TGS 06: E3 times three

While the Electronic Entertainment Expo is (or was) often thought of as the biggest event on the gaming calendar, it's far from it in terms of attendance. The industry-only nature of E3 means open-to-the-public events like last weekend's Tokyo Game Show can pack the crowds in a lot tighter.

And this year's TGS, which concluded Sunday, certainly packed them in. Japan's Computer Entertainment Suppliers Association announced the 2006 TGS attendance today, and the tally was more than triple that of this year's E3. Where the Los Angeles convention drew about 60,000 to the city's convention center in May 2006, Japan's largest gaming event saw 192,411 walk the halls of the Makuhari Messe September 22-24.

By comparison, 2005's TGS clocked in at 176,056 visitors. Broken down by day, there were 39,645 visitors on this year's business day (the first day, which is open to press and media only), 84,823 on the first general-admission day, and 67,943 on the last day. CESA also believes an increasing number of couples and families attended the event, noting that 22,883 of the 2006 TGS visitors were children, up from last year's tally of 18,577.