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Believe the hype 94. Gaming shows start again in the summer NUOV E TENDENZ E NEWSLETTE R NUOVE TENDENZ E
L’ORA DEL GIOCO
64 BELIEVE THE HYPE
By Matt Chambers
Competitive, physical action is proving increasingly popular among players as esports meets VR, as Matt Chambers finds out
The relentless advance of esports is a phenomenon of our age. Advances in technology have helped propel competitive gaming into the mainstream, while the prize money on offer for the most skilled exponents is eye-watering. When it comes to location-based Vr, players can also now compete against each other, only with an added element of physicality compared to regular esports contests. InterGame talked to some of the industry’s major innovators within this world to get a handle on the latest developments within competitive out-of-home VR installations. Dave Blank, senior marketing manager at Hologate, spoke at length about the LBVR specialist’s latest product range. “Following in the footsteps of the worldwide success of the Hologate Arena, we are proud to offer the next big thing in out-of-home virtual reality, Hologate Blitz,” he said. “It is a motion simulator platform designed from the ground up for flying, racing, and even underwater Vr experiences. It is a fully optimised multiplayer flying and racing platform allowing up to eight players to fully immerse themselves in magical worlds filled with fire breathing dragons, epic space battles, and futuristic racers. That‘s just a glimpse into the possibilities of total fantasy immersion. “It is a revolutionary, premium product, unmatched by other motion simulators. It provides luxurious comfort and quality and is durable enough to absorb multiple hits from a laser blaster. Almost a full meter in height, it can tilt 30 degrees in every direction, allowing the player full range of motion to navigate on land, in the air, under the sea, or even between planets, galaxies, and dimensions.” Yoni Koenig, vice president of marketing at VRstudios, an innovator
www.intergameonline.com
of turnkey wireless multiplayer VR systems, described a series of products that range from two-player Atoms that can be linked together through to eight-player Flex Arenas that can be standalone or built into an existing event space for maximum flexibility. “We have an exciting library of titles, custom developed for Fecs, that cover a wide range of genres and are entertaining across a wide demographic,” said Koenig. “Our latest title that I am particularly excited about is Hoops Madness. It is the first true simulation of basketball for Fec Vr. It actually puts a guest and up to seven of their friends inside a realistic stadium where they compete to see who is the best shot through several fun challenges. “This is not just another sports video game; this is an actual sport played inside a video game. The intense physical play, fast-paced action and many thrilling and fun arcade game modes will leave players breathless. The game has a broad appeal, replayability and excitement for both players and spectators. “Hoops Madness is also the first in a line of upcoming VRstudios Sports attractions that are designed to turn competitive real-world, physically active sports into immersive Lbe Vr attractions. Think of it as the next evolution of the arcade sports games that your guests already know and love, but taking them to a whole new level of excitement that is still as fun to watch as it is to play.” Jan Goetgeluk, Ceo of Virtuix, the developer of the Omni Arena virtual reality esports attraction, cited his company’s flagship product the Omni Arena as providing a truly competitive experience. “It is a big turnkey esports attraction that is for four players,” he explained. “Each time someone plays, they automatically get entered into an esports competition. There are weekly and monthly contests built into the system. It is leaderboard based but it is connected online, so you are effectively competing against other players from right across the Us. “If you are playing the contest game, then your score will be posted onto the leaderboard and come the end of the week or the month, we get in contact with the winners and distribute the prizes.” There are currently 26 installations of the Omni Arena stretching across the US and in partmership with HP, a hefty $100,000 prize pool is on offer for the crem-de-la-crème of players. “It is real cash money that is handed over every week to the winners of our esports contests – and that is quite powerful. “It has resulted in a lot of repeat play of Omni Arena. Because of the contest, some teams have played over 90 times in only a few months. There is one team that drives over four hours, every single month, to come and play in our monthly contest. It is quite remarkable.” Goetgeluk explained that the physical element of the Omni Arena makes it more compelling both for the player and the spectator. “It is much more interesting to watch, as you can literally see the player running around while they are inside a Call of Duty-style game, which is great. It is also more engaging for the players themselves. You are physically engaged, not simply sitting down and clicking a mouse. “That physicality makes esports a bit more of a ‘sport’, if you will, which makes it really exciting.” The repeat play element, Goetgeluk argues, is central to the popularity of the unit with operators. “We have several customers that have ordered a second unit. Dave & Buster’s for example bought a second, as did Andretti and Sky Zone. That’s down to the success of the first unit. “The key success factor, I believe, is the repeat play factor. It is something a lot of other Vr attractions do not have. There is often no real reason for someone to go back and experience the attraction again, whereas with us because of the design of the game and the esports factor, of all players nationwide 30 per cent are repeat players. “Some players will play every week and it’s a big reason why it has done so well.” A new pirate-themed game catering for a younger age group is on Virtuix’s agenda for Omni Arena and Goetgeluk is level-headed when discussing the future of the industry. “As a business owner you have to be realistic,” he said. “There are a lot of challenges and right now, there is a lot of uncertainty. “Venues opening back up is clearly good news. It is still to early to really assess what the new landscape looks like. For Vr, with attractions like ours it will become a slower environment and with this quarter and the next, we expect to be slower sales-wise.” Still, progress waits for no man nor virus and Koenig is expecting LBVR to make great strides. “More powerful computing power, higher resolution displays, and longer-lasting batteries are critical, as are advances in hygiene and cleanliness, but I anticipate the hardware must and will become even more lightweight. “Hardware that is lightweight and wireless is essential because of the athleticism component of true sports in Vr. It’s just never light enough.”
