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[spiderman123]

I would never go to that, all those stinky people rubbing up against you.....

 

[Sword Familiar]

The smell

 

[Goron2000]

We were taken by surprise thursday. We were last last year and the year before, but it was never as crowded. 2 Years ago we were in at 10.00 , waited about half an our to play at the Sony stand ( I remember we played Heavy Rain, Uncharted 2 and GoW3 ) and waited for about 1,5 hour for Mass Effect 2.

But last thursday the lines for Vita and Skyrim were 4 hours long at about 14.00.
It's just crazy that they let more and more people in.

You sure you don't mean friday? I went thursday and Vita took about 20 minutes and about half hour for Skyrim.
I went again on the friday and there was absolutely no way i was waiting in any of the lines, fuck saturday.

edit: my bad just realised i went on wednesday not thursday

 

[Tylahedras]

Another video:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k21jUlorGmo

Wow, that's very dangerous... if anything spooks that crowd people are going to die.

 

[Bozzard]

I tried every game in Wednesday with so little waiting. I tried to play BF3 again yesterday but the line was 5.5 hours long so i was like

 

[Devin Olsen]

PAX East 2011 is officially the biggest PAX in history and they had 69,500 attendees.

So yea.. Gamescom is huge

Yes but PAX has a cap as to how many tickets they sell. And they usually sell out in a matter of days. If it wasn't for that I am sure it would rival gamescom in size.

 

[Salsa]

looks like fucking HELL

i would seriously die in there. I love videogames, but i dont even go to the mall because of the people, jesus fuck.

 

[Bollocks]

Sony just knows how to attract people.

 

[Zeouterlimits]

Heh, it's funny, Darkflight and I did the exact same thing last year: Go until 1ish, and as the lines got incredibly huge, head back in Cologne.

 

[SapientWolf]

PAX East 2011 is officially the biggest PAX in history and they had 69,500 attendees.

So yea.. Gamescom is huge

PAX doesn't cram people into the show floor like sardines. There's a lot more to do.

 

[JdFoX187]

That looks crazier than Comic-Con this year, and that was already nearly too much for me.

 

[hurahn]

I would never want to go to that if it's that packed. Hell, I hate getting on a crowded elevator.

 

[Anton Sugar]

 

[Nome]

Why are people praising Gamescom for this? If people are fainting because your venue is unfit, that's a disaster = /

Hopefully they plan properly next year.

 

[Atrophis]

Well i was planning on going next year but fuck...if its like this :/

 

[Bozzard]

Actually the building has 6 exits but i haven't seen anyone telling people to exit from there. People who used other exits were fine (like me)

 

[Mergesort]

It's his personal preference. It makes more sense in Cologne for international press and it is in the state with the highest population. The location is also great. I don't think Berlin ever was on the table.

Why not berlin? I think the Messe Berlin is big enough(not sure how it compares to cologne). Berlin itself is big and beautiful. Of course you are right about the personal preference! It would take me only a few minutes to get there. The infrastructure is great as well. I visit the IFA every year and i definitely see a possibility for a gamesconvention.

 

[Donos]

Why not berlin? I think the Messe Berlin is big enough(not sure how it compares to cologne). Berlin itself is big and beautiful. Of course you are right about the personal preference! It would take me only a few minutes to get there. The infrastructure is great as well. I visit the IFA every year and i definitely see a possibility for a gamesconvention.

Messe Berlin is definetly huge enough. I visited every IFA in the last 10 years and there are so many emtpy halls and alot of ways to leave and enter every hall. Berlin is under the TOP5 for the most international congresses/conventions worldwide.
But i guess there are also a lot of other things which play into proceedings for such an event.

 

[S1kkZ]

But i guess there are also a lot of other things which play into proceedings for such an event.

sony's and ea's german/european headquarters are in cologne...

 

[Rodney McKay]

Damn, and I thought PAX prime was crowded last year!

 

[Dinosaur Tamer]

Why are people praising Gamescom for this? If people are fainting because your venue is unfit, that's a disaster = /

Hopefully they plan properly next year.

People are fainting because they are visiting a massive convention on a very hot day and bring insufficient or no means to keep themselves hydrated.

As a regular attendee I must say the ventilation system is outright excellent and the Koelnmesse itself is huge and can actually safely hold greater numbers than today. I know the shots and videos suggest otherwise, but they were almost exclusively of the most crowded places like the main entrance or the main passage between the most popular halls.

With over 100.000 people you are bound to have some fools only using the most crowded passages between the halls and not looking after themselves. Like bringing not enough to drink when it's 30 degrees celsius.

Why not berlin?

The go-to cities for modern media and entertainment in Germany are pretty much Cologne, Hamburg and Munich. It was pretty likely gamescom would end up in one of these three eventually.

 

[Warm Machine]

Doesn't matter how big the convention hall is. Companies are only going to have limited booth sizes anyway due to cost. As it is, the whole convention center size isn't being used in Cologne. When you are in the actual convention rooms the crowd is usually not as dense. The corridors have more people in them by design.

The best thing they can do for the future is sell passes in advance and when they run out they run out, sort of like PAX.

Like I said before, I went to Gamescom last year and it was a fantastic experience. Air conditioned, comfortable, full of energy. Most importantly, I knew not to be there on a Saturday due to my experience in Leipzig. Better thing to do that day is take in the beautiful city.

 

[snap0212]

Messe Berlin is definetly huge enough. I visited every IFA in the last 10 years and there are so many emtpy halls and alot of ways to leave and enter every hall. Berlin is under the TOP5 for the most international congresses/conventions worldwide.
But i guess there are also a lot of other things which play into proceedings for such an event.

Messe Berlin is way smaller than Koelnmesse (160.000 m² vs. 284.000 m²). Frankfurt or Hannover would have been good choices as well. Both of them offer enough space and a good infrastructure.

