TOKYO - The Tokyo Game Show, one of the world's largest gaming exhibitions, opened with a record 1,138 exhibitors as companies from a growing range of industries seek a foothold in Japan's expanding gaming market, with artificial intelligence emerging as one of the main attractions this year.
The event marks its 30th anniversary since it was first held, with exhibitors presenting new titles, technologies and services over a five-day schedule.
Japan alone has around 56 million game users, making the sector an increasingly attractive market not only for traditional game developers but also for companies with businesses far removed from the industry.
Sanrio, best known for characters including Hello Kitty, is seeking to reach new audiences by using the intellectual property it has built up through its popular character brands.
Major semiconductor manufacturer Kioxia is also exhibiting for the first time, using the event to showcase its semiconductor technology.
AI is drawing particular attention at this year's show. One exhibit allows users to describe the type of game they want to create and have artificial intelligence automatically generate it.
Entering a request for "a shooting game set in space," for example, produces a playable game based on that description, allowing users to experience combat in outer space.
Companies from even more unexpected industries are also entering the market. Nakanishi Manufacturing, a maker of commercial kitchen equipment for schools and other facilities, is exhibiting an educational game in which players can create their own school lunch center, choose dietitians and put together menus while learning about food and nutrition.
The company said it decided to enter the game market because it believed gaming was the most effective way to give people a deeper understanding of the school lunch industry and its appeal.
The rapid expansion of gaming is also being reflected in household spending. Japanese household expenditure on games in July rose to 2.4 times the level recorded a year earlier, highlighting a tendency for consumers to selectively spend money on favored hobbies despite rising prices.
The global gaming market has now grown to about 32 trillion yen. The Japanese government has designated games as a major growth sector and plans to accelerate efforts aimed at increasing overseas sales to 20 trillion yen.
The Tokyo Game Show will open to the general public from September 19, with the record 1,138 exhibitors competing to showcase their latest games and technologies during the five-day event.
Source: TBS