JAN GOETGELUK
GAMING SHOWS STARTS AGAIN IN THE SUMMER
After the block for the Covid-19 health emergency, fairs, exhibitions and conferences start again all over the world. Here are the events of which Gioco News is a media partner and which we are pleased to present.
BIG AFRICA ROADSHOW, JULY, 30 - 31
BiG Africa Conference 2020 (Bac) to be held at the Royal Elephant Hotel & Conference Centre, Centurion, from 30 to 31 July 2020. As South Africa reopens its live conference industry and Eventus International is proud to launch the Bac to discuss the radical and epochal change that the global gaming landscape has experienced within a few weeks. And professionals in the gaming industry now face the pressing need to make tough decisions quickly, to adapt, innovate and come out with continuity plans to cope with the global crisis. It is clear that, like any other industry, the gaming industry has not been spared by the disruptive effects of Covid-19. Since the onset of the pandemic, The Guangdong Grandeur International Exhibition Group, the organizer of Asia Amusement & Attractions Expo and Thailand Amusement & Attraction Parks Expo, also had to adapt to the emergency situation generated by the Covid-19 pandemic. The new date is 2020, August, 3-5. “We apologize for any inconvenience brought by this change of date, and thank you for your understanding and continuous support! The AAA organizing committee will make its biggest efforts in event promotion as always, in order to build the best trade platform to facilitate the hundreds of gaming operators have suspended their operations to halt the spread of the virus. The BiG Africa Conference 2020 (Bac) offers all South African gaming stakeholders the opportunity for premium networking as well as the valuable exchange of knowledge during conference sessions. Bac 2020 constitutes the optimal platform for gaining access to the gaming industry on the African continent. An event for gaming operators and suppliers to meet as well as the opportunity to network with existing and potential clients and peers to discuss the way forward in the “new normal”. Delegates can expect a two-day agenda industry’s recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic.” Local authorities lifted restrictions on large-scale exhibitions and conferences on 9 May, and the event will be held at the China Import and Export Fair Complex, Guangzhou, China (Area B). Bangkok, Thailand, ended the lockdown too, and now theme parks, water parks, gaming venues, hotels, exhibition centres and more are now allowed to open. Thailand is one of the safest countries in the region, with only 58 deaths to date and no new local infections for over 21 days. packed with insightful discussions from South Africa’s top industry leaders, concluding with a networking function offering delicious cuisine and refreshments. The most influential speaker at the event, selected by an anonymous panel of judges, will be awarded the Elephant Award during the networking lunch on the second day of the conference. The event will strictly adhere to the prescribed safety regulations and protocols to ensure the wellbeing of all attendees. In appreciation of the medical frontline of South Africa, Eventus International will be donating 10 percent of all ticket sales to a local medical organisation of
our choice. TAAPE 2020 will be an ideal opportunity to exhibit in this strong market as Southeast Asia continues to recover from the pandemic. The rescheduled event will now take place from 28 – 30 October at the Impact Exhibition & Convention Center in Bangkok. Asia Amusement & Attractions Expo 2019 was a record-breaking show. It is now one of the largest amusement and attractions trade shows in the world. Last year, exhibitors came from 11 countries and regions, and the number of overseas exhibitors grew by 35%.