Another thing is that you have about 11 Million people living in that "area". Way more than you have in Berlin/Brandenburg (about 6 Million).

 

[Alx]

Who would wait 9 hours in a line ? That's your whole day gone, only to try a game ?
I'm already pissed when I have to wait more than 30 min for an attraction at an amusement park, there's no way I'll ever go to a gaming expo.

 

[Diablohead]

Who would wait 9 hours in a line ? That's you whole day gone, only to try a game ?

waiting longer then 20-30 minutes to try a game is a huge waste imo, if the line is that long i'll just watch thx

 

[-KRS-]

I can't believe people are THAT stoked over a game that they would willingly go to a crowded place like that and stand in line for the game for the rest of the day.

 

[Goldmund]

I'd rather have gamescom disappear and have more local events with presentations for the public by developers like with Duke Nukem Forever last year (and many more actually).

What an elitist, anti-social, contemptuous and inconsiderate thing to say. I like it.

 

[kittens]

I like how they changed it from 1 > 4 > 9. Or that's what it looks like at least. :lol

 

[itsgreen]

I would hope they learn 2 lessons, monitor how many people enter...

Make this thing bigger for 2012

 

[hiro4]

I was there on Wednesday and I found to be already busy enough. And let me tell you there were already a lot of people who werent from the industry or the press. I saw children as young as 8 walking around there.

Also press and industry only have one day. Thursday to Sunday is open to the public.

 

[Lo_Fi]

Gamescom is bigger than E3? Huh, I never knew.

 

[snap0212]

I was there on Wednesday and I found to be already busy enough. And let me tell you there were already a lot of people who werent from the industry or the press. I saw children as young as 8 walking around there.

It has always been like that. People bring their kids. Kojima always brings a bunch of nice ladies with him (not sure who they are) and no one cares.

 

[Guenther]

sony's and ea's german/european headquarters are in cologne...

SCED´s headquater is located near Frankfurt.

 

[ArjanN]

I like how they changed it from 1 > 4 > 9. Or that's what it looks like at least. :lol

Reminds me of my old report cards.

 

[see5harp]

That looks terrible. That's worse than a main stage at Glastonbury and there probably aren't even good looking woman at Gamescon.

 

[SMT]

There's also tonnes of metric groping opportunities in that small space, so all those cute professional cosplayers were getting touched.

That's the way I see it.

 

[Card Boy]

not really. e3 matters, gc doesnt.

To who, console owners? even then the last few have dreadful. Gamescon always delivers to the Master Race.

 

[Vilam]

I was there on Wednesday and I found to be already busy enough. And let me tell you there were already a lot of people who werent from the industry or the press. I saw children as young as 8 walking around there.

Also press and industry only have one day. Thursday to Sunday is open to the public.

The security at the show seemed practically non-existent. I was amazed at how easy it would be to just walk right in without a badge and go wherever you wanted, especially on Wednesday. E3 is much more tightly controlled in that regard.

 

[Goldrusher]

Well, they have a new record: 275 000 visitors this year.

http://www.play3.de/2011/08/21/neuer-rekord-275000-besucher-auf-der-gamescom/

 

[EVIL]

Gamescom is bigger than E3? Huh, I never knew.

only in amount of visitors, since gamescom is open for public from Thursday till Sunday. while E3 is only for press and industry.

 

[Kinan]

Thats why you dont go to Gamescom on weekend. I learned my lesson hard way 2 years ago. Now only Thursday for me.

 

[NeoGIF]

Gamescom, the new E3, lol.

 

[Kinan]

only in amount of visitors, since gamescom is open for public from Thursday till Sunday. while E3 is only for press and industry.

its also much bigger in the amount of exhibitors (557 vs ~200 at E3 and TGS). And I don't think that Gamescom had significantly less "business visitors" than those either.

 

[watershed]

Damn, that picture in the OP looks terrible. I would hate to be caught in that mess. Probably hot and musty as hell too.

 

[LeBoef]

Messe Berlin is way smaller than Koelnmesse (160.000 m² vs. 284.000 m²). Frankfurt or Hannover would have been good choices as well. Both of them offer enough space and a good infrastructure.

Another thing is that you have about 11 Million people living in that "area". Way more than you have in Berlin/Brandenburg (about 6 Million).

hannover/ frankfurt are building the booths for IAA at this time of the year (depends which IAA is being held).

so changing every year from frankfurt to hannover would be silly.
using another date is silly, too. e3, gc and tgs have a good timespan in between.


cologne fits well, but they should go for tuesday + wednesday for press.

@leipzig
cant hear those complaints anymore. nobody cares about that one anymore. even stuttgart has a larger area.

 

[Feep]

Thank God E3 is closed to the public. This looks like a nightmare...and that's coming from someone who happily braves San Diego Comic Con every year.

E3 is best convention.

 

[MNC]

if I knew Gamescom was just over in Germany I would've totally gone. Sadly I have a retake on an exam IN MY SUMMER HOLIDAY.

 

[wrowa]

Why are people praising Gamescom for this? If people are fainting because your venue is unfit, that's a disaster = /

Hopefully they plan properly next year.

I don't think anyone's praising them. While the event becomes more popular every year, it has now reached a size where the experience for the visitor gets worse and worse. They have to change something or else the gamescom might eat itself in the long run.

Oh, and closing it for the public is -not- the way to do it. The gamescom is first and foremost not a press event.

 

[SneakyStephan]

Surely there's a more efficient way to get game demos to people.

Amazing burn

 

[CaVaYeRo]

It's also a hell for journalists. You have to go through all that 'hordes' when you go from the business area to the press center. They have to address that for next year, since you waste A LOT of time walking that path again and again. That is not any professional.