2010 Tokyo Game Show

Since 1996, TGS has remains one of the most popular video game expos in the world. Although it primarily targets the Japanese market, it is still used by many famous international video game developers and is used as a venue for demonstrating their upcoming software titles and gaming hardware. This year TGS aims for further growth by enhancing the show’s B2B and B2C functions with the goal of becoming “the No.1 Information Network in the Asian Region.”

The TGS is held annually by the Computer Entertainment Supplier’s Association (CESA) and Nikkei Business Publications, Inc. at the Makuhari Messe located in the famous Japanese city of Chiba. The Tokyo Game Show plans to include new and existing zones this year in its four day long expo.

The General Exhibition area will showcase digital entertainment-related products and services, including game software. The Merchandise Sales area, another standard fare at TGS, is dedicated to selling game-related products. With its format changing for 2010, sales of game software will be allowed to companies (publishers) who are also exhibitors in the General Exhibition Area or other areas.

The Family Area, new for 2010, will exhibit video games, game-related goods, and game-related services targeted for children. TGS will be lifting the limit on the number of game machines to be exhibited this year. The area will be opened to a wider range of exhibitors with the goal of making the show more enjoyable for families. The Game School Area will be designed for schools that engage in video game training.

The PC Online Game Business Area, another 2010 newcomer, shall provide opportunities for presenting and discussing licensing, sales and partnerships of online PC games with the goal of providing a cost-effective means for exhibitors to target businesses and end-consumers alike.

The new Game PC Area will introduce high-performance game PCs, motherboard graphic boards, processors, memory and hard disk drives for gaming PCs. Original game PC products and game software. The Audio-Visual & Gadget Area will showcase audio-visual equipment and other related gadgetry to enhance game playing environments. Examples of such products include 3-D television, 5.1ch audio systems and custom video gaming chairs.

The Mobile Area, new for 2010, will exhibit mobile phone content and mobile-related products access peripheral devices for the iPhone, Android, and Windows Mobile platforms. There will also be a Business Solution Area for B2B purposes as well as an International Career Pavilion designed to meet the global need for hiring new talent by providing opportunities for companies and prospective employees to connect.

In addition to its traditional line-up, the TGS plans to include new programs for 2010 such as the following:

Asian Game Business Summit planning
Tours for foreign visitors
VISIT JAPAN campaign participation
Installation of the International Career Pavilion
Introduction of the Media Partner System
Programming of online ticket sales for overseas customers
International Exchange Zone Installation
Business Matching System enhancement
New Asian Culture Hub
Addition of new Game Science Museum

Although there was initial debate about the show’s length, CESA and Nikkei eventually agreed upon a duration of four days in hopes of attracting more attendees. Although initially designed for professional attendees, the Tokyo Game Show allows public attendance in the final two days.

Further details on the Tokyo Game Show can be found at http://tgs.cesa.or.jp.

A Springboard for Video Game Developers

Creating video games is an art, no doubt. The problem is that it isn’t easy to come up with ideas for video games. And even when we do get an idea, it doesn’t seem as fresh or exciting as we want it to be. The following offers a few ways you can generate some creative ideas to keep your video game as fun to play from beginning to end.

7. Play the video game before it has begun development. That sounds crazy, but it can be done and it’s an excellent way to get the plot down. To make this work, relax yourself and visually imagine that you’re playing the game from start to finish. Let your mind suggest scenes, characters, plots, and strategies. Write down the game as its being played before your mind, and then repeat for each twist that you’d like to see implemented in the actual game.

8. Throw the plot into the mixer. There could probably be nothing more challenging in a video game than plot twists. As long as it’s not too confusing to the point where players complain and quit playing, rearranging its plot could lend to some fun mind-bending twists that no one would ever predict. Try putting the game’s beginning in the middle, or introduce all the subplots in the beginning of the game and have it all start to make sense toward the end (Think, “Pulp Fiction”).

9. Look at the game with someone else’s eyes. You may already know how you want your game to play, but so may everyone else. To inject some real creativity into your video game, design it as if it were presented from the eyes of a child, a lizard, or an inanimate object like a television. This exercise will not only keep the game intriguing for it’s players, it will also keep its development challenging and interesting for you! Don’t be surprised if your newfound view changes the game throughout its development. A new perspective has an interesting habit of creating new purposes and new solutions.

10. Challenge the rules. Try to remember that most advances in anything (not just video games) came about from challenging the rules. To make this work, think of the rules imposed on video game developers in the past and just break them! Do the opposite. Where they say you can’t or you shouldn’t – go on and do it. As long as your rule-breaking spree causes no harm and doesn’t jeopardize the integrity of the game, try it!

11. Don’t call your project a video game. Sometimes when you change the name of something, you start to view it differently. This is because different words move a line of thought into a different direction – a different direction that sparks new ideas.

12. Combine ideas. We’re often told to ditch the first, second, or even third idea that we come up with for a project in favor for a much stronger idea. But instead of ditching these ideas, why not combined them into one. Combining ideas is one of the easiest ways to come up with new ideas and you can do the with your game. You could combine life forms, scenery, and all kinds of things. The end result would be nothing short of amazing and all the while, your players will wonder, “How did they come up with this stuff?!”

A Springboard for Video Game Developers

Creating video games is an art, no doubt. The problem is that it isn’t easy to come up with ideas for video games. And even when we do get an idea, it doesn’t seem as fresh or exciting as we want it to be. The following offers a few ways you can generate some creative ideas to keep your video game as fun to play from beginning to end.

13. Do the unexpected. This is probably one of the hardest things for linear programmers to do because as software developers, programmers are trained to keep everything working in some sort of straight, logical order. To make this work, game programmers are going to have to give themselves permission to go nuts – to do the unexpected and not obsess over the consequences. As good training for all of us, doing the unexpected is a freeing experience that opens our minds to workable possibilities we probably wouldn’t consider otherwise. These are possibilities that could make your video stand out from the crowd of copy-cats.

14. Design the video game for a specific audience. Choose a unique audience to design your game for and make sure that every character, scene, subplot, and strategy caters to the interest of this audience. But don’t pick a typical audience – go crazy. Design your game as if a dog were the player, a computer mouse, or even a stack of pancakes. Let your imagination go wild and you’ll see a new world unfold before you.

15. Imagine that you’re the video game. If you were the video game that you’re designing, how would you want to be played? Attempting to answer this question should set you off on quite a creative spree of new and original ideas (if not one hell of a giggling session). Don’t just throw the goofy ideas that you get from this exercise into the trash bin. Seriously think of how to implement them into your video game. This strategy is sure to put you on the gaming map.

16. Substitute. Using one object in the place of another is another sure way of coming up with cool ideas for video game, and in certain situations, it’s the only way to dream up something fresh and new. When it seems that you just can’t come up with a new slant, you’re best bet is to replace a typical, predictable character with a lively, cute and helpful soda can. Or replace a typical, predictable plot with some bizarre scene out of a dream. Remember: nothing is irreplaceable.

17. Introduce a little randomness into the mix. There’s a lot to be said about random events. They always bring us the element of surprise and you can use it to keep your video game exciting. The key to making randomness work in a video game is to introduce a set number of possibilities into several sections of the game and then have each of those possibilities lead to a different outcome. Sure, this could drive a player crazy, but you’ve got to admit, it will send them scrambling for a solution and talking about your game for days.

In the last section of this four-part article, we bring you two more ideas before coming to a close.