The inaugural The Games Xpo 2012 at the Queen Sirikit Convention Center offered everything a Bangkok video game nut could want – booths full of gaming hardware, booth babes to take pictures with/of, multiple game competitions, give-aways and even shops to purchase virtual items for your favorite online games. I visited the event to have a look around and get a taste of the local Thai gaming culture.
Boothbabes galore
Many photographers gather at TGX for the large amount of beautiful booth companions to take pictures of. Some of them went beyond a simple skimpy outfit and were suited up with giant pieces of armor (something Thai cosplayers are renowned for) to represent their brands and booths.
Shop till you drop
Various local game publishers not only hosted competitions and giant booths for visitors to try out their games, but also featured their own little shops that sold codes for digital in-game items. Sales for virtual shotguns, swords, pets and costumes were held, accompanied by the occasional free items being handed out as well.
“It’s an investment”
Local budget brand GVIEW sponsored various booths with game computers and hardware, pretty much dominating the entire TGX event with their gear. Other popular brands like Steel Series, Razer and Thermaltake were also there to show off their gear. Relatively expensive for Thai standards, these brands have still managed to create a large demand among Thai gamers, who prefer the higher quality and sophisticated design of Western gaming gear over the plastic, brightly colored Chinese manufactured alternatives that fill up the endless shelves of Pantip Plaza.
DOTA2 vs LOL
With popular award-winning free-to-play Multiplayer Online Battle Arena (MOBA) League of Legends now officially available in Thailand, the country is in a grip of a triangle of MOBAs. The battle is on between the less bigger, but popular Heroes or Newerth, the recently crowned ”most played PC game” League of Legends and Valve’s up and coming still-in-beta Defense of the Ancients 2 (DOTA2).
On-line only
Having visited various game events for my work in the past, this was the very first game event that I’ve been to that features online-only games, most of them being MMO’s, followed by FPS shooters and MOBAs. It show the power of an event like TGX to bring the local Bangkok gamers together in a real-life setting and also the need for the Thai game publishers to have local events that allow them to directly connect with their userbase. The numerous sales and special give-aways were announced over their websites, Facebook and social media far ahead of time, turning TGX more into a community meet-up opportunity for already popular Thai online games than an actual event to promote new products.