LA VL T DEL M ESE L’ AVVOCAT O DE L DIAVOL O I LUOGHI DEL GIOCO DA NON P ERDERE L’ OROSCOP O GIOC O & PSICHE RIFLESSION I DA ORSO ASIA RECREATIONAL WATER SPORTS EXPO (ARWSE), DAL MOND O AUGUST, 3-5 DAL MOND O GIOC O & ARTE
The Asia Recreational Water Sports Expo buyers to negotiate cooperation and exThe fair will present a wonderful indus(Arwse) will be hosted by the Guangdong change of information. The latest event trial event for exhibitors and visitors, pro
Yacht Industry Association (Gyia), the Asattracted around 100 companies and mote the exchange and development of sociation of Promotion for Guangdong manufacturers of water sports equipthe water sports sector and offer an ex
Economy & Investment, the Guangdong ment brands from the United States, cellent purchasing platform for consumLA SLOT DE L M ESE L’ AVVOCAT O DE L DIAVOL O GIOC O & PSICHE Association of Cyber Culture (Gacc) and the Guangdong Enterprises Association for Foreign Economic Cooperation. Organized by the Guangdong Grandeur International Exhibition Group, Arwse aims to provide quality and innovative sports equipment for global buyers and conDA NON P ERDERE NEWSLETTE R LE AVVENTURE DA ROONEY LE AVVENTURE DA ROONEY Germany, Australia, France, Italy, the United Kingdom, Japan and other countries and regions. This year, the Arwse will cover an area of 30,000 square meters, divided into 6 exhibition areas: recreational water sports equipment, sports equipment, yacht inNUOV E TENDENZ E NEWSLETTE R ers and buyers. Scheduled many industry masters will gather in the forum, including scholars, company leaders, industry representatives. They will discuss and work together to promote the exchange and development of the water sports industry. sumers by establishing an international dustry, diving equipment, fabrics and 23 halls will open for more than 10 trade platform for manufacturers and materials and bodybuilding equipment. themed expos.
LA SLOT DEL M ESE F ISCO & SLO T RIFLESSION I DA ORSO RIFLESSION I DA ORSO LE AVVENTURE DA ROONEY LE AVVENTURE DA ROONEY POKE R STRATEGY POKE R STRATEGY Organized by the Guangzhou Guangdong’s association of the virtual reality industry, Grandeur International Exhibition Group, the Asia VR&AR Fair & Summit (The Seven Edition) will be staged It will be a global summit for the sector, where there will be exchanges of resources between trade associations, display of the entertainment and education solution based on VR & Ar. There will also be nology, environment modeling technology, 3D sound simulation technology, human-machine interaction technology, physical simulation technology, collision detection technology, and much more ASIA VR&AR FAIR & SUMMIT (THE SEVEN EDITION) 2020, AUGUST, 3-5 on 2020, August, 3 - 5 in the import and an award ceremony for the most authoriwill be displayed. export fair complex in Guanghou, China. tative operators in the sector. Unity, Htc, Jd.com, 3Glasses, Mad Gaze, There is an exhibition hall of about 30 VR/AR hardware equipment, output/inMeleap / Hodo (Giappone), VRway, XieL’OR A DEL GIOCO F ISCO & SLO T CASINÒ FRANCESI CASINÒ FRANCESI CASINÒ FRANCESI CASINÒ FRANCESI thousand square meters with about 180 exhibitors and 25,000 visitors from the sector. put equipment, data equipment, tracking equipment/system, location system and other tracking device, 3D output techSPORTS BETTING WEST AFRICA, AUGUST, 19-20 TORNEAND O TORNEAND O chuang Technology, Nined, FuninVR, Loonqin Tech, Movie Power and many others will be among the exhibitors. 2019 Sports Betting West Africa was a industry. even more engaging topics, inspiring big success, with an excellent attendance It will take place at the Eko Hotel & Suites the gaming industry, software and serand supported by the most representain Lagos, Nigeria, in 2020, August, 19 – vice providers and practical knowledge tive parts of the gaming sector in Africa 20, and will be the sixth annual sports for growth in the West African market. and worldwide. In true Eventus interbetting summit in West Africa. The goal Speakers also include the Italian Alesnational style, the summit managed to is to take advantage of the growing popsandro Pizzolotto, Founder & Ceo of Stm bring together the West African gaming ularity of previous editions, by offering Gaming.
CHINAJOY SHANGAI, JULY 31ST - AUGUST 1ST
15 areas with 170 thousand square meters of exhibition area for over 800 exhibitors from over 20 countries and regions. Ten thousand visits for 4,000 games on display in the Expo and over 5 thousand experiencing devices games. Total visitors in 4 days have already reached 365,700 and the media coverage has reached over 1.2 million contacts. And the ChinaJoy, China Digital Entertainment Expo and Conference, the full name of the most influential event in the global digital entertainment sector, scheduled in Shanghai, July 31st - August 1st. By selecting this city as the home of the business, the organizers showed their vision and intention to exploit the geographical advantages of Shanghai as the world’s transport hub, to attract and welcome spectators and professionals from the gaming sector both from China and from all over the world. ChinaJoy Expo showcases online games, console games, web games, digital entertainment related hardware products and other industries. And it is divided into areas, starting from the complete exhibition for digital entertainment for the general public, and the most popular area among fans of gaming and animation at the ChinaJoy Expo. It is the best platform where game companies can directly interact and make demonstrations for players. The event brings the company, products, technologies and brands together, and a specific area offers complete industrial business services and continues to promote extensive communication and partnerships between domestic and foreign gaming companies. Given the emergency and the decision not to postpone the event, special measures will be put in place in Shanghai to protect visitors and exhibitors. In addition to undergoing temperature monitoring, participants will have to reveal their real name and be registered in a tracking app, providing a valid health code.
