Gaming, eSports fans gather in Shanghai for carnival month
Members of three eSports clubs pose at a fashion center in Shanghai. They will represent China at a global VALORANT event in Los Angeles next month.
Gaming and animation fans are gathering in Shanghai for a carnival month in July with highly anticipated events, including ChinaJoy, Asia's biggest game fair; and a national eSports competition of VALORANT, a newly-released shooting game.
It fits well with Shanghai's strategy to develop the industry and build itself into a "global eSports hub."
In fact, three events were held in the city over the weekend – the VALORANT contest, a game and animation show, and an offline themed event for Honkai Impact 3 with 3D-printed models.
On Sunday night, professional eSports club EDG beat rival BLG by 3:1 in the final of the VALORANT Champions CQ. Three clubs – EDG, BLG and FPX – will represent China at a global VALORANT championship event in August in Los Angeles.
VALORANT, a popular 5 vs 5 First-person Shooter (FPS) PC game, is developed by Riot Games, developer of popular titles like the League of Legends (LoL). It's operated by Tencent on the Chinese mainland.
The final match was held at a fashion center in Lujiazui, the Pudong New Area, which was crowded with gaming and eSports fans.
Fans, wearing cosplay attire, attended the CCG Expo 2023 in Shanghai. More than 176,000 people visited the show.
The China International Comics and Games Expo (CCG Expo) closed on Sunday in Shanghai. Totally 176,000 gaming and animation fans attended the show, which offered game merchandise, stunning art exhibitions, manga cafes, premieres, idol groups, popular cosplayers, and diverse performances.
Also at the weekend, a Honkai Impact 3 offline carnival was held in suburban Jiading District, with 3D-printed game items and constructed game scenes, according to the game developer miHoYo.
Shanghai miHoYo is the developer of Genshin Impact, one of the best-selling games globally.
A 3D-printed tree appeared at an offline event of the Honkai Impact 3, a game developed by Shanghai-based miHoYo.
The weekend events marked the beginning of a carnival summer for gaming fans in Shanghai, with more events coming with higher anticipation and greater exhibition space.
Out-of-town visitor Jennifer, who wore cosplay attire at the CCG Expo, plans to stay in Shanghai to attend the Bilibili World 2023, or BW2023, which kicks off on Friday.
"The events (in Shanghai) are amazing. It's a carnival summer for us," she said.
BW2023 will be held between Friday and Sunday at the National Convention & Exhibition Center, boasting games, animation and shows for X-generation people.
At the end of the month, ChinaJoy, Asia's largest game show, will return to Shanghai with diverse artificial intelligence and eSports exhibition and events.
Typically, ChinaJoy is a summer festival for gaming fans, with booths from game companies and hardware providers. They will display the most recent developments in gaming, animation, fashion, smart devices and even cars. Almost 500 exhibitors from 22 countries and regions have confirmed their attendance at the event, with a total exhibition space of over 120,000 square meters.
