From 2002 to 2008, the computer games exhibition took place in other German city - Leipzig, and under a different name - Games Convention. Since 2009, the number of participants increased by 53%, while the proportion of foreign exhibitors has doubled. The number of trade visitors during this period increased by 82%, as well as significantly grew up the exhibition area (61%).
Sold Out
Last year, Gamescom was by visited 335,000 people. Tickets for the current exhibition were sold out for several weeks in advance, so that those who did not buy cherished receipts, can only hope for the so-called "midday tickets," which goes on sale every day after 13 hours.
- Nowhere else so many insider traders, publishers and developers in the field of computer games gather at the same time as in Cologne, - explains Gerald Böse. In this connection, one cannot fail to mention the European Game Developers Conference (GDC Europe), the largest European event for game developers. GDC Europe, which began this year, August 3, according to the established tradition, precedes the beginning of the Cologne exhibition.
According to the German association of producers of interactive entertainment software (BIU), Germany gives home about 13,000 professional game developers have created about 32,000 jobs. Just like mechanical engineers and engineering industry, they complain of the extreme shortage of experts. "We are looking for computer scientists, experiencing an irresistible attraction to the games - this might sound as relevant ads for a job.
Billions of dollars in the market and technology driver
Industry entertaining computer games is a market of billions of euros. In Germany alone, 2.67 billion euros was earned on the sale of games hardware and software over the past year. In addition, GfK market research institute’s experts on assignment of BIU carried this year's first market research, which revealed that even for the traditionally weak first half of the year, there was growth recorded in trade volumes by 3%.
- This is a very positive signal, because the second half is the basis of profits in our industry, - said the commercial director of BIU Maximilian Schenk. In this regard, his union expects that last year's growth rate of 11% will again be surpassed by the end of this year.
- No other media industry in Germany is not growing as fast as the industry of computer games, - emphasizes Schenk. One important success factor is the market of video game consoles and games designed for them. In the first six months of this year, the volume of trade games for stationary consoles PlayStation 4, Wii U and Xbox One has grown from 263 to 306 million euros compared to the same period last year.
Trending download games and video games
Online purchase and video games download are still a trend. The share of such a trade of computer games in the total turnover increased in the first half 2015 by 2 percentage points and accounted for 25%. However, the largest share of turnover is still achieved by sales of games on data carriers. For example, 75% of the turnover accounted for games, recorded on DVD and Blu-ray.
In turn, games apps market is a trigger of applications and smartphones markets. Millions of Germans - regardless of age - can no longer imagine life without them. Three-quarters of the turnover of the German segment of app stores of Apple and Google in the second quarter of 2015 had it on video games.
source: dw.de
Sold Out
Last year, Gamescom was by visited 335,000 people. Tickets for the current exhibition were sold out for several weeks in advance, so that those who did not buy cherished receipts, can only hope for the so-called "midday tickets," which goes on sale every day after 13 hours.
- Nowhere else so many insider traders, publishers and developers in the field of computer games gather at the same time as in Cologne, - explains Gerald Böse. In this connection, one cannot fail to mention the European Game Developers Conference (GDC Europe), the largest European event for game developers. GDC Europe, which began this year, August 3, according to the established tradition, precedes the beginning of the Cologne exhibition.
According to the German association of producers of interactive entertainment software (BIU), Germany gives home about 13,000 professional game developers have created about 32,000 jobs. Just like mechanical engineers and engineering industry, they complain of the extreme shortage of experts. "We are looking for computer scientists, experiencing an irresistible attraction to the games - this might sound as relevant ads for a job.
Billions of dollars in the market and technology driver
Industry entertaining computer games is a market of billions of euros. In Germany alone, 2.67 billion euros was earned on the sale of games hardware and software over the past year. In addition, GfK market research institute’s experts on assignment of BIU carried this year's first market research, which revealed that even for the traditionally weak first half of the year, there was growth recorded in trade volumes by 3%.
- This is a very positive signal, because the second half is the basis of profits in our industry, - said the commercial director of BIU Maximilian Schenk. In this regard, his union expects that last year's growth rate of 11% will again be surpassed by the end of this year.
- No other media industry in Germany is not growing as fast as the industry of computer games, - emphasizes Schenk. One important success factor is the market of video game consoles and games designed for them. In the first six months of this year, the volume of trade games for stationary consoles PlayStation 4, Wii U and Xbox One has grown from 263 to 306 million euros compared to the same period last year.
Trending download games and video games
Online purchase and video games download are still a trend. The share of such a trade of computer games in the total turnover increased in the first half 2015 by 2 percentage points and accounted for 25%. However, the largest share of turnover is still achieved by sales of games on data carriers. For example, 75% of the turnover accounted for games, recorded on DVD and Blu-ray.
In turn, games apps market is a trigger of applications and smartphones markets. Millions of Germans - regardless of age - can no longer imagine life without them. Three-quarters of the turnover of the German segment of app stores of Apple and Google in the second quarter of 2015 had it on video games.
source: dw.de
