TGS 2003: Tokyo Game Show ends on note of growth

Here in Tokyo, on the afternoon of the last day of Tokyo Game Show, things are starting to wind down. TGS Event Chief Yuka Igarashi took a few minutes out of her busy schedule to sit down and talk about this year's show.

This year's show welcomed 32,000 visitors from the game industry--and that was only the first day. The figure was considerably larger than last year's, and close to the first-day peak number of 34,000 attendees that the show reached in 2001. This year's second-day attendance of 54,000 was also larger than last year's, continuing a trend of increasing attendance over the last four shows.

By comparison, this year's E3, open only to game industry professionals, attracted some 62,000 attendees over its three days. While Tokyo Game Show's three-day tally will certainly exceed that of E3, the figure represents a number far in excess of the total game industry workforce in Japan, and unlike E3, the second and third days of Tokyo Game Show were open to the public.

When asked to comment on this disparity, Igarashi pointed out that unlike E3, a key focus of TGS is promoting games to consumers, and influencing their upcoming purchasing decisions by giving them a chance to play new and still-in-development games (something that is frequently not possible at retail outlets). She also pointed out that Japan is a much smaller country than the U.S., and as such, many negotiations and sales meetings that might have required both parties to meet at E3 in the US can instead often be taken care of with a simple trip across Tokyo. Nonetheless, the number of foreign attendees to TGS is increasing, and Igarashi admits that one comment that attendees frequently make is: "one day isn't enough time to get everything done." Though she stressed that currently there are no firm plans to do so, CESA (Computer Entertainment Supplier's Association, the event's organizer) is considering the idea of extending TGS to four days; keeping the show's attendance for game-industry employees and press only on Thursday and Friday, followed by general admission on the weekend.

Asked for her thoughts on this year's show, Ms. Igarashi said that the increased presence of online and networked games was the most conspicuous trend, likely spurred by two key factors: the wide adoption of broadband connections in Japan (the Japanese government claims almost 11 million broadband subscribers as of August, 2003), and a push to enter the Japanese market from Korean and Taiwanese firms that have substantial experience in massively multiplayer games.

As for Nintendo's absence from the show floor, which was made more-conspicuous by the fact that Nintendo president Satoru Iwata delivered this year's keynote address, she frowned and said that even though the company is a member of CESA, Nintendo has never attended, nor even discussed its reasons for this refusal. She then brightened, and in a hopeful tone said, "but we're still trying--maybe next year." At the time of this interview, the show itself had not officially closed, so after graciously taking the time from her busy schedule for this interview, Ms. Igarashi excused herself and returned to the fray of interviews and her remaining responsibilities.