Gamescom video game trade fair opens for visitors in Cologne

The world's biggest video game fair in Cologne, the Gamescom, opened its doors to the public on Thursday (August 18), with organisers expecting more than a million visitors until August 21.

Looking foward to the latest trends in the gaming and video industry, queues of visitors started to form in the early hours of Thursday morning already. Day tickets for private visitors were already sold out in July and heightened security measures added to the wait, but the gamers patiently waited for their turn to walk into the sacred halls.

Already in the run-up to the fair, the organisers had pointed out that security would be increased. A measure that was welcomed by many visitors: "Because they [bags] haven't been checked all those years and it caused a bit of an uneasy feeling," said visitor Rina Kurz.

Under the motto "Heroes in new dimensions" this year's Gamescom puts the focus on Virtual Reality, the manager of the German Association of Interactive Leisure Software Industry (BIU), Maximilian Schenk, told Reuters. "That not only stimulates gaming but all industries up to the industry 4.0 (fourth industrial revolution, current trend of automation and data exchange in manufacturing technologies)," he said. A number of the major industry players are expected to unveil new gaming systems taking advantage of the trend.

Sony introduces a new headset, the PlayStation VR, which will enhance the gaming performance, Sony Interactive's Germany manager, Uwe Bassendowski, said.

Bassendowski called it their "entry point" to Virtual Reality. "Opposed to the conventional playing, it is a more intense experience for the consumer. They virtually seal themselves off from reality and dive into a new world, move around in this new world, experience emotions in this new world. It is all together a very intense gaming experience." The headset is expected to hit the market in October.

But Virtual Reality has not only a place in gaming, as the vice president of products at Oculus, Nate Mitchell, told Reuters. "So we are seeing all sorts of uses beyond just entertainment to things like education, simulation, training, a lot of 360-movies and films. So again, it goes well beyond just games."

And the project manager for Vive at HTC, Graham Breen, added: "We've also been using this (VR glasses) for the industry, for instance in the car industry, in medicine, in education. There are so many possibilities."

More than 850 exhibitors from some 53 countries present their latest games and gaming consoles to the public during the current Gamescom, with visitors able to test many of the new inventions. But they have to be patient - the wait for some of the games can take up to a few hours.