, Aug. 23, 2023. The 2023 edition of the international computer and video games trade fair gamescom opened on Wednesday in Cologne, western Germany.
According to the Koelnmesse, organizer of the week-long event, gamescom is the world's largest trade fair for computer and video games in terms of space and visitors. This year, more than 1,220 companies from 63 countries display their products on 230,000 square meters of exhibition space. (Xinhua/Zhang Fan)