Games Convention | |
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Official logo
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Status | Inactive |
Genre | Video games |
Location(s) | Leipzig, Germany |
Country | Germany |
Inaugurated | 2002 |
Most recent | 2008 (Online until 2010) |
Attendance | 203,000 (2008) |
Organized by | Leipziger Messe, Bundesverband für Interaktive Unterhaltungssoftware |
The Games Convention, sometimes called the Leipzig Games Convention and abbreviated as GC, was an annual video game event held in Leipzig, Germany, first held in 2002. Besides video games, the event also covers Infotainment, Hardware, and Edutainment. Its concept was created by the Leipziger Messe (Leipzig Fair) in cooperation with Bundesverband für Interaktive Unterhaltungssoftware (German Federal Association for Entertainment Software) amongst others. The 2010 Gamescon was held August 18 to August 22.
With 183,000 visitors, 2,600 journalists, and 368 exhibitors from 25 countries in 2006, the Games Convention was the second biggest gaming event in the world, together with the Tokyo Game Show, later only superseded by Gamescom, which is also held in Germany. By comparison, both the Leipzig and Tokyo shows, where gamers of all ages could visit the show floor, are three times the size of the trade-only 2006 E3 show in Los Angeles. The Business Centre at Leipzig was reserved for professional visitors. In 2008, the Games Convention had a record of 203,000 visitors. The conference took place in a sprawling modern complex of exhibition halls in Leipzig.
To help identify younger visitors, coloured bracelets were handed out to attendees, indicating their age: "12 years and older" (green), "16 years and older" (blue), and "18 years and older" (red). These colours corresponded to the age indicators used by the USK, the German version of PEGI or ESRB.
In April 2011, it was announced that GCO 2011 would not take place.
The Leipzig Games Convention was first held in 2002. In 2005, the convention achieved visitor numbers of 134,000, which had risen to 185,000 by 2007.
The Games Convention was usually held in the last week of August. The Games Convention 2007 took place from 23 August to 26 August 2007. It started one day earlier for press members, exhibitors, and professionals.